Aelfred's Britain
War and Peace in the Viking Age
1st Edition
Published on 2. November 2017
528 pages
978-1-78408-029-7 (ISBN)
Description
The story of Aelfred the Great, his war against the Vikings and the foundations of modern Britain.
In AD 865, a 'great host' of battle-hardened Norse warriors landed on England's eastern coast, overwhelmed East Anglia with terrifying swiftness and laid the North to waste. Ghosting along estuaries and inshore waters, in 871 they penetrated deep into the southern kingdom of Wessex, ruled over by a new and untested king, Ælfred son of Æðelwulf. It seemed as though the End of Days was come.
Max Adams tells the story of the heroic efforts of Ælfred, his successors and fellow-kings of Britain, to adapt and survive in the face of an apocalyptic threat; and in so doing, to lay the foundations of the nations of modern Britain in all their regional diversity.
In AD 865, a 'great host' of battle-hardened Norse warriors landed on England's eastern coast, overwhelmed East Anglia with terrifying swiftness and laid the North to waste. Ghosting along estuaries and inshore waters, in 871 they penetrated deep into the southern kingdom of Wessex, ruled over by a new and untested king, Ælfred son of Æðelwulf. It seemed as though the End of Days was come.
Max Adams tells the story of the heroic efforts of Ælfred, his successors and fellow-kings of Britain, to adapt and survive in the face of an apocalyptic threat; and in so doing, to lay the foundations of the nations of modern Britain in all their regional diversity.
More details
Series
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
50 b&w illus
ISBN-13
978-1-78408-029-7 (9781784080297)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
11/2020
Apollo
€16.50
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Max Adams is the author of Admiral Collingwood, The Prometheans, the bestselling The King in the North and In the Land of Giants. He has lived and worked in the North-East of England since 1993.
Content
- Intro
- Welcome Page
- About Ælfred's Britain
- Contents
- List of Maps
- Dedication
- Map
- Frontispiece
- Author's note
- Introduction
- Part I: The tiger in the smoke, 789-878
- Timeline 1: 789-878
- Forespæc
- Chapter 1: Landscape with figures
- Chapter 2: Central places
- Chapter 3: The incoming tide
- Chapter 4: The End of Days
- Part II: Newton's cradle, 879-918
- Timeline 2: 879-918
- Forespæc
- Chapter 5: The balance of power
- Chapter 6: Arrivals and departures
- Chapter 7: Fragmentary annals
- Chapter 8: Politics by other means
- Part III: Going native, 919-955
- Timeline 3: 919-955
- Forespæc
- Chapter 9: Innate affinities with ambiguity
- Chapter 10: Lawyers, guns and money
- Chapter 11: A house of cards
- Chapter 12: The illusory prize
- Endpapers
- Appendix: Regnal tables
- Rulers of Wessex 802-955
- Rulers of York 867-955
- Rulers of Mercia 757-924
- Rulers of Pictavia
- Dál Riata
- Alba 839-955
- Rulers of the Welsh 808-950
- Abbreviations, sources and references
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Picture credits
- Acknowledgements
- Index
- About Max Adams
- Also by Max Adams
- An Invitation from the Publisher
- Copyright
