12-21-2007, 08:39 PM
I would add 'Rome, Britain and the Anglo-Saxons' by Nicholas Higham and 'The End of Roman Britain' by Michael Jones.
Gaul produced good soldiers once they were recruited into the Roman army, the bulk of the citizenry were demilitarised like all Roman civilians. Apart from Ecdicius? and his horsemen they were fairly supine in response to the Visigoths, Burgundians and Franks.
In Gaul and Britain the natives could not be mobilised for war without extensive professional training, the old tribal warlike capabilities had been lost. They were revived in Britain after 410 AD, but not in Gaul, which is why the Anglo-Saxons took from circa 450 to 650 to conquer lowland Britain, and the German tribes dominated all of Gaul within the period 406 - 480.
The term for horn in Old British was 'bannu' not 'cornu.' Also in Brittany there is a region called Cornualle, and this 'Cornwall is not horn-shaped in the slightest. Also the native version of the name Cornwall is Kernow, which fits well with the pronunciation of Cornovii as "Kornowee-ee."
The Irish of Leinster, the Laigin, seem to have named the large peninsula in North Wales "Lleyn" after themselves. The 'Ard Ri' Niall of the Nine Hostages (fl. circa 400AD) is recorded as a great raider of Britain and was supposed to have died in Gaul, I don't see the Irish of the period as purely pacific and acting on Roman orders. The history of St Patrick would seem to support this view of predatory Irish raiders. The Romans granted the Visigoths territory, but it can be hardly imagined that they did this for any reason other than under dire military threat, any Irish settlement in Britain might be rightly viewed in the same light.
Maelgwn is mentioned as reigning in the work of Gildas whose lifespan can be reasonably ascertained (within a few decades).
Cynddylan seems to have been the last British ruler in Lloegria (England), though the kings and princes of Powys continued ruling in highland Wales of course. The end of British rule in the Midlands is somewhat mysterious. The Mercians of the time of Penda were always allied to the Welsh, so an outright English conquest seems unlikely. Even more interesting is that Penda, the first powerful king of Mercia, seems to have had a Welsh name (perhaps related to 'pen' meaning chief or eminent), and his father Pybba also had a non-English name perhaps derived from the Welsh pybyr meaning 'strong.' Penda's son Peada also has a non-Anglo-Saxon name.
Gaul produced good soldiers once they were recruited into the Roman army, the bulk of the citizenry were demilitarised like all Roman civilians. Apart from Ecdicius? and his horsemen they were fairly supine in response to the Visigoths, Burgundians and Franks.
In Gaul and Britain the natives could not be mobilised for war without extensive professional training, the old tribal warlike capabilities had been lost. They were revived in Britain after 410 AD, but not in Gaul, which is why the Anglo-Saxons took from circa 450 to 650 to conquer lowland Britain, and the German tribes dominated all of Gaul within the period 406 - 480.
The term for horn in Old British was 'bannu' not 'cornu.' Also in Brittany there is a region called Cornualle, and this 'Cornwall is not horn-shaped in the slightest. Also the native version of the name Cornwall is Kernow, which fits well with the pronunciation of Cornovii as "Kornowee-ee."
The Irish of Leinster, the Laigin, seem to have named the large peninsula in North Wales "Lleyn" after themselves. The 'Ard Ri' Niall of the Nine Hostages (fl. circa 400AD) is recorded as a great raider of Britain and was supposed to have died in Gaul, I don't see the Irish of the period as purely pacific and acting on Roman orders. The history of St Patrick would seem to support this view of predatory Irish raiders. The Romans granted the Visigoths territory, but it can be hardly imagined that they did this for any reason other than under dire military threat, any Irish settlement in Britain might be rightly viewed in the same light.
Maelgwn is mentioned as reigning in the work of Gildas whose lifespan can be reasonably ascertained (within a few decades).
Cynddylan seems to have been the last British ruler in Lloegria (England), though the kings and princes of Powys continued ruling in highland Wales of course. The end of British rule in the Midlands is somewhat mysterious. The Mercians of the time of Penda were always allied to the Welsh, so an outright English conquest seems unlikely. Even more interesting is that Penda, the first powerful king of Mercia, seems to have had a Welsh name (perhaps related to 'pen' meaning chief or eminent), and his father Pybba also had a non-English name perhaps derived from the Welsh pybyr meaning 'strong.' Penda's son Peada also has a non-Anglo-Saxon name.
Martin
Fac me cocleario vomere!
Fac me cocleario vomere!
