Skip to product information
1 of 1

Letter writing in the Northumbrian Kingdom, 625–786

Regular price £85.00
Sale price £85.00 Regular price £85.00
Sale Sold out
Letter writing in the Northumbrian Kingdom offers a pioneering exploration of Northumbria’s epistolary culture, demonstrating how letters functioned as a medium for intellectual exchange, political...
Read More
  • Format:
  • 02 June 2026
View Product Details
Letter writing in the Northumbrian Kingdom offers the first comprehensive study of Northumbria’s vibrant epistolary culture in the seventh and eighth centuries. Through a close examination of more than fifty surviving Latin letters—many written by or to figures such as Bede, Acca of Hexham, Ælfflæd of Whitby, and Alcuin —this book uncovers the literary, political, and spiritual dimensions of early medieval correspondence. From royal diplomacy to theological debate, these letters reveal a world where communication was both a practical necessity and a refined art. Drawing on previously underexamined texts and placing Northumbria in its broader European context, this groundbreaking study sheds new light on the role of letter writing in shaping a Christian kingdom’s identity, influence, and intellectual legacy.
files/i.png Icon
Price: £85.00
Pages: 372
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Publication Date: 02 June 2026
ISBN: 9781526187772
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:

HISTORY / Europe / Medieval, European history: medieval period, middle ages, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Letters, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Medieval, Literary studies: ancient, classical & medieval, Ancient, classical and medieval texts

REVIEWS Icon
Peter Darby is Associate Professor in History at the University of Nottingham

Introduction

Part I: Contextual chapters
1 The origins and development of letter writing in Northumbria
2 The foundations of Northumbria’s epistolary culture
3 Preservation and loss of early Northumbrian letters
4 Composition techniques in Northumbrian letter writing
5 Practicalities of letter exchange in early medieval Northumbria

Part II: Northumbrian letter handlists
Handlist A: Northumbrian letters sent
Handlist B: Northumbrian letters received

Afterword