Description
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE FRANK WATSON BOOK PRIZE 2021. SHORTLISTED IN SCOTLAND'S NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS 2021 The first full-scale, interdisciplinary treatment of the wide-ranging connections between the Gaelic world and the Northumbrian kingdom. Northumbria was the most northerly Anglo-Saxon kingdom; its impressive landscape featured two sweeping coastlines, which opened the area to a variety of cultural connections. This book explores influences that emanated from the Gaelic-speaking world, including Ireland, the Isle of Man, Argyll and the kingdom of Alba (the nascent Scottish kingdom). It encompasses Northumbria's "Golden Age", the kingdom's political and scholarly high-point of the seventh and early eighth centuries, and culminates with the kingdom's decline and fragmentation in the Viking Age, which opened up new links with Gaelic-Scandinavian communities. Political and ecclesiastical connections are discussed in detail; the study also covers linguistic contact, material culture and the practicalities of travel, bringing out the realities of contemporary life. This interdisciplinary approach sheds new light on the west and north of the Northumbrian kingdom, the areas linked most closely with the Gaelic world. Overall, the book reveals the extent to which Gaelic influence was multi-faceted, complex and enduring. Dr FIONA EDMONDS is Reader in History and Director of the Regional Heritage Centre at Lancaster University.
Trade ReviewEdmonds brings to this book extensive knowledge of the wider Gaelic world throughout the period covered, and expertise across a range of sources which are often difficult to deal with. * EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE *
[A] serious and substantial piece of scholarship and will prove to be an indispensable resource for many specialists studying medieval Irish and British history. -- Meredith D. Cutrer * Comitatus *
[An] impressively wide-ranging work. -- SCOTTISH HISTORICAL REVIEW
[A] useful and fascinating work that sheds light not only on early medieval Northumbria but also on the contemporary Irish Sea region as a whole. Those who study these subjects should, and undoubtedly will, make reference to her book in their own writings. -- INNES REVIEW
[An] authoritative, must read work. -- CWAAS NEWSLETTER
This is an invaluable book, and will be important for all scholars interested in interactions between Ireland and Northumbria during the early medieval period up to the eleventh century, and for those interested more broadly in applying interdisciplinary approaches to interactions between different peoples in the medieval world. -- NORTHERN HISTORY
[An] incredibly useful and long overdue work -- CAMBRIAN MEDIEVAL CELTIC STUDIES
Edmonds has succeeded in presenting an engaging and dynamic answer to the question of Gaelic influence in the Northumbrian kingdom, within an innovative interdisciplinary framework. * JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIES *
[A] significant work, which will, without a doubt, serve to inspire future studies on intercultural influence both within and beyond the bounds of the Northumbrian kingdom. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *
This book is going to be essential reading for early medieval insular scholars for many years to come. * IRISH HISTORICAL STUDIES *
[A] valuable new book. . . . Edmonds has committed herself to a thoroughly interdisciplinary approach and demonstrated the possibilities open to those willing to seek out alternative material. -- Patrick Wadden * Speculum *
Table of ContentsPreface: An Eventful Voyage Concepts and Historiography of the Northumbrian and Gaelic Worlds: Medieval to Modern Exiles and Emperors: Gaelic-Northumbrian Political Relations in the Golden Age Fragmentation and Opportunity: From the Eighth Century to the Viking Age Pathways through the Past: Routes between the Gaelic World and the Northumbrian Kingdom A Golden Age of Ecclesiastical Contacts Saints and Seaways in the Viking Age Medieval Multilingualism: Gaelic Linguistic Influence in the Northumbrian Kingdom Movement and Material Culture in the Northumbrian and Gaelic Worlds Conclusion: Individuals and Influences
