The Anglo-Saxon Age: The Birth of England

Into the mists of oblivion -- The Anglo-Saxon heptarchy -- The Anglo-Saxon conversion -- The war of the high kings -- Ancient voices -- The Mercian supremacy -- The storm from the north -- The lady of the Mercians -- The emperor of Britain -- The English supremacy -- The sermon of the wolf -- The Danish interlude -- The Norman conquest -- The last Anglo-Saxon heroes -- The Anglo-Saxon legacy.;"The discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard in 2009 has captured the public imagination and stimulated renewed interest in the history and culture of the Anglo-Saxons. The discovery poses interesting questions. Who owned the treasure and how did they acquire it? Was it made locally or did it originate elsewhere? Why was it buried in an obscure field in the Staffordshire countryside? To answer these questions the author takes us on a journey into a period which still remains mysterious, into regions and countries long forgotten, such as Mercia and Northumbria. This is a story of the 'dark ages' and the people who lived in them, but 'darkness is in the eye of the beholder'. The story challenges our notions of these times as barbaric and backward to reveal a civilization as complex, sophisticated and diverse as our own.