Kingship, Society, and the Church in Anglo-Saxon Yorkshire

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Pickles
Keyword(s):  
Religious Communities ◽  
Local Churches ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
The North ◽  
Social Strategy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Church Building ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Church

Inspired by studies of Carolingian Europe, Kingship, Society, and the Church in Anglo-Saxon Yorkshire argues that the social strategies of local kin groups drove conversion to Christianity and church building in Yorkshire from AD 400 to 1066. It challenges an emphasis on the role and agency of Anglo-Saxon kings in conversion and church building. It moves forward debates surrounding the ‘minster hypothesis’ through an interdisciplinary case study. The kingdom of the Deirans stretched from the Humber to the Tees and the North Sea to the Pennines between 600 and 867. The Scandinavian kings at York probably established an administration for much of this area between 867 and 954. The West Saxon kings incorporated it into an English kingdom between 954 and 1066 and established the ‘shire’ from which the name Yorkshire derives. Members of Deiran kin groups faced uncertainties that predisposed them to consider conversion as a social strategy. Their decisions to convert produced a new social fraction—the ‘ecclesiastical aristocracy’—with a distinctive but fragile identity. The ‘ecclesiastical aristocracy’ transformed kingship, established a network of religious communities, and engaged in the conversion of the laity. The social and political instabilities produced by conversion along with the fragility of ecclesiastical identity resulted in the expropriation and reorganization of many religious communities. Nevertheless, the Scandinavian and West Saxon kings and their nobles allied with wealthy and influential archbishops of York, and there is evidence for the survival, revival, or foundation of religious communities as well as the establishment of local churches.

scholarly journals The Spanish Pastoral Romances

PMLA ◽  
1892 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-119
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Social Condition ◽  
Western World ◽  
Philip Ii ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Social ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Church

The introduction of the pastoral romance into Spain in the middle of the sixteenth century, and the extreme favor with which it was received, may, in view of the social condition of the country, seem at first sight paradoxical. At the time of the accession of Philip II, Spain was at the zenith of her military greatness: her possessions were scattered from the North Sea to the islands of the Pacific; and her conquests had been extended over both parts of the western world. The constant wars against the Moors, during a period of over seven hundred years, and the stirring ballads founded upon them, had fostered an adventurous and chivalric spirit,—a distinguishing trait of the Spanish character. Arms and the church were the only careers that offered any opportunity for distinction, and every Spanish gentleman was, first of all, a soldier.

Ethnic Identity and the Archaeology of the aduentus Saxonum

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Harland
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Social Constructionism ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
Migration Patterns ◽  
Roman World ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Alternative Understanding

For centuries, archaeologists have excavated the soils of Britain to uncover finds from the early medieval past. These finds have been used to reconstruct the alleged communities, migration patterns, and expressions of identity of coherent groups who can be regarded as ethnic 'Anglo-Saxons'. Even in the modern day, when social constructionism has been largely accepted by scholars, this paradigm still persists. <br><br>This book challenges the ethnic paradigm. As the first historiographical study of approaches to ethnic identity in modern 'Anglo-Saxon' archaeology, it reveals these approaches to be incompatible with current scholarly understandings of ethnicity. Drawing upon post-structuralist approaches to self and community, it highlights the empirical difficulties the archaeology of ethnicity in early medieval Britain faces, and proposes steps toward an alternative understanding of the role played by the communities of lowland Britain - both migrants from across the North Sea and those already present - in transforming the Roman world.

Weltpolitik

2018 ◽  
pp. 87-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Murray
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Military Force ◽  
International Crisis ◽  
The North ◽  
Imperial Germany ◽  
World Power ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Relationship ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Social Uncertainty

This chapter considers the rise of Imperial Germany to world power status at the turn of the twentieth century. It argues that Germany’s bid for world power status—Weltpolitik—embodied the recognitive practices constitutive of world power status and was designed to secure recognition from Britain, the system’s preeminent world power. Specifically, in building a powerful fleet of battleships stationed in the North Sea, German leaders reasoned they could alter the political relationship with Britain by creating a display of military force so great that Britain would recognize Germany’s position among the world powers. At the same time, these recognitive practices insulted Germany from the social uncertainty associated with intersubjective identity formation by creating the illusion that its world power status was self-evident rather than dependent on British recognition. The precariousness of its social status was revealed during the First Moroccan Crisis, when in response to acts of misrecognition Germany initiated a serious international crisis that risked war, rousing suspicions among the European great powers that Germany was a revisionist power.

Taking Other Religions Seriously: A Comparative Survey of Hindus in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 604-638
Author(s):  
Ajay Verghese
Keyword(s):  
Political Behavior ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Social Scientific Study ◽  
The North ◽  
The Social ◽  
Indian State ◽  
Comparative Survey ◽  
Social Scientific ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Field Of Inquiry

AbstractWhile the study of religion in political science has reemerged as a growing field of inquiry in the last few decades, most research still focuses on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What religion is and how it is measured has largely been conceptualized through the lens of these Abrahamic faiths. This article, by contrast, examines Hinduism, the world's oldest and third most populous religion. I randomly assigned closed-ended or open-ended surveys about Hindu religiosity across and within two demographically similar villages in the north Indian state of Bihar. A comparison of survey responses from a sample of 100 respondents suggests that many Hindus: (a) do not recognize basic analytical categories scholars use in the social scientific study of religion; (b) do not differentiate between ostensibly religious and secular categories; and (c) recognize features of everyday life, such as attire or obedience to rules about purity and auspiciousness, as religious in ways that may be different from most Western religious communities. This article productively challenges how political scientists think about what religion is and how to measure it, tasks that must precede explaining how it affects political behavior.

scholarly journals Argonauts of the North Sea - a Social Maritime Archaeology for the 2nd Millennium BC

2006 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 267-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Van de Noort
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Maritime Archaeology ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
The North ◽  
The Social ◽  
The North Sea

This paper aims to offer a new analysis of the social dimensions of seafaring in the 2nd millennium BC and a consideration of the role of seafaring in (re)creating the social order at the time through its economic, sociopolitical and ritual significance. It revisits the sewn-plank boats from Ferriby, Kilnsea, Dover, Calidcot, Testwood Lakes, Goldcliff and Brigg, and aspects of the way in which seafarers signified themselves and their world through their imagined relationship with the environment are illuminated. The study argues that in the Early Bronze Age, sewn-plank boats were used for directional, long-distance journeys, aimed at the ‘cosmological acquisition’ of exotic goods, and the contexts of these boats link the overseas journeys to the ancestors. In the Middle and Late Bronze Age, sewn-plank boats were used for down-the-line exchange, and fragments of sewn-plank boats were included in structured deposits, within or near river crossings, reflecting the idioms of transformation and regeneration which are well established for this period. Through the reconstruction of the boats' crews, it is suggested that the development of a retinue was a prerequisite for the successful completion of the long-distance journeys, and the social identities that were cultivated during these voyages are recognised as a potentially important element in the rise of elite groups in the Early Bronze Age.

The Cost of Establishment: Some Reflections on Church Building in Manchester

1966 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 277-289
Author(s):  
W. R. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Precise Nature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Church Life ◽  
Church Building ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Church ◽  
Real Danger

The problem of the balance between the Establishment and Dissent in the nineteenth century has not attracted much attention among historians, crucial as it was to much of church life and politics too. The mushroom growth of Dissent between 1790 and 1850 was plainly related to the social cataclysms of that period, though the precise nature of the relation is still far from clear; and by the time of the census of 1851 Dissent had attained a rough numerical parity with the Establishment. After 1850 the Church establishment was never (in spite of some gloomy prognostications) in real danger. Indeed, in two important respects the situation changed in her favour.

scholarly journals The diversity of manifestations of the social service of religious communities

2008 ◽  
pp. 70-77
Author(s):  
N. Gavrilova
Keyword(s):  
Social Service ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Social Institution ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Spiritual Values ◽  
Relevant Today ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Church

The activities of religious organizations are aimed primarily at augmenting spiritual values, but are also relevant to the needs of a person's social life. For many centuries, social issues have been important, and they remain relevant today. Right now, they are receiving special attention, because the level of social life in Ukraine is not the best. In this case, the role of the Church as a social institution is ancillary to the healing of society.

Pushing the Boundaries of the Merovingian World

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Bonnie Effros ◽  
Isabel Moreira
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Study ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Religious Texts ◽  
New Era ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
The North ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
The Church

Long overshadowed by historiographical traditions that dismissed these centuries as an era of decline, or transition, the Merovingian period has emerged as a field of study in its own right. At the intersection of many different fields of study including textual analysis, archaeology, environmental study, and insights drawn from new scientific techniques, we are able to see the inhabitants of Merovingian Gaul in new ways and in the context of a larger world of connections and influences—from Europe to Byzantium—and as a destination of trade routes from across the North Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean. We see the contribution of new ideas from abroad, the diversity of peoples active in Merovingian Gaul, communication, administration, and the law. Archaeology allows us to discern the Merovingian-built environment, providing a better understanding of life in cities and in the countryside, and of connections to trade and supply. Excavations at religious sites provide context for the religious practices and spiritual environment enshrined in religious texts and devotional works, revealing the changing aesthetic environment. These perspectives enhance and refine traditional views about religious groups and the church, Christian practice, orthodoxy, spiritual life, death, and the afterlife. Far from viewing the period as one of decline or stagnation, new scholarly approaches are opening up the field of Merovingian studies to a new era of vitality.

Moving across the North Sea

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Van de Noort
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Prestige Goods ◽  
The North ◽  
Southern Scandinavia ◽  
The Social ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Bronze Age

Movements between different lands around the North Sea have always been taking place. While the North Sea was evolving gradually, over the millennia, following the melting of the Devensian ice sheet, close contacts across what remained of the North Sea Plain never ceased, as evidenced by near-parallel developments of the Maglemosian-type tools in southern Scandinavia and Britain (Clark 1936), and by particular practices such as the deliberate deposition of barbed points (see chapter 3). Connections across the North Sea throughout the Mesolithic and the beginning of the Neolithic would have been made easier because of the number of islands surviving within the rising sea. The polished axes from Dogger Bank and Brown Bank either represent human presence on these islands in the early Neolithic or else indicate that the existence of these islands sometime in the pre-Neolithic past was embedded in the social memory of later periods. Both possibilities emphasize the fact that the North Sea was a knowable and visited place. Movements across the North Sea took various forms: as exchange between elites from different regions of exotic or ‘prestige’ goods, and possibly of marriage partners; as trade in both luxury and bulk commodities; and in the transfer of people, in some cases as individuals such as pilgrims and missionaries, and in other cases as groups of pirates or as part of larger-scale migrations. Over time, connectedness across the North Sea changed both in nature and in intensity; this was due in no small part to changes in the nature of the craft available. An outline of the movement of goods from the Neolithic through to the end of the Middle Ages illustrates this. Contacts across the North Sea for the Neolithic and the Bronze Age are demonstrated in the long-distance exchange of exotic objects and artefacts, including Beaker pottery, jewellery, or other adornments of gold, amber, faience, jet, and tin; also copper and bronze weapons and tools, and flint daggers, arrowheads, and wrist guards (e.g. Butler, 1963; O’Connor, 1980; Bradley 1984; Clarke, Cowie, and Foxon 1985).

When the sea become a monster? The social impact of the Storegga tsunami, 8200 BP, on the Mesolithic of northern Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid Nyland ◽  
Graeme Warren ◽  
James Walker
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Submarine Landslide ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Archaeological Material ◽  
The North ◽  
The Social ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Outer Coast

&lt;p&gt;Around 8200 years ago, the Storegga tsunami, caused by a massive submarine landslide off the coast of Central Norway, struck the coasts of west Norway, Scotland and Doggerland. This event is well known from wide ranging geological and palaeobotanical work undertaken over the last 30 years. What has been less explored, however, is the potential social impact that this natural freak event had on the Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies living on the coasts and shores of the North Sea. What happened in the tsunami&amp;#8217;s aftermath? It has been widely assumed to have been a disaster &amp;#8211; but was it? What constituted a disaster in the Mesolithic? In the Mesolithic, people were hunter-gatherer-fishers, they lived by, off, and with the sea. Settlement sites in West Norway were concentrated along the outer coast. People lived on the shores of islands and headlands, or along resource rich tidal currents. Eastern Scottish Mesolithic sites are also found on contemporary coasts, while the coasts of central Doggerland have long since become submerged. What happened to groups in these landscapes on the day the sea became a monster and in the years that followed? In this paper, we will outline a newly started project that will investigate the social impact of the tsunami in areas of the North Sea that have distinctive Mesolithic histories. These coastal inhabitants had, for millennia, developed their own traditions to engage with and learn how to exploit and keep safe from the sea. What can we learn about Mesolithic societies by investigating how communities handled the forces of a tsunami? Responses identified in the archaeological material and environmental archives can potentially inform us of social structures, institutions or ways of living that made the existing societies resilient or vulnerable.&lt;/p&gt;

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