BADON AND THE EARLY WARS FOR WESSEX CIRCA 500 TO 710

The two great conquests of Britain, by the Romans and the Normans, were a millennium apart, and sandwiched between them were incursions of European invaders including Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Frisians, Alamanni and Scandinavians. This era saw the reign of King Alfred and creation of the Domesday Book, with a new sense of the English as one nation. The earliest recognisable kingdom of the English was established by Ecgberht of Wessex, who in the 9th century took over most of the south of England, usurping the dominance of the kingdom of Mercia. The last king of Wessex was Harold Godwinson, killed in battle in 1066. The Anglo Saxon Chronicle was influenced by Alfred's wish to create an impressive lineage for himself, but the model of large Anglo Saxon armies competing for strategically important towns does not stand up to scrutiny. The most famous engagement is the battle of Badon, though its location is unknown and suggestions range from Scotland to the south coast. The author sets out to probe the detail of this conflict, which is often associated with the mythical king Arthur. The first chronicler to mention Badon is the 6th century monk Gildas, and the author concludes that defensive preparations in the Dark Ages did not happen at random, but that there was an effective military command structure in the late 5th century. British war leaders had a cavalry capable of striking swiftly, and Badon repelled the Germanic advance, though it heralded a protracted period of warfare. Gildas describes the battle as a siege and identifies the leading commanders as Aelle and Ambrosius. The author considers that Badbury Rings is the most likely site for Badon, commanding as it did the Hampshire Avon and Poole Harbour, and he looks at evidence for the Gewisse and Hwicce kingdoms and the leadership of Cerdic, Ceawlin and Cynric. 260pp, diagrams and maps.