When we write about 5-7th century kings we have this misplaced need to assign them a kingdom. We forget that when their contemporaries in neighboring kingdoms referred to them, they were usually referred to as King of Britons, King of Picts, King of Saxons. Within their people, they do refer to kings of tribes, or [...]
Archive for the ‘Medieval Kings’ Category
31 Jan
LKM: Dumnonia
Dumnonia can be a frustrating place to study. There are several concrete records of Dumnonia in the Late Antique-Early Medieval period, and yet when you try to study beyond those few references and archaeological finds you quickly move into legend. It is particularly frustrating considering how long the kingdom of Dumnonia survived against constant Gewisse [...]
6 Dec
LKM: Cumbria-Galloway (Solway Firth)
Post-Roman Cumbria and Galloway
The region of Cumbria and Galloway was the active zone for the ‘Men of the North’, famous in British poetry. Many of the ‘Men of the North’ appear to have been located in old Roman ruins along Hadrian’s Wall. All of the ‘Men of the North’, including the dynasty of Rheged, are [...]
3 Dec
King Oswald Bibliography
Updated bibliography from my old site, “Early Medieval Resources for Britain, Ireland, and Brittany”; permanent link will be on the Early Medieval Kings page here at Heavenfield.
Primary Sources
Adomnan of Iona. Life of Columba. Internet Medieval Sourcebook.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1998) Michael Swanton, Ed. Routledge.
Bede Ecclesiatical History of the English People.
Florence of Worchester A History of the Kings [...]
29 Nov
Bernicia from the South
What I would like to explore today is the hypothesis that the early Bernicians were viewed as outsiders by the southern English, including in Deira and Lindsey.
The Bernician heartland outside of the former Roman province may have also made them seem more barbarian to even the Anglo-Saxons. Was there a long held suspicion that these [...]
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