A Social History of England, 900–1200
Julia Crick editor Elisabeth van van Houts editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:21st Apr '11
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
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- Hardback£95.00(9780521885614)
An integrated social history of England that spans the conventional divide of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
This book offers fresh views of the most traumatic period of English history when England was conquered twice in fifty years by Danish and Norman kings and when the influx of foreigners caused major ethnic tension in all areas of life: family, town and countryside, court and church.The years between 900 and 1200 saw transformative social change in Europe, including the creation of extensive town-dwelling populations and the proliferation of feudalised elites and bureaucratic monarchies. In England these developments were complicated and accelerated by repeated episodes of invasion, migration and changes of regime. In this book, scholars from disciplines including history, archaeology and literature reflect on the major trends which shaped English society in these years of transition and select key themes which encapsulate the period. The authors explore the landscape of England, its mineral wealth, its towns and rural life, the health, behaviour and obligations of its inhabitants, patterns of spiritual and intellectual life and the polyglot nature of its population and culture. What emerges is an insight into the complexity, diversity and richness of this formative period of English history.
'This is an imaginatively-conceived volume that cuts across conventional chronological divisions to offer new insights into the English medieval society and culture. No other volume offers so comprehensive an analysis of all aspects of life in Anglo-Saxon and Norman England. It should be an essential purchase for students and scholars working on England in the central Middle Ages.' Sarah Foot, Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History, University of Oxford
'This is a ground-breaking collection that combines intellectual, political and cultural history with archaeological, literary, ecocritical and environmental scholarship in an unprecedented fashion. The result is innovative and interdisciplinary in the very best way - rich in insights, lucid, learned, and original.' Paul J. E. Kershaw, University of Virginia
'This fresh and interesting volume has broadened the normal range of selection for a social history to include such excellent literary scholars as Andy Orchard and Elaine Treharne, matching them with archaeologists and the incomparable Oliver Rackham. It will inspire the young to pursue a speciality from one or other of the chapters and one or two readers might even ponder the volume as a whole and go on to transcend specialities and produce a great social history of the complex kind we so singularly lack.' Paul R. Hyams, Cornell University
'This collection of thirty essays by field leaders, expertly edited by Julia Crick and Elisabeth van Houts, is … very welcome and has much to offer medieval history. Going far beyond considerations of government, and taking in change alongside continuity, it makes important contributions … excellent surveys and overviews, accessible to students and non-specialists, reinforcing and enlightening to veterans.' Alex Burghart, The Times Literary Supplement
ISBN: 9780521713238
Dimensions: 226mm x 152mm x 21mm
Weight: 740g
472 pages