Medieval Europe: Northumbria

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Northumbria

Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: Regional History or Period History
Forum Name: Medieval Europe
Forum Discription: The Middle Ages: AD 500-1500
URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1372
Printed Date: 08-May-2024 at 15:45
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Topic: Northumbria

Posted By: Dawn
Subject: Northumbria
Date Posted: 29-Nov-2004 at 11:53

To what extent do you think Northumbria was a part of the kingdom of England from 1000 - 1300?

Replies:

Posted By: pytheas
Date Posted: 18-Dec-2004 at 02:09

Hmmm, well your time limits sort of straddle two different eras in England--the Anglo-Saxon/Danish era and the Norman era. So, I'd say that Northumbria was throughout Anglo-Saxon times sort of a seperate, dinstinct region that evolved into a cultural, religious, and intellectual center. I'd nearly go as far as to say that when most people think of Anglo-Saxon England, they envison Bede. Of course others might think of the South Saxons (Sussex) or the West Saxons (Wessex) whose political contributions were paramount in the development of a consolidated England, which I fear can't be seen realistically until after William the Bastard consolidated his new kingdom with the Doomsday report. Administratively England didn't exist except on paper until 1066--in my mind at least. To go back to your question, Northumbria became much more integrated follwing the Norman invasion and became the Norman-English frontier bordering Scotland.

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Truth is a variant based upon perception. Ignorance is derived from a lack of insight into others' perspectives.

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 18-Dec-2004 at 06:43

Wasn't Northumbria invaded repeatedly by Scotland during the Norman era? I know King David of Scotland controlled Northumbria down to Newcastle, and invaded into England as far south as the Tees in Yorkshire in 1138. King David also had claims to Northumbria through his marriage to the daughter of Waltheof, Northumbria's last Anglo-Saxon earl.

Posted By: pytheas
Date Posted: 18-Dec-2004 at 11:58

As with the Welsh Marches, the Normans increasingly began to control Northumbria politcally. Of course the Scots and Welsh didn't always cooperate with the Normans. Through time Norman families infiltrated the old Scotish regimes. My mother's family name--Gordon is a large clan known to be a mix of Scot and Norman. Any of the nobles of the period in Scotland and England attempted to secure their lineages by marrying their offspring off to Norman aristocrats. Nonetheless, the Scots continued, as I'm sure you all know to disrupt and disagree over territorial boundaries for centuries, until finally they won the crown with the coronation of the Stewarts--another of my maternal family names...

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Truth is a variant based upon perception. Ignorance is derived from a lack of insight into others' perspectives.