Offa: King of the Mercians with Rory Naismith

Join Rory Naismith as he highlights the life and importance of King Offa of Mercia the king who stood at the turning point of Anglo-Saxon history.

About the event

Offa ruled the Mercian heartland of the west midlands from 757 to 796. But while Alfred the Great and his dynasty are seen as agents of a new beginning that resulted in a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Offa is best remembered as the builder of a great dyke and as a symbol of an older, divided order.

Yet some would argue his impact and legacy are far more impactful than we have been led to believe. In this revealing talk Rory Naismith will challenges this view, revealing how Offa cemented Mercia’s position as the dominant force in the southern part of Britain, strengthened the internal cohesion of his domains, and laid the basis for a new model of kingship.

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About the speaker

Rory Naismith is professor of early medieval history at the University of Cambridge and the author of prize-winning books Money and Power in Anglo-Saxon England, The Coinage of Southern England 796–865, Citadel of the Saxons, and Making Money in the Early Middle Ages.