Northumbria was one of the great kingdoms of Britain in the Dark Ages, enduring longer than the Roman Empire. Yet it has been all but forgotten. This book puts Northumbria back in its rightful place, at the heart of British history. From the impregnable fastness of Bamburgh Castle, the kings of Northumbria ruled a vast area, and held sway as High Kings of Britain. From the tidal island of Lindisfarne, extraordinary saints and learned scholars brought Christianity and civil...

The story of the Bamburgh Sword – one of the finest swords ever forged. In 2000, archaeologist Paul Gething rediscovered a sword. An unprepossessing length of rusty metal, it had been left in a suitcase for thirty years. But Paul had a suspicion that the sword had more to tell than appeared, so he sent it for specialist tests. When the results came back, he realised that what he had in his possession was possibly the finest, and certainly the most complex, sword ever made, which had been f...

Warrior tells the story of forgotten man, a man whose bones were found in an Anglo-Saxon graveyard at Bamburgh castle in Northumberland. It is the story of a violent time when Britain was defining itself in waves of religious fervour, scattered tribal expansion and terrible bloodshed; it is the story of the fighting class, men apart, defined in life and death by their experiences on the killing field; it is an intricate and riveting narrative of survival and adaptation set in the ...

The story of the Bamburgh Sword – one of the finest swords ever forged.In 2000, archaeologist Paul Gething rediscovered a sword. An unprepossessing length of rusty metal, it had been left in a suitcase for thirty years. But Paul had a suspicion that the sword had more to tell than appeared, so he sent it for specialist tests. When the results came back, he realised that what he had in his possession was possibly the finest, and certainly the most complex, sword e...

The story of the Bamburgh Sword—one of the finest swords ever forged.In 2000, archaeologist Paul Gething rediscovered a sword. An unprepossessing length of rusty metal, it had been left in a suitcase for thirty years. But Paul had a suspicion that the sword had more to tell than appeared, so he sent it for specialist tests. When the results came back, he realized that what he had in his possession was possibly the finest, and certainly the most complex, sword ever made, which had b...

'A triumph – a Game of Thrones in the Dark Ages' TOM HOLLAND.The magisterial biography of Oswald Whiteblade, exiled prince of Northumbria, who returned in blood and glory to reclaim his birthright.A charismatic leader, a warrior whose prowess in battle earned him the epithet Whiteblade, an exiled prince who returned to claim his birthright, the inspiration for Tolkein's Aragorn.Oswald of Northumbria was the first great English monarch, yet t...

The bestselling author of The King in the North turns his attention to the obscure era of British history known as 'the age of Arthur'.'Not just a valuable book, but a distinctive one as well' Tom Holland, Sunday Times'An accessible and illuminating book' Gerard de Groot, The Times'A fascinating picture of Britain's new-found independence' This EnglandSome...

'A thrilling read' Tom Holland'History-writing at its best' Barry StraussBy the end of his short life, Alexander the Great had redrawn the map of the ancient world to create an empire that stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indian subcontinent. But his success was not just the product of his own genius and restless energy, it was built on decades of effort by his father.History has portrayed Philip II of Macedon as a one-eyed old...

Unquiet Women is an exquisitely crafted patchwork of the forgotten lives of some of the most remarkable women in history.History is polyphonic; it must be told by many voices. In Unquiet Women, Max Adams brings to life the voices and experiences of women living between the last days of Rome and the Enlightenment, whose stories of creativity, intellect and influence are all too rarely told.From Wynflæd, the Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who owned male slaves and ba...

Stephen's reign was one of the darkest periods of English history. He had promised Henry I that he would support the king's daughter, Matilda, as the rightful heir to the English throne, but when Henry dies in December 1135 he broke his promise and quickly made himself king. Like many of the nobles, he was unwilling to yield the crown to a woman. Civil wars and the battle for the English Crown dominated his reign, and this fascinating book examines the conflict between Ste...

Who were the first Britons, and what sort of world did they occupy?In A History of Ancient Britain, much-loved historian Neil Oliver turns a spotlight on the very beginnings of the story of Britain; on the first people to occupy these islands and their battle for survival.There has been human habitation in Britain, regularly interrupted by Ice Ages, for the best part of a million years. The last retreat of the glaciers 12,000 years ago brought a ne...

An extraordinary exploration of the ancestry of Britain through seven burial sites. By using new advances in genetics and taking us through important archaeological discoveries, Professor Alice Roberts helps us better understand life today.‘This is a terrific, timely and transporting book - taking us heart, body and mind beyond history, to the fascinating truth of the prehistoric past and the present’ Bettany HughesWe often think o...