Making England, 796–1042 explores the creation and establishment of the kingdom of England and the significant changes that led to it becoming one of the most successful and sophisticated political structures in the western world by the middle of the eleventh century.
At the end of the eighth century when King Offa of Mercia died, England was a long way from being a single kingdom ruled by a single king. This book examines how and why the kingdom of England formed in the way it did and charts the growth of royal power over the following two and a half centuries. Key political and military events are introduced alongside developments within government, the law, the church and wider social and economic changes to provide a detailed picture of England throughout this period. This is also set against a wider European context to demonstrate the influence of external forces on England’s development.
With a focus on England’s rulers and elites, Making England, 796–1042 uncovers the type of kingdom England was and analyses its strengths and weaknesses as well as the emerging concept of a specifically English nation. Arranged both chronologically and thematically, and containing a selection of maps and genealogies, it is the ideal introducion to this subject for students of medieval history and of medieval England in particular.
Preface
Chronology of Main Events
A Note on Money
References and Abbreviations
List of Debates
Maps
Genealogies
Introduction. England and the English in 796
Part I. The Origins of a Kingdom, 796-899
- The Events, 796-899
- Ruling the Kingdoms, 796-899
796-839
839-858
858-871
878-892
893-899
Notes
Becoming King
The Requirements of Kingship
‘Tools and Resources’
Ruling at a Distance
Military Organisation
The Reign of Alfred the Great
The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons
Notes
3. The Kings and the Law, 796-899
Principles and Practice
Alfred the Great and the Law
The Limits of the Law
Notes
4. The Kings and the Church, 796-899
The Structure of the English Church
English Kings and the Pre-Viking Church
The English Church and the Vikings
Alfred the Great and the Church
Between a Viking Rock and a Royal Hard Place
Notes
Part II. The Birth of a Kingdom, 899-975
5. The Events, 899-975
899-902
903-918
919-924
924-939
939-946
946-955
956-959
959-975
Notes
6. Ruling the Kingdom, 899-975
The Bumpy Road to a Single English Kingdom
Military Power
Household Government
Government by Assembly
Regional Government
Mints and Coins
Royal Power in the North
Royal Wealth
Edgar’s English Kingdom
Notes
7. The Kings and the Law, 899-975
Law and Government
Law Codes and their Concerns
Courts
Hearing a Case
Policing and Punishment
The Longer Arm of the Law
Notes
8. The Kings and the Church, 899-975
Royal Government and the Church
Kings and Dioceses
Monasticism and Realpolitik
Reform and Reality
Notes
Part III. The Testing of a Kingdom, 975-1042
9. The Events, 975-1042
975-979
979-991
992-1005
1006-1012
1013-1016
1016-1035
1035-1042
Notes
10. Ruling the Kingdom, 975-1042
King and Nobility
Household Government
Local Government
Military Organisation
Royal Finance
A Kingdom Worth Fighting For
Notes
11. The Kings and the Law, 975-1042
Aethelred’s Laws
Cnut’s Laws
Law in Action
The Roots of the Common Law
Notes
12. The Kings and the Church, 975-1042
All Churches Great and Small
The Church and Royal Power
Aethelred II and the Church
Cnut and the English Church
Out of the Frying Pan …
Notes
Glossary of Terms
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index
Biography
Richard Huscroft is Head of History at Westminster School, London, and is the author of several books on medieval history, including Ruling England, 1042-1217 (2016), and Tales from the Long Twelfth Century (2016).
'Richard Huscroft brings his trademark combination of eloquence and erudition to Making England. He sets out the twisting, turning narrative that leads from a series of separate kingdoms in the eighth century to a single strong one in the eleventh, and at the same time brings out the slow-burning institutional and social changes that underpin this story.'
Rory Naismith, King's College London, UK
'Richard Huscroft has written an admirably clear account of the formative period of English history from the death of King Offa of Mercia to the accession of Edward the Confessor – the period that witnessed the first emergence of a single kingdom of England and the origin and early development of so many key institutions of English political life. Making England, 796–1042 is the essential companion to Huscroft's Ruling England, 1042–1217.'
Timothy Graham, The University of New Mexico, USA
