Description

An innovative and thought-provoking exploration of the edges of England from their earliest days to the Norman Conquest

The earliest written record of a political boundary in England dates from around 880, when King Alfred and Danish warlord Guthrum formalised a legal treaty to divide lands between them. How did Alfred and his descendants think about the borders of “English” territory? And what can these markers tell us about the English kingdom itself?

Ryan Lavelle takes readers on a journey around the borders and edges of early medieval England. From an oak tree used as a marker by St Augustine, through Alfred’s famous treaty, to 1066 and beyond, Lavelle explores how land was divided and the ways in which boundaries were perceived. He argues that there was no one unified “England” until after the Norman Conquest-and in fact the lands were divided several times between the death of AEthelstan and the invasion of William the Conqueror. This is a fascinating account that reshapes our thinking about the origins of the “lands of the English.”

Publisher Review

“In this exciting new volume, Lavelle shows not only how the early English shaped their frontiers, but also how they were shaped by them. It is a timely story, a retelling of the creation of England (and Englishness) from the perspective of its limitations.”-Levi Roach, author of Empire of the Normans

“In this ambitious study Ryan Lavelle explores the first era when English borders were defined. With an imaginative, elegant structure and a sharp eye for how the margin can illuminate the centre, Lavelle makes a major contribution to scholarship on early medieval England.”-Rory Naismith, author of Offa

“Fascinating and strikingly original…Lavelle uncovers the hidden history of the ways our ancestors organised and defined themselves, and sought consensus with their neighbours. This is a story from which we still have much to learn.”-Michael Wood, author of In Search of the Dark Ages