Britain and Its Neighbours: Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Britain and its Neighbours explores instances and periods of cultural contact and exchanges between communities in Britain with those in other parts of Europe between c.500 and 1700.

Collectively, the twelve case studies highlight certain aspects of cultural contact and exchange and present neglected factors, previously overlooked evidence, and new methodological approaches. The discussions draw from a broad range of disciplines including archaeology, history, art history, iconography, literature, linguistics, and legal history in order to shine new light on a multi-faceted variety of expressions of the equally diverse and long-standing relations between Britain and its neighbours. Organised chronologically, the volume accentuates the consistency and continuity of social, cultural, and intellectual connections between Britain and Continental Europe in a period that spans over a millennium.

With its range of specialised topics, Britain and its Neighbours is a useful resource for undergraduates, postgraduates, and scholars interested in cultural and intellectual studies and the history of Britain’s long-standing connections to Europe.

Dirk H. Steinforth is an archaeologist and translator in Göttingen, Germany. Working as an independent researcher, he studied every aspect of the Viking Age in the Irish Sea, particularly the Isle of Man, and published two books and various articles on the subject.

Charles C. Rozier is Lecturer in Medieval European History at Durham University, United Kingdom. He specialises in the intellectual culture of European monasticism, c.800–1200, publishing widely on the writing of history and uses of the past in medieval Europe.