Anglo-Saxons and the folk of Early Britain lived at a time referred to as the Dark Ages, for good reason. Written evidence of their capers is very limited and those manuscripts and documents nearly always seem to have a particular angle to peddle, especially those written more than five hundred years later. So, in effect, the whole period is a mystery.

This non-fiction book is richly based in evidence and some of the assumptions we take for granted are questioned. For example, the idea that the Angles, Saxons and Jutes came to British shores after the Romans moved out, with the tales of King Vortigern and his request for Germanic military support, is readily dismissed because of the Saxon artefacts found in Britain before that time. Good historical research here. It follows that the battles with the legendary Merlin and dragons probably aren't true either - because there was no need. Or at least, no evidence - of course.

The legends such as King Arthur and the leader Ambrosius are investigated using sound logic and deeply researched evidence as well as basic structure of kings and overlords at this time and how they developed after the Romans left. How many of these figures are real men or fictitious characters is a long-standing Medieval mystery, and Venning takes a look at this in depth.

​The book has ten chapters each asking a question, - within the Anglo-Saxon period from the departure of the Romans to the arrival of William the Conqueror - including mysterious deaths of royal men, the heritage of certain kingdoms and the legitimate claims to ruling England made by William of Normandy, he who defeated the last English king in 1066. Analysis of primary and secondary sources are neatly packaged and well written.

A new and enthralling piece of Migration Period history for the enthusiast, although it is readable for the layman, some previous knowledge of the period will be helpful. Exciting new original research, including DNA evidence, makes this one for the for the history shelf. Recommended.

If you are interested in Early Britain history , then it's a must have for you..
Excellent. Recommended.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Wow this is a richly detailed book on the subject of the very complex relationships of kingship in Anglo Saxon Britain. I confess to picking out chapters to read closely and scanned the other chapters to get a full overview of this book. It contains a great deal of very well researched detail and I do not envy the authors' homework involved. Tim Venning does an exemplary job in making this book at once accessible to lay interested readers and academic scholars interested in this period. I enjoyed it thoroughly, well done Pen & Sword for another choice read. My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of Royal Mysteries::The Anglo-Saxons in early Britain. I look forward to more books from the author.
#RoyalMysteriesTheAngloSaxonsandEarlyBritain

Timothy Venning has done it again! This was an amazing book, and I enjoyed reading through the stories that were contained in this book. There was a tremendous amount of research done, and the stories kept you engaged, leaving even those with those who love history learning something new!

I have been impressed by what I have read by Mr. Venning, and I very much look forward to seeing what he comes out with in the future.

Grab this book and enjoy some fun stories!

I know relatively little about the period in history generally known as the Dark Ages. There isn’t much in the way of written record and the accepted versions of events are not always accurate or reliable. It’s an important era as the foundations were laid for both a united and disunited country and shaped Britain.

Royal Mysteries is packed with detail. As a lay reader, I’ve tackled it in chunks. There’s a huge amount of information and I guess a certain level of knowledge is anticipated. That said, I’ve found this a compelling and fascinating read. I’ve learned a great deal about the early kingdoms and how verbal narratives by the powerful have shaped our understanding. Timothy Venning’s research appears to be meticulous and the bibliography is well referenced and an excellent source of further reading for those who want to explore the period further. There’s a detailed index and some photos even though I found some of the content a little dense, I’ve really enjoyed this modern take on the Dark Ages. There’s much food for thought and many of the conclusions are persuasive.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

I'm fascinated by Early Britain history and found this book compelling and informative.
It's well researched, full of information and it kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am not sure how to review this one. I am interested in the topic, but not an expert, so I do not know how accurate the author's information may or may not be. It appears to be well researched with plenty of footnotes and references.
This is a work of nonfiction. I would call it academic nonfiction. As such, it is quite dry reading. The chapters focused on the earliest history include many names with which I am not familiar. I found it difficult to follow. However, if a reader is interested in learning more about this time period and already has prior knowledge, it may be much easier to follow. In many cases, readers may pick up this book because they are interested in a specific time period or historic personality or topic. In which case, the reader may select certain chapters of this book to meet their needs. With this in mind, I chose a chapter in the middle of the book and read it.
It is definitely well written. There is plenty of information here. This book could probably be used as a text or supplementary reading for a university course.
The ARC I received included no illustrations or figures that might be present in the published material. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Early British history is murky at best. There was not a lot of it written down and much of what there was has been lost. What has remained to a large part is suspect as it was written centuries later by those who wanted to use the stories for good PR for whomever they served at the time. Ergo, the author, having done prodigious research, often says that the source material may be questionable. He does a fine job of trying to sift through to give a truer accounting.

I confess that in the earlier chapters, the similarity of names and the plethora of characters had me a bit confused. That is no fault of the author. Once we got into a time frame where I had some familiarity with names and events, it became so much clearer. Being a fan of both Vikings and The Last Kingdom, it was fascinating to see where the series brushed with history and when it went out into fantasy on its own. Poetic license was used in both but The Last Kingdom seems to have come closer than the other.

I found the years before the Norman Conquest intriguing too. The machinations that were at work on both sides were extensive. Anyone who tries to proclaim that one side or the other was in the ‘right” should read this book. It provides a compelling look into the life and times of the people who moulded the face of Britain.

Four purrs and two paws up.

A good read about the early kings and royalty in Britain. The stories tended to drag and I lost interest from time to time. Overall, it is an okay historical novel.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. Very well written and easy to read though I do wish it were longer.

This was a well researched book that covers a large range regarding the Anglo Saxons and the early state of Britain. This is very much an academic leaning text thus the writing style can be dense and sometimes hard to get through, however, when you do the information received is worth it.

Thank you NetGalley.... DNF. I accidently requested the book. I was browsing titles and did not realize I had requested book when I was liking the cover.