The Origin of the English Nation

This 1907 work is a scholarly examination of sources for the early history and society of Anglo-Saxon England.

H. Munro Chadwick (Author)

9781108010061, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 20 May 2010

356 pages, 4 b/w illus. 4 maps
21.6 x 14 x 2 cm, 0.45 kg

In this 1907 work, H. Munro Chadwick (1870–1947) re-examines the early history of the English nation from a new perspective. By training a philologist, he uses the tools of ethnology, history, tradition, language, customs, religion and archaeology, to understand how the various Germanic tribes established themselves in Britain, founding new kingdoms. Despite an almost total lack of English historical documents from the period, Chadwick uses a range of historical and literary sources, from both sides of the English Channel, which relied on oral traditions. By close linguistic analysis he shows how the Saxon and other invaders retained close cultural ties with their continental kinsmen. He shows that although the Dark Ages may be obscure due to lack of contemporary sources, careful scholarly analysis of later texts can reveal a great deal about the history, culture and society of the earlier period.

Preface
1. England in the sixth century
2. The west Saxon invasion
3. The invasion of Kent
4. The Saxons, Angles and Jutes in Britain
5. The Saxons, Angles and Jutes on the continent
6. The kings of Angeln
7. The age of national migrations
8. The Saxons and Angles in Roman times
9. The classification of the ancient Germani
10. The cult of Nerthus
11. King Aethelwulf's mythical ancestors
12. Social conditions of the roman period
Addenda
Index.

Subject Areas: British & Irish history [HBJD1]