Ancient British History

A Curious Adherence to Hereditary Right
King Arthur's claim to the British throne was simple: He was the son of the High King. But why the nobles recognized this claim is a different question entirely.
ancient british history • king arthur • high king • uther pendragon

A King Is Burnt to Death: What Caused It?
In 687, King Mul of Kent and 12 of his companions were burnt to death during an uprising. Was it an accident, or was it murder?
king mul of kent • kentish history • anglo-saxon britain • ancient british history

Aethelwulf's Grand Experiment: A New Kind of Succession
Aethelwulf, king of Wessex, had a new idea for regal succession: have ALL of his sons become king before any of their sons could.
aethelwulf • wessex • anglo-saxon england • ancient british history

Aethelwulf: Worthy Successor?
Aethelwulf succeeded his father, Egbert, to the throne of Wessex. He suffered even more invasions from Danes and Northmen.
aethelwulf • egbert • wessex • danish invasions • anglo-saxon england

Ancient Festivals of the Celts
The Celts of Ancient Britain had four major festivals throughout their harvest-based calendar year. Each had a different purpose and different practices, and each can be found as the root of holidays today.
celts • ancient british history • celtic festivals • samhain • imbolc

Avebury Hill: More Majestic Than Stonehenge
Avebury Hill is a vast megalithic construction that is larger and was more important than the stones at Stonehenge.
avebury hill • megaliths • stonehenge • ancient british history

Boudicca: A Woman Warlord's Rebellion
In 60-61, Boudicca, warrior queen of the Iceni, revolted against Roman rule. Her forces at one time numbered 200,000. It took all the might of the Romans to overcome her.
boudicca • roman britain • roman history • ancient british history

Bronze Age Cremation Pits Discovered
Archaeologists have discovered cremation pits dating back to the Bronze Age, a very significant find indeed.
bronze age • ancient british history • cremation pits

Cadwallon: Leader of Gwynedd
Cadwallon went from boyhood friend of Edwin of Northumbria to mortal enemy in a few short years. He survived their battlefield encounter; Edwin did not.
cadwallon • gwynedd • edwin • northumbria • penda

Canute: Foreigner in a Foreign Land
Canute, a foreign king, was embraced by the English as their own ruler. He proved himself worthy of the task, bringing 18 years of peace.
canute • england • ancient british history

Caratacus: The Roman Enemy Who Survived Defeat
Caratacus, king of the Catuvellauni, led resistance against the Roman occupation for nearly a decade. He impressed Rome so much that Emperor Claudius spared his life.
caratacus • catuvellauni • claudius • roman occupation • roman britain

Claudius: The Roman Conquest of Britain
The Emperor Claudius finished what Julius Caesar started. In 43, Claudius led the conquest of Britain, making the island a province of the Roman Empire.
roman empire • roman britain • ancient british history • claudius

Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor set the stage for the Norman Conquest by his actions and his affectations.
edward the confessor • harold godwinson • godwin • anglo-saxon england • ancient british history

Edwin's Lasting Legacy
King Edwin of Northumbria gave us many things, including the beauty of York and Edinburgh. He also brought peace to the north, which hadn't seen such peace in a long time.
edwin • northumbria • edinburgh • york • cadwalla

Far-sighted Romans, Short-sighted Britons
The Romans built the Saxon Shore forts to keep out Saxons, Angles, and Jutes who were harassing trade with Britannia. The Britons had no such foresight, instead inviting the Saxons onto the island--from foresight to short-sight.
saxon shore • ancient british history • roman britain • saxons • angles

First Viking Burial Site Found in England
The bodies of two women and four men confirm the discovery of the first Viking burial site ever found in England.
vikings • viking burial site • ancient british history

From Ironside to Son of Ironfist
After the death of Aethelred, England suffered through the brief reign of Edmund and then embarked on the brutal reign of Canute of Denmark.
canute • edmund ironside • aethelred • anglo-saxon england • ancient british history

Glastonbury: More Christian "Borrowing"
Glastonbury Abbey is another example of the Christian practice of "borrowing" places and traditions from other peoples and othe religions.
glastonbury abbey • christianity in britain • anglo-saxon britian • ancient british history

Harald Hardrada: A New Iron Fist Arrives
Harald Hardrada was King of Norway at the time of the Norman Conquest. He wanted the throne of England just like everybody else.
harald hardrada • king harald of norway • tostig • battle of hastings • norman conquest

Hoarding: A Bronze Age Conundrum
In the Bronze Age, people began to hoard things--sword, animal skins, anything that showed wealth. But hoarding also had religious significance, especially the hoards that could not be retrieved.
bronze age • ancient british history • hoarding • ancient religious beliefs • ancient ritual behavior

Into the Void: The Emergence of Ambrosius and Arthur
Ambrosius and Arthur stepped into the fray to try to keep Britain from falling prey to Saxon domination. ,Ambrosius and Arthur stepped into the fray to try to keep Britain from falling prey to Saxon domination.
ambrosius • arthur • saxons • mount badon • roman britain

Julius Caesar: The Roman Who "Invaded" Britain
Julius Caesar arrived in 55 B.C. He came back a year later. His presence left a lasting impression on the ancient Britons.
julius caesar • roman britain • ancient british history

Nennius and Arthur's 12 Battles
Nennius, a 9th century monk, writes of Arthur's 12 great battles. Where were they? No one really knows.
nennius • king arthur • geoffrey of monmouth • ancient british history

Silbury Hill: Ancient Mound of Mystery
Silbury Hill, nearby to the Avebury complex, is another man-made mystery from prehistoric times.
silbury hill • man-made mounds • ley lines • prehistoric mysteries • archaeological mystery

Stonehenge Is Still a Mystery
Was Stonehenge a place of sun worship or an astronomical tool? Maybe neither. Nobody knows for sure still.
stonehenge • bluestones • megaliths • salisbury plain • ancient british history

The Odyssey: Adventure Story or Coded Message?
Part 2 of a review of Iman Wilkens's book Where Troy Once Stood. In this part, Wilkens asserts that Homer's Odyssey was a set of sailing directions, not the story of a famous adventurer.
odyssey • iliad • trojan war • ancient british history

The Saxon Occupation: An Innocent Beginning
The Saxon occupation of England began innocently enough--as a response to a call for help from Vortigern, who wanted to solidify his position as High-King of Britain.
vortigern • saxons • hengist • horsa • ancient british history

The Significance and Importance of Kent in Ancient Britain
Kent was the site of many important events in Ancient Britain, including the first written Code of Laws and the first Saxon settlement.
kent • hengist • horsa • saxons • anglo-saxons

The Sword in the Stone: An Error in Translation?
Did Arthur pull the sword from the Stone? What if he pulled the sword from the Saxon? It could have been an error in translation.
king arthur • sword in the stone • saxon • arthur • dark ages

The Trojan War: Another Look
Review of book purporting to prove that the Trojan War was fought in England
trojan war • ancient british history • troy • mycenae

What the Romans Left Behind: The Roads
The Roman road is wonder of engineering. The techniques used and the theories behind them are still studied today. Many of these concrete roads survive.
rome • roman road • roman empire • roman britain • ancient british history

Why Vortigern?
Vortigern gets the blame for inviting Hengist and the rest of the Saxons into Britain. Is this blame justified?
vortigern • saxons • hengist • isle of thanet • britain

Battle of Hastings Part 1
The Battle of Hastings started out well for Harold. Would William be able to finish the job?
hastings • battle of hastings • william of normandy • william the conqueror • harold godwinson

Battle of Hastings: The Finale
The Battle of Hastings ended in victory for William and defeat and death for Harold. But William would find it tough going, both near the end of the battle and after.
hastings • battle of hastings • 1066 • william the conqueror • harold godwinson

Did Arthur Really Live? A Critical Look
Assertions that no facts exist to prove that Arthur really lived are just one way of looking at the Matter of Britain.
king arthur • ancient british history • matter of britain • historical arthur • legendary arthur

From Hastings to Crowning
William of Normandy eventually became King William of England, but it didn't happen overnight or even a week after his decisive victory at the Battle of Hastings.
william of normany • norman conquest • king william i • battle of hastings • anglo-saxon britain

Harold and the Beginning of the End
Harold found himself on the throne of England and beset on all sides by competing claims.
harold godwinson • harold ii • harala hardrada • tostig • edward the confessor

Penda: Middle Anglian Warlord Extraordinaire
Penda built his kingdom of Mercia into a powerhouse through sheer will and good soldiership.
penda • mercia • northumbria • east anglia • edwin

Stamford Bridge: The Final End of the Viking Threat
Harold and his army scored a smashing victory over the Norwegian invaders at Stamford Bridge only to hear of a Norman invasion in the south.
stamford bridge • 1066 • battle of hastings • harold godwinson • harald hardrada

The Battle of Hastings: Prelude
Harold and his men had to march the length of England to deal with a new, more dangerous threat, hard on the heels of a great and glorious victory. William and his men, on the other hand, were rested and ready to claim what they thought was naturally theirs.
battle of hastings • hastings • 1066 • william of normandy • harald hardrada

The Beginning of the World?
The Anglo-Saxon tells us that the world began in 5003 B.C. Is this correct? Does it matter?
anglo-saxon chronicle • angles • saxons • christianity • history of the christian church

William of Normandy: A Disputed Crown
William of Normandy had lots of power at his disposal and a full head of steam operating on an alleged promise of the crown of England and a disputed oath of fealty.
william of normandy • duke william of normandy • william the conqueror • battle of hastings • norman conquest

The Arthurian saga: fairy tale, folktale, mystery, morality play
King Arthur tale appeals to many people because it has elements of a fairy tale, a folktale, a historical mystery, and a morality play--all in one sweeping saga.
king arthur • arthur • historical mystery • morality play • fairy tale

The Brading Roman Villa, Isle of Wight
Suite101.com’s Travelsleuth visits Brading’s Roman Villa on the Isle of Wight and enthuses over the remarkable mosaics of the goddess Medusa and other figures of classical myth laid down by a prosperous Romano-Briton as the floor of his sumptuous villa 16 centuries ago at the height of the Roman Empire.
travelsleuth • stuart • buchanan • macwatt • rosemary lane

| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0-9 |

Articles related to "Ancient British History"