Download In Search of the Dark Ages (BBC) djvu

This is a rare book that is extensively researched and documented but which gives a sweeping sense of time and history as Michael Wood takes us from the Roman occupation of Britain, followed by the Anglo-Saxon invasions and colonization, through the rise of the great kings that began to unify the island, the establishment of Christian infrastructure, then to the Viking invasions, and finally the invasion of William the Conqueror and the Normans in 1066.

Julius Caesar arrived in Britain around 34 BC but a firmer foothold in southern Britain was not established under Roman Control until after the arrival of Claudius in around 43 AD. The Romans met resistance and Wood tells the story of Boudica, the warrior queen of the Iceni tribe, who fights the Romans after the death of her husband. It is the defeat of these Celtic tribes, one by one, that establishes Roman Britannia, the outskirts of the Roman Empire. However by 410 the empire was under considerable stress from invasions from the Franks and Goths and other central European tribes and thus the Romans pulled back from defense of Britain in 410. Roman soldiers who served in the legions for 20 years could retire and were given farm land in defeated nations. Thus there was considerable Roman influence, art, architecture, legal infrastructure, and community organization and infrastructure when the main Roman forces leave.

Wood also explores the legend and historical evidence of King Arthur. After the Romans left Britain the remaining Roman influenced kings and leaders had to defend themselves against the invading Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Wood convincingly demonstrates that Britain was constantly invaded and raided by Vikings for a period of almost 700 years, until the Norman invasion, and King Arthur is believed to have been a British king, influenced in Roman thought and culture, who fights against the Anglo Saxons and Vikings. This would have been around the year 500 when documentation and written accounts were at a minimum and the Celtic missionaries were gaining a Christian foothold in Britain.

A chapter is devoted to King Offa who united southern Britain into Mercia, which was quite a task since there were over 40 small kingdoms and Kings spread across southern Britain. Offa's Dyke, a gigantic earth structure, based upon Roman engineering, is also discussed. It is around this time that Beowulf is written for Offa's court and St. Bede writes the Ecclesiastical History of England.

Alfred the Great, who ruled a unified Anglo-Saxon England, battles the Danish, Norwegians, and Northumbrians in the 800s, a period of national unification but of constant threats. War was the primary method of acquiring wealth and power during this period, so it was indeed a dark age for all involved, especially the lower classes. Alfred was allied with the Christian church which was in conflict with the pagan Scandinavian religion that was brought to England by the invading and then colonizing Vikings. The Anglo Saxon Chronicles are begun during the reign of Alfred and various versions were maintained for several centuries.

It is under Athelstan that the Northumbrians are unified with the southern Anglo Saxons and the kingdom of Mercia. But Wood makes it clear that the Vikings are never at rest and the rise of Eric Bloodaxe as Norwegian king of Northumbria brings about another round of conflict. The English nation is further undermined during the reign of Ethelred the Unready and it is due to Ethelred's marriage to a Norman princess and the exile of his sons as refugees to Normandy that in many ways sets the stage for the Norman invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066. When pious king Edward the Confessor dies without children, Harold Goodwin takes over the throne and would have succeeded had it not been for almost simultaneous invasions of Vikings in Northumbria and Normans in Southern England. Harold defeated the Vikings, killing the Viking king and Harold's treasonous brother, but then immediately riding south to fight the invading Normans was a recipe for disaster.

Wood's approach of combining anthropology, archeology, ecclesiastical history, and the vast melting pot of cultures that dominate Britain and England from 400 to 1000 makes for very interesting reading and a fascinating interpretation of what life may have been like for those living during this 600 year period.

I visited England for the first time this past summer and became interested to know more about the history behind the many sites I saw there, so since this was written by a tv presenter, I thought it would be the right level of detail and would be well-illustrated. But to me, as an American, it missed the mark somehow. The illustrations were not plentiful, they were small, and most were in black-and-white. Also, there needed to be more maps. But the biggest problem to me was just following the narrative. I think this is because I was coming at it with little background knowledge, and this book seemed to assume that we knew the basic outline and it was just filling in the details. As a result, I really couldn't grasp some basic facts--when did England become Christianized, for example. Obviously, this book covers a huge time period (nearly 1000 years) and the island of Britain was multiple kingdoms and various tribal peoples during that time. But I didn't come away with a clear picture of life in the Dark Ages in England.

Brilliant! intelligent, well written history, gives one a followable chronological synapsis of the Dark Ages. Not stodgy or overly academic.

Somewhat on the light side for those who are not new to the topic, but a good book overall.
As with most history book, it is hard to undersatnd the lack (or scarcity) of maps.
Rather less engaging than Wood's book on Troy.

This covers a lot of people and places that usually are glossed over. It helped understand the importance of many small villages that we visited in the Midlands on our trip to England last year.

If you've ever enjoyed BBC documentaries presented by Michael Wood, you'll love this book - it's like having Professor Wood next to you. It is an engaging tour-de-force through Anglo Saxon history in the British Isles, from the withdrawal of Rome to the Norman conquest, giving a great overview of the major players as well as a sense of what can be derived from the historical evidence and what is simply conjecture.

Brings this period to life with a depth and breadth of knowledge that translates into an emminently readable story difficult to put down. I am on my third cover to cover reading since I purchased the book some ten years ago, and I am still gratified and surprised by Michael's keen insights. If you were only to own two books on the so called 'Dark Ages', make sure this is one of them.

The book is packed full of information and is written in a way that makes it easy to read and understand.