Jordan Murray – Annotated Bibliography

The aim of my dissertation is to examine monastic responses to Viking attacks in Anglo-Saxon England and Ireland, and to debunk the myth of frail and helpless monks being killed. Due to period of my dissertation topic I am limited in terms of resources I can use in my research; I intend to focus archives and other historical documents. I have not yet decided on an exact period that will be focused upon during this project.

Primary Sources

McDonald, R and Somerville, A (2014). The Viking age: a reader. 2nd ed. North York, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press.

The first source I intend to utilise is the Vikings Age by McDonald and Somerville. I obtained this book for a module completed in a previous semester and I consider it useful for the research if my dissertation. This book includes multiple primary sources from the Viking era which will provide an insight into the events occurring at the time. Chapter Seven: Sudden and Unforeseen Attacks of Northmen within this book is a great example as it directly relates to Viking attacks in both England and Ireland and how these barbaric acts were dealt with. However, while it is not exclusive to my exact area of research, it does detail some interesting accounts of interactions between monasteries and Viking raiders. Furthermore, these sources should be used cautiously as they only portray an English/Irish perspective of these events because the Vikings did not keep accounts of their endeavours, meaning there may be inconsistencies or an absence of truth. Overall, this book is extremely easy to read due to the way it has been laid out and is an excellent source of monastic actions and responses.

English Historical Documents c.500-1042, ed D.Whitelock (London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1995)

This source was found in the Viking Age book by McDonald and Somerville, it is a series of letters sent by a churchman and scholar Alcuin to King Athelred regarding the sack of the monastery of Lindisfarne on the east coast of England on the 8^th June 793. These letters mention the appearance of Vikings in England at the monastery at Lindisfarne along with their perceived way of defending their lands, retaining faith in god. This is an extremely useful source due to it originating to the time of Viking attacks and in itself depicts a response of the victims, to call for help from the most powerful person in the country in King Athelred. However, this source is limited to a singular monastery and cannot represent the actions of them all in this period.

Secondary Sources

Lavelle, R. and Roffey, S. eds., (2015). Danes in Wessex: The Scandinavian Impact on Southern England, c. 800 c. 1100. Oxbow Books.

This source was found through a search on JSTOR and was accessed through the Stirling University library collections. This book details Viking actions specific to Southern England and their impact with there also being mention of raids upon monasteries in these areas and how they responded. Due to this source being dedicated to Wessex in Southern England it does not help for monasteries in other parts of the country or for those in Ireland meaning that further reading will need to be completed.

Winroth, A (2014). The age of the Vikings. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

This source was found on the reading list from a previously completed module. Throughout the book by Winroth there is mention of monasteries which were targeted by the Vikings and there is some discussion of how they responded, such as moving further inland to avoid being isolated and vulnerable. While this book is useful, the information relevant to my dissertation is widely spread throughout the book and not easily found which causes issues. Furthermore, the book focuses more on the Vikings and their actions rather than the monasteries and their responses.