Angli and Saxones in Æthelweard's Chronicle

Abstract

The late tenth‐century Chronicle ascribed to Ealdorman Æthelweard frequently uses the word Angli in contexts where other writers employ Saxones. This has generally been attributed to a supposed project to cultivate English unity by privileging ‘Anglian’ terminology. The present article challenges this interpretation by highlighting Æthelweard's use of ‘Saxon’ vocabulary at key points in the text. Æthelweard's use of the words Angli and Saxones is best explained by the fact that he was writing for a continental Saxon reader, and his Chronicle strengthens the case for doubting that there was any coherent scheme to promote Anglian vocabulary.

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