In all of the literature on Anglo-Saxon England, rarely has the question
of social class been confronted head-on. The Anglo-Saxon Elite:
Northumbrian Society in the Long Eighth Century draws upon recent
research into topics such as religious practice, emotions, daily life,
and intellectual culture to investigate how the aristocracy of
Northumbria maintained social dominance over wider society. Moreover,
this monograph suggests that the crisis that brought an end to
Northumbria as an independent kingdom was the product of the social
contradictions produced by the ruling class as social domination
developed over time. The analysis is divided into three broad parts -
production, circulation, and consumption - both as a nod to Marxist
historiography and also to signal a commitment to a methodology that
situates the subject within a global context.