The Anglo-Saxons
A History of the Beginnings of England
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The Anglo-Saxons
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Narrated by:
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Roy McMillan
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By:
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Marc Morris
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Sixteen hundred years ago, Britain left the Roman Empire and swiftly fell into ruin. Grand cities and luxurious villas were deserted and left to crumble, and civil society collapsed into chaos. Into this violent and unstable world came foreign invaders from across the sea and established themselves as its new masters.
The Anglo-Saxons traces the turbulent history of these people across the next six centuries. It explains how their earliest rulers fought relentlessly against each other for glory and supremacy and then were almost destroyed by the onslaught of the Vikings. It explores how they abandoned their old gods for Christianity, established hundreds of churches and created dazzlingly intricate works of art. It charts the revival of towns and trade, and the origins of a familiar landscape of shires, boroughs and bishoprics. It is a tale of famous figures like King Offa, Alfred the Great and Edward the Confessor, but also features a host of lesser-known characters - ambitious queens, revolutionary saints, intolerant monks and grasping nobles. Through their remarkable careers, we see how a new society, a new culture and a single unified nation came into being.
Drawing on a vast range of original evidence - chronicles, letters, archaeology and artefacts - renowned historian Marc Morris illuminates a period of history that is only dimly understood, separates the truth from the legend and tells the extraordinary story of how the foundations of England were laid.
©2021 Marc Morris (P)2021 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"A rich trove of ancient wonders." (Ian Mortimer)
"An absolute masterpiece." (Dan Snow)
What listeners say about The Anglo-Saxons
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ambrose Duffy
- 28-05-21
Informative and entertaining
This is a very good introduction to Anglo Saxon English history. The author moves the story along briskly with a good level of detail in most cases, supplemented with occasional witty observations. It is very easy to become absorbed in the content.
Naturally, as he covers more than 500 years, there are some parts which are a little more concise than I would have preferred. In particular, I wish the author had gone into a little more detail on Alfred, Edward the Elder, Aethelflad, and even Edmund Ironside so if he added a couple more chapters then it would be an excellent rather than just a very good book.
The narrator is excellent.
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20 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- D
- 04-11-21
Engrossing history, wonderful narration.
Always thoroughly enjoy Marc’s fascinating histories and this one is utterly engrossing throughout bakd benefits from first class narration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 30-03-22
History at its best
Marc Morris’ The Anglo-Saxons mixes a deep and thorough historical research and commentary with a gripping narrative style. Much of the story of the Anglo-Saxons is shrouded by lack of written historical records but that does not mean that these cannot be woven together. The human stories shine through and this is certainly not dry in any way. Roy McMillan’s narration is well paced and clearly delivered - without stumbling over some of the challenging names involved!
A really enjoyable listen and one that would be welcomed by any with an interest in early English history. It is a wonderful addition to Marc Morris’ impressive canon of works.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J.P. Henry
- 20-04-23
Outstanding
A clear and highly informative history of the period. beautifully written and read. Very highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Colin
- 20-02-24
A fascinating view of the Anglo Saxons
Very detailed chronological chart of history, read a little too fast but very well and kept this historic reading on the edge of your seat at times.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Torren Devine
- 01-05-24
Author is always good and well narrated
Was packed full of facts and fun and witty quips. I learnt a lot about this age of early England
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CBham
- 17-11-21
Fascinating and well written and easy to jump into
The book was wonderful but the narrator speaks very fast, so I reduced playback speed to 85% and it was perfect. At the slower speed it sounds more natural and allows you to digest the long list of anglo-saxon names and stories eaaier.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel Loaring
- 02-07-23
Great storytelling
Really enjoyed this. Not a historian but this was told in an entertaining and informative way. Top marks.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-09-21
Brilliant
A very insightful and comprehensive history of Anglo Saxon England. Entertaining and well structured, it is well worth a listen!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 12-05-23
Excellent History Book.
Superb narration of a very enjoyable and extensive account of the period. Should really be a school text as it explains all the events of succession that lead to the battle of 1066.
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