Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland

Vikings plagued the coasts of Ireland and Britain in the 790s AD. Over time, their raids became more intense and by the mid 9th century, Vikings had established a number of settlements in Ireland and Britain and had become heavily involved with local politics. A particularly successful Viking leader named varr campaigned on both sides of the Irish Sea in the 860s. His descendants dominated the major seaports of Ireland and challenged the power of kings in Britain during the late 9th and 10th centuries. In 1014, the battle of Clontarf marked a famous stage in the decline of Viking power in Ireland while the conquest of England in 1013 by the Danish king Sveinn Forkbeard marked a watershed in the history of Vikings in Britain. The descendants of varr continued to play a significant role in the history of Dublin and the Hebrides until the 12th century, but they did not threaten to overwhelm the major kingships of Britain or Ireland in this later period as they had done before. This book provides a political analysis of the deeds of varr's family, from their first appearance in Insular records down to the year 1014. Such an account is necessary in light of the flurry of new work that has been done in other areas of Viking Studies. Recent theoretical approaches to the subject have raised many interesting questions regarding identity, material culture, and structures of authority. Archaeological finds and excavations have also offered potentially radical insights into Viking settlement and society. In line with these developments, Clare Downham provides a reconsideration of events based on contemporary written accounts.

ISBN 1903765897   Pages 352 ISBN13 9781903765890 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Dunedin Academic Press   Weight (grammes) 794 Imprint Dunedin Academic Press   Published in Edinburgh Format Hardback   Height (mm) 234 Publication date 23 Nov 2007   Width (mm) 156 Library of Congress 2008399763   Spine width (mm) 36 DEWEY 941.016   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC22

		List of Illustrations
		List of Abbreviations
		Prefatory note: Ethnicity and Viking-Age Politics
1		Ivarr and his Dynasty		1
2		Ireland		11
3		England: from the Conquest of York to the Battle of Brunanburh, 866-937		63
4		England: from the Battle of Brunanburh to the Danish Conquest, 937-1013		107
5		North Britain		137
6		The Kingdom of the Isles		177
7		Wales		201
8		Conclusion		231
Appendix		Prosopography of Viking-leaders named in Irish Chronicles to A.D. 1014		237
		Bibliography		277
		Index		323

 Be the first to write a customer review

Version	Price	Published	Edition
Paperback	£19.95	2008