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Ryan Lavelle
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Ryan Lavelle, BA (Hons) MA PhD FRHistS, is Reader in Medieval History at the University of Winchester, specializing in Anglo-Saxon and early medieval military and political history, and is the author of a range of books and articles relating to the Middle Ages. He is co-editor, with Simon Roffey, of Danes in Wessex: The Scandinavian Impact on Southern England, c.800-c.1100, which is published by Oxbow Books later this year. He was also historical advisor on the BBC America/ BBC 2 drama series The Last Kingdom, which airs in October. Ryan's current project
is Places of Rebellion:
Landscape, Location and Contested Authority in England and France from
the Ninth to the Twelfth Century. |
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BBC History Cover Story Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and Political Dealings |
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'How
England Rode the Viking Storm' addresses the compromises, contacts and
diplomacy between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings during the ninth and tenth
centuries as 'Northmen' started to become 'Danes', people whom the
Anglo-Saxons could deal with. Naturally, it mentions a certain BBC drama series airing in October... 10 October 2015 |
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BBC series Speaking to Michael Wood about Anglo-Saxon rulers |
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Ryan is interviewed by broadcaster and historian Michael Wood for the BBC Four series King Alfred and the Anglo-Saxons. Ryan spoke with Michael about the Alfredian legacy and the lessons of war and peace learnt by the son and daughter of King Alfred, Edward the Elder and Aethelflaed, 'Lady of the Mercians', for episode 2 of the series (first broadcast on 13 August 2013). 7 August 2013 |
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Making History Vikings and the South-west |
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Ryan appeared on BBC Radio 4's Making History programme on Tuesday 27 September, speaking about Odda, the ninth-century Ealdorman (governor) of Devon and the 878 Viking-Age battle of Cynuit. Was Odda a forgotten English hero and have the achievements of Alfred the Great eclipsed the memory of this little-known battle? Ryan spoke to Tom Holland at the fitting location of Winchester cathedral about the man, the battle, and the ways in which the different sources remember them. 21/27 September 2011 |
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BBC History Magazine Finding the Vikings |
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Following January's article on 'Fighting the Vikings' (see below), the October 2011 edition of BBC History Magazine sees an interview with Ryan about the impact of Vikings upon the British Isles, Where History Happened: Alfred and the Vikings. The six-page article provides a tour of places in Britain and Northern Ireland linked with ninth-century Viking campaigns. The Magazine's new tie-in book, 100 Places that Made Britain (BBC Books, 2011), sees Ryan recommending Scutchamer Knob, another Viking-Age landmark that 'made Britain'. 19 September 2011 |
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Wargames Illustrated From Research to the Games Table |
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Ryan's article, 'Rethinking "Saxon" Wargaming', features in the April 2011 edition of Wargames Illustrated. The article applies research from Alfred's Wars to tabletop historical wargaming in Britain in the Viking Age. Click the link to the left for a more detailed view of the first two pages from the article (opens in a new window; reproduced with permission). Ryan's review of Gripping Beast's new 28mm scale 'Saxon Thegns' is in the online reviews section of the Wargames Illustrated website. |
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Alfred's Wars Going to War in Viking Age England Launching Alfred's Wars, Ryan spoke to the Winchester branch of the Historical Association on 12 January, on the subject of Going to War in Viking Age England. Click the link below to hear an edited recording (42 mins) of the lecture. HEAR THE LECTURE Please note: The audio file is for information and as a record of a live lecture. Therefore the text of the published book, which contains full references to relevant sources, should be cited for any arguments therein. The MP3 file can be saved for use by right-clicking the link and selecting 'Save as...'. The file and the recording are copyright (c) 2011 Ryan Lavelle, and are for personal, non-profit-making use only. Please provide a link to the homepage www.ryanlavelle.net/index.html if you wish to link to the file. |
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Ryan's article, Fighting the Vikings, featured as the cover story in the January 2011 issue of BBC History Magazine. He spoke on the magazine's monthly podcast about the experience of warfare in Britain during the Viking Age. |
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is a member of the following societies and organizations: University of Winchester Royal Historical Society (fellow) De Re Militari: The Society for Medieval Military History Wessex Centre for History and Archaeology Haskins Society for Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman and Angevin History Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society (local history editor for Hampshire Studies) Historical Association (committee member, Winchester branch) |
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updated 10 October 2015