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Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (February 23, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis examines the physical legacy left by the unification of the Kingdom of England during the tenth century, and seeks to redress the way in which the Kingdom of Mercia is often overlooked or discounted in the traditional historical narrative. It principally examines the means by which Æthelflæd of Mercia extended political and military control over the West Midlands, both in terms of physical infrastructure and through ‘soft’ power in terms of economic control and material culture. It uses landscape archaeology, artefactual and textual evidence to compare Mercia with its ally, Wessex, and assess the different means by which Æthelflæd of Mercia and her brother Edward the Elder were able to consolidate and expand their territory, the physical infrastructure they established in order to defend it, and the ways in which these sites developed in response to the changing political, military and economic climates of the later tenth century. It will assess why some defensive sites developed into proto-urban settlements while others disappeared, and the extent to which this was a conscious or planned process. This thesis seeks to overturn the idea that burhs constructed in Mercia were insignificant or unplanned ‘emergency’ sites and instead were part of a sophisticated network of landscapes of defence, reflecting a significant level of manpower and logistical investment on the part of the Mercian state. It will furthermore seek to explore the ways in which the Mercian state supported such a network, how sites were chosen, constructed, maintained and garrisoned, and the impact these sites had both on the local population, in terms of patterns of settlement and material culture, and on the wider political scale.

A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar as interações entre os reis e as elites anglo-saxãs dos reinos da Mércia e Wessex, entre os séculos VIII e IX, sob a perspectiva da governança. Para tanto, foram perscrutados os diplomas promulgados pelos reis em favor das elites em diferentes reinados entre 716, ano de ascensão do Etelbaldo da Mércia, e 899, ano de morte do rei Alfredo, o Grande. A partir da análise dos diplomas, foi possível perceber que os reis utilizaram desses documentos como meio para obter o consenso e a aquiescência das elites de maneira a viabilizar seus reinados. Foi concluído que uma maior promulgação de diplomas não se configura uma crise de governabilidade, pelo contrário, o número de diplomas concentrados em reinados considerados fortes foi justamente o que possibilitou aos reis evitar conflitos e dissenções em seus reinos. / The aims of this research was analyze the interactions among Anglo-Saxons kings and elites in the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex in the 8th-9th centuries, from the perspective of governance. For that, the royal diplomas promulgated in favor of elites on the different reings between the years of 716, year of ascension of king Ethelbald of Mércia, and 899, year of death of king Alfred the Great was scrutinized. Through the analysis of the diplomas, it was possible to observe that the kings used these documents to build up consensus and compliance of the elites to enable their reigns. It was concluded that greater enactment of diplomas does not constitute a crisis of governability; on the contrary, the number of diplomas concentrated in reigns considered strong is precisely what enabled the kings to avoid conflicts and dissentions in their kingdoms.

A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar as interações entre os reis e as elites anglo-saxãs dos reinos da Mércia e Wessex, entre os séculos VIII e IX, sob a perspectiva da governança. Para tanto, foram perscrutados os diplomas promulgados pelos reis em favor das elites em diferentes reinados entre 716, ano de ascensão do Etelbaldo da Mércia, e 899, ano de morte do rei Alfredo, o Grande. A partir da análise dos diplomas, foi possível perceber que os reis utilizaram desses documentos como meio para obter o consenso e a aquiescência das elites de maneira a viabilizar seus reinados. Foi concluído que uma maior promulgação de diplomas não se configura uma crise de governabilidade, pelo contrário, o número de diplomas concentrados em reinados considerados fortes foi justamente o que possibilitou aos reis evitar conflitos e dissenções em seus reinos. / The aims of this research was analyze the interactions among Anglo-Saxons kings and elites in the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex in the 8th-9th centuries, from the perspective of governance. For that, the royal diplomas promulgated in favor of elites on the different reings between the years of 716, year of ascension of king Ethelbald of Mércia, and 899, year of death of king Alfred the Great was scrutinized. Through the analysis of the diplomas, it was possible to observe that the kings used these documents to build up consensus and compliance of the elites to enable their reigns. It was concluded that greater enactment of diplomas does not constitute a crisis of governability; on the contrary, the number of diplomas concentrated in reigns considered strong is precisely what enabled the kings to avoid conflicts and dissentions in their kingdoms.