The Lords of Battle: Image and Reality of the `Comitatus' in Dark-Age Britain [Paperback]

Stephen S. Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2000

The Lords of Battle examines the image of the comitatus, or warband, as it is portrayed in literary and historical sources from Britain's early medieval period to determine the extent to which this image reflects an historical reality.Through an extensive use of a variety of source material, poems, charters, artefacts, the book investigates both the structure of the warband, and the practices and institutions which supported it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851156622
• ISBN-13: 978-0851156620
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent survey of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon war-bands, October 11, 2000

By 

"finlandia01" (Austin, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lords of Battle: Image and Reality of the `Comitatus' in Dark-Age Britain (Paperback)

This small book is an interesting look at warbands in early Britain. Most of the evidence refelects Anglo-Saxon warbands, but Welsh warrior culture is also examined where possible. Of course quite a bit of evidence comes from literary sources, particularly the heroic poetry, but where possible archaeology is consulted as well. My only complaint is that the paperback I received was not well-bound, and even with gentle handling I soon had a whole section where the glue popped loose from the spine. This is an excellent companion book to go with Michael Cherniss' "Ingeld and Christ" for those interested in the warrior culture of early Northern Europe.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Three hundred gold-torqued warriors attacked...", September 22, 2003

By 

Mark Howells (Puyallup, Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lords of Battle: Image and Reality of the `Comitatus' in Dark-Age Britain (Paperback)

The most insightful thing about this volume is the author's comparison of both the Anglo-Saxon and their British opponents' views on the comitatus - the war band of heroic Dark Age Britain. Usually, authors prefer to focus on the differences between these two ethnic groups rather than their similarities. Most of the evidence in the book comes from the heroic poetry from Beowulf for the Anglo-Saxons and the Godiddin for the British. Individual chapters focus on social structure, military organization, poets, the hall, and more. A good little book and a quick read.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's great!, September 30, 2004

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lords of Battle: Image and Reality of the `Comitatus' in Dark-Age Britain (Paperback)

In this fascinating book, author Stephen S. Evans looks at the reality of the comitatus in Dark Age Britain. The comitatus was the warband that the Dark Age leaders, Celtic and Anglo-Saxon surrounded himself with, and based his power upon. This book looks at Dark Age Britain, covering everything from its historical background, through the social and military organization of its tribes and states, and on to its economic supports.

This is a great book, one that I cannot say enough about. The author does a great job of bringing Dark Age Britain to life, and explaining how it worked. If you are interested in this fascinating time and place, then you simply MUST read this book. It's great!