Signifying Kingship in Anglo-Saxon England: the visual languages of power and authority c. 500-1000

This thesis will determine what can be considered ‘kingly’ imagery before depictions of individual kings began to appear in the art of late Anglo-Saxon England. To accomplish this, contemporary texts, vernacular and Latin, are examined alongside the artefacts and materials that survive from the earlier period (c. 500-900) in order to inclue consideration of the widest possible corpus of what could be considered the image of a king. Thus close attention will be given to the objects associated with kingship: such as helmets, swords, rings and harps. Further, the places of the king – the sites where kingship was enacted – such as the Great Hall Complex and the (idea of the) throne, will be examined. Together these will enable the visual contexts of (secular) kingship in this early period to be reconstructed. In closing, these contexts will be further elucidated by consideration of the biblical ideals of kingship that circulated in the region at this time; here images of the Magi of the New Testament, the Old Testament figure David, and Christ will be examined and the ways in which they were appropriated to articulate power and authority in ways particularly appropriate to Anglo-Saxon concepts of kingship will be set out. Overall, it will be demonstrated that by examining the material and visual culture of kings, insight can be gained into the ways in which stylized concepts and abbreviated iconographies were used to express ideas of kingship as a constant throughout the period.