This compendium of some of the best articles from BBC History Magazine explores a fascinating period in Britain’s history, from the fall of the Romans until the eve of the Norman Conquest. Discover the origins of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and find out how they battled to dominate the British Isles.

Inside you will find: - A timeline of the key events in this period - Images of remarkable artefacts - Gripping tales of medieval warfare - Biographies of key figures such as Alfred the Great and Æthelstan

WELCOME

The Vikings and Anglo-Saxons • Ryan Lavelle traces the rise of the Anglo-Saxons and the arrival of the Vikings from the wane of Rome to the Conquest of 1066

WORLD OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS • Trace the evolution of early England from the influx of European tribes to the arrival of Christianity and tussles between rival kingdoms

The origins of the ANGLO-SA XONS • Following the collapse of Roman Britain, German-speakers came to dominate much of the island. Nick Higham explores why the ‘Anglo-Saxons’ left their homeland and what happened to the Britons when the immigrants arrived

WHEN THE DARK AGES WERE LIT UP • It’s three-quarters of a century since the fabulous Anglo-Saxon burial at Sutton Hoo was unearthed. Alex Burghart looks back at the discovery, and explores how our knowledge of the period has expanded since 1939

Sutton Hoo in pictures • The artefacts discovered in 1939 helped transform our understanding of Anglo-Saxon England

BEOWULF • Alex Burghart considers what we know – and don’t know – about the origins of the famous Anglo-Saxon heroic epic poem

An epic journey from flames to a film first

Beowulf: a very abridged version

The rise of English Christianity • In AD 597, Saint Augustine and companions landed at Thanet in Kent to preach the gospel to the pagan Jutes. Sarah Foot visits the area’s key sites to explore the establishment of Christianity in England

EARLY CHRISTIANITY: FIVE MORE PLACES TO EXPLORE

The dark side of the Anglo-Saxon world • If your vision of Anglo-Saxon England is a lost rural idyll inspired by the likes of The Hobbit, you’re not alone. Yet, says Ryan Lavelle, the reality was far less cuddly, blighted by slavery, sexism and great social inequalities

Tolkien and the Anglo-Saxons • How Middle-earth evoked early medieval folklore – and reality

The Anglo-Saxon who (almost) united Britain • In AD 675, the Northumbrian ruler Ecgfrith was so powerful that he effectively made himself high-king of Britain. Nick Higham introduces a true heavyweight of early English history

The north rises • Three maps showing Northumbria’s growing pre-eminence in the 7th century

High, but how mighty? • How close did Ecgfrith’s fellow Northumbrian high-kings come to uniting Britain?

OFFA BEYOND THE DYKE • Offa’s great dyke can still be seen along the Welsh border, more than 1,250 years after he came to power. Sarah Foot reappraises a violent Anglo-Saxon king who was also a European statesman and a Christian reformer

OFFA’S DYKE WHAT YOU CAN SEE TODAY • This ambitious earthwork was built by a Mercian king in times of violence. More than 1,000 years later, its route can still be traced along the Welsh border

ANGLO-SAXONS VERSUS VIKINGS • Discover how the English responded to raids from across the North Sea, and meet the key rulers who confronted the Norse threat

Why did the Vikings’ violent raids begin? • Robert Ferguson argues that the chief motivation behind the Vikings’ brutal raids on the British Isles was the need to defend their culture in the face of a Christian onslaught

TIMELINE ENGLAND AND THE VIKING EMPIRE

Three other explanations for Viking violence • Faster ships, internal strife and new trade links may also have helped...