Kingship and Consent in Anglo-Saxon England, 871–978: Assemblies and the State in the Early Middle Ages (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series, Series Number 92) - Softcover

Roach, Levi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1316648524 ISBN 13: 9781316648520

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2017

Synopsis

This engaging study focuses on the role of assemblies in later Anglo-Saxon politics, challenging and nuancing existing models of the late Anglo-Saxon state. Its ten chapters investigate both traditional constitutional aspects of assemblies - who attended these events, where and when they met, and what business they conducted - and the symbolic and representational nature of these gatherings. Levi Roach takes into account important recent work on continental rulership, and argues that assemblies were not a check on kingship in these years, but rather an essential feature of it. In particular, the author highlights the role of symbolic communication at assemblies, arguing that ritual and demonstration were as important in English politics as they were elsewhere in Europe. Far from being exceptional, the methods of rulership employed by English kings look very much like those witnessed elsewhere on the continent, where assemblies and ritual formed an essential part of the political order.

About this title

Book Description

This is the first dedicated treatment of Anglo-Saxon assembly politics since the 1950s. Taking into account recent discussions of continental rulership in the early Middle Ages, Roach investigates the constitutional aspects of assemblies and the symbolic and representational nature of the gatherings, and challenges existing models of the late Anglo-Saxon state.

About the Author

Levi Roach is Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Exeter.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1316648524
• ISBN 13: 9781316648520
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 316