Lost Realms - A History of Britain from the Romans to the Vikings

From the author of Viking Britain, this history travels back to the dark ages to show how warring kingdoms forged medieval Britain and the country as we know it today - and how easily things could have taken a radically different path. When history looks back at the time after functioning Roman government ended in 410 but before the turmoil of the 800s when Viking armies arrived to irrevocably scramble the political geography of Britain, it usually focuses on the four major kingdoms of early medieval Britain: Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia.

In this wonderful history, covering a period when the way Britain changed radically from the way it was run and organised to language, religious belief and practice and overseas contact, Williams looks to the warring kingdoms of the era. The world was local then, and many realms were forged but did not survive. Williams takes a single realm at a time to show how these kingdoms were formed and why they failed; how communities adapted in this era; and what the challenges were for the people and those searching to lead. Why did these lost realms fall? Through stories of adversity an failure, we can better understand the stakes, scale and nature of what was unfolding all those years ago.