A self-help guide for time-travelers navigating Anglo-Saxon England, offering advice on laws, social roles, survival, and Viking encounters.

THIS BOOK COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE! If you are planning to travel back to the England of Anglo-Saxon times and begin a new life without technology, how will you manage? If you were a king, a thegn or even a slave, what rights do you have under the law? Are women treated well by their husbands, and if you become sick, what are your chances of recovery? How might you earn your living, and the biggest worry: what to do about those fearsome Vikings?

All these questions and more are answered in this self-help guide for time-travellers. It explores the difficulties you may encounter and the problems that might occur, especially as you are a newcomer in this very different world. Fear not: keep this little volume by you; it will help you find your place in society, learn the language and make friends.

You will also meet some of the celebrities of the day, from Alfred the Great to the Venerable Bede, and more humble folk such as Tatberht of Lundenwic and Ardith the local baxter. Learn how to make bread and tell a great story; enjoy the mead, and the beauties of Anglo-Saxon art and jewellery. And if you do find yourself involved in a Viking attack, at least you will know your assailants are well groomed - and afterwards, both sides know how to have a great time in the mead-hall. So join in, but keep this book handy, just in case.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Chapter 1 Introduction
  • Setting the Scene
  • Who are the Anglo-Saxon people?
  • Why did they leave their homelands?
  • Living together
  • What became of the Roman cities, towns and villas?
  • Religion
• Chapter 2 Social Structure
  • How to be a king
  • How to be an ealderman
  • How to be a thegn
  • How to be a churl
  • Being a slave
  • Townsfolk
  • What are Anglo-Saxon houses like?
  • Mead-halls
• Chapter 3 Home and Family
  • What would I eat and drink?
  • Bread and pottage
  • What is there to drink?
  • Meat for dinner
  • Fish on the menu
  • How would I cook my food?
  • How would I serve a meal?
  • What is life like for a woman?
  • Gavelkind
• Chapter 4 Religion – Paganism versus Christianity
  • Why are the English converting to Christianity?
  • The Pope and the ‘Angels’
  • Spreading the Word
  • An alternative to Rome’s religion
  • Celtic or Roman? – The religious debate is settled
• Chapter 5 Language and the Law
  • Time immemorial
  • Writing it down
  • Why is England unique?
  • Anglo-Saxon Chronicles
• Chapter 6 Health and Welfare
  • What if I feel unwell?
  • Herbal treatments
  • Medical matters
  • Minsters
  • Minster-in-Sheppey, Kent
  • Breedon-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire
  • Wareham, Dorset
• Chapter 7 Vikings
  • Who are the Vikings and are they always dangerous?
  • Why do the invaders come to stay?
  • Aelfred, King of Wessex
  • Despair and compromise
  • The decisive battle and aftermath
• Chapter 8 Arts, Crafts and Literature
  • Of men and monsters
  • Gorgeous gold and fabulous finds
  • Books and education
• Chapter 9 Warfare
  • Kings and queens
  • Peace in our time
  • The ‘unready’ king
• Chapter 10 The End of the Anglo-Saxon Era
  • Danish Kings of England
  • The return of the English
  • A catastrophic end
  • Conclusion
• Notes
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography