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In the early fifth century, Britain was a ruined Roman province –a land of crumbling temples and abandoned villas. By the early eleventh century, it was dominated by a newly forged kingdom called 'England'–a country of shires, sheriffs, bishops and boroughs. That transformation was caused by the Anglo-Saxons, who arrived as immigrants at the start of the period and quickly established themselves in positions of power. This talk explores their journey from warlords to kings, from paganism to Christianity, and from a galaxy of competing peoples to a single, unified nation.

About the book: A sweeping and original history of the Anglo-Saxons by national bestselling author Marc Morris.

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 artifacts - 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.

About the speaker: Dr Marc Morris is a historian who specializes in the Middle Ages. He studied and taught at the universities of London and Oxford and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England (2021), as well as The Norman Conquest (2012) and biographies of Edward I and King John. In 2003 he presented the highly acclaimed TV series Castle and wrote its accompanying book. He regularly writes for history magazines and contributes to programs on radio and television.

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Presented in partnership with Cary Memorial Library in Lexington.