Narratives of Invasion in Medieval England
Open Access
- Author:
- Ramos, Eduardo
- Graduate Program:
- English
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 14, 2022
- Committee Members:
- Scott Smith, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Robert Edwards, Major Field Member
Ármann Jakobsson, Special Member
Benjamin Hudson, Outside Unit & Field Member
Caroline Eckhardt, Major Field Member
Janet Wynne Lyon, Professor in Charge/Director of Graduate Studies - Keywords:
- Old English
Old Norse
Layamon
Scandinavia
England
Brunanburh
Capture of the Five Boroughs
Maldon
Ælfric
Wulfstan
Cnut
Encomium Emmae Reginae
Æthelred
Æthelstan
Laȝamon
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Emma of Normandy
Sigvatr
Battle of Brunanburh
Battle of Maldon
Middle English
Invasion
Pagan
Latin
Viking
Old Norse-Icelandic
Chronicle
Denmark
Medieval
Middle Ages
Arthur
King Arthur - Abstract:
- Invasions feature prominently in medieval English writing. A major historical factor in the development of such literature was the persistence of historical incursions and invasions of England by Scandinavians from the late eighth through the eleventh centuries. Because most of the Scandinavians involved in these various forms of aggression were not Christian, especially before the eleventh century, writers working from ecclesiastical and dynastic interests developed a motif whereby an army of Scandinavian (or Scandinavian-coded) pagans would invade the lands of an English (or English-coded) Christian people. The motif of pagan invasions offered an abstract space where various authors and political actors explored concepts of identity. Some texts use the stereotype of the pagan invader as an image against which to construct a collective identity, but they also include moments where that image functions more like a mirror where Christian kings and heroes behave very similarly to the pagans they oppose. This dissertation situates these texts in the historical context of a dominant cultural group (the English) articulating concerns over the growing cultural influence of a distinct group (the Scandinavians). Nevertheless, ethnic differences are not invariably treated negatively. Either for political opportunity or through genuine sentiment, texts engaging the motif of invasion allow for the acceptance of Christian Scandinavians. Understanding the motif of invasion and how it was used strategically by various parties offers scholars a window into Anglo-Scandinavian relations during a period critical to constructions of English identity and political unity.