Murder in Anglo-Saxon England

Gone Medieval

History Hit

History

4.6 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Records from Anglo-Saxon England are filled with stories of murder, witchcraft and betrayals of the worst kind, giving the impression that this period was one of lawlessness and rebellion. But how many of these tales are true? How do they square with a period known to have had lengthy, detailed law codes and harsh punishments for unlawful killing?

Dr. Eleanor Janega meets historian and author Annie Whitehead who has collated some 100 cases from regicides to robberies gone wrong, to ask what, if anything, they can tell us about the motives of those who recorded them and about Anglo-Saxon governance and society?

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Edited by Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Matt Lewis.
0:02.6	And I'm Dr. Eleanor Yonaga.
0:04.2	And we're just popping up here to tell you some insider info.
0:08.0	If you would like to listen to Gone Medieval ad-free and get early access and bonus episodes,
0:13.3	sign up to History Hit.
0:14.5	With the History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries.
0:20.6	Such as my new series on everyone's favorite
0:22.8	conquerors, the Normans, or my recent exploration of the castles that made Britain. There's a new
0:29.9	release to enjoy every week. Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe, or find a link in the show notes for this episode.
0:45.9	Hello, I'm Dr. Eleanor Yonaga and welcome to Gone Medieval from History Hit, the podcast
0:55.4	that delves into the greatest millennium in human history. We uncover the greatest mysteries,
1:01.7	the gobsmacking details, and the latest groundbreaking research from the Vikings to the Normans,
1:07.7	from kings to popes, to the Crusades. We delve into the rebellions, plots, and murders that tell us who we really were, and how we got here.
1:33.3	Who doesn't love a good murder story? From the gruesome tales that have fascinated people for centuries,
1:37.3	to the intricate details of historical crimes that shaped whole societies.
1:42.3	Today, we're going to explore a realm where bloodshed and betrayal
1:46.3	were a part of everyday life. Author Annie Whitehead has meticulously researched almost 100
1:53.3	murder cases spanning five centuries in early medieval England. They include shocking accounts of mass murder, poisonings, even decapitations,
2:04.3	all set against the backdrop of time when law and order were still taking shape. The stories in Annie's
2:11.0	book, Murder in Anglo-Saxon England, Justice, Weirgild, Revenge, might give the impression that this was a time of lawlessness and
2:19.2	rebellion. But how many of these tales are true? And how do they square with the period known
2:25.1	for having had lengthy detailed law codes and harsh punishment for unlawful killing?
	...

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