It would be difficult to find an early medievalist who would argue with the basic premise of this book, which is that Christianity and the church permeated virtually every aspect of life in Anglo-Saxon England, or argue with the author's interdisciplinary approach. As far as I can tell, however, A. E. Redgate's Religion, Politics and Society in Britain, c. 800–c.1066 is not based on original research, so it does little to advance our understanding of any of the many topics it covers. Redgate is a specialist in early medieval Armenian history, and this book seems to have come about mainly from her experience teaching an undergraduate history special subject in Anglo-Saxon history. It is therefore a synthesis that draws heavily on recent scholarship that most readers would probably be better off consulting directly, but it might find a receptive audience in students looking for an overview.

Having said that, however, the book's odd organization makes navigating it quite difficult, even for someone familiar with the material. Part one, “Britain c. 800–c. 1066,” contains two introductory chapters: the first describes the “politics, economy, religion, culture and society” of Britain circa 800 and again circa 1066, including Wales and Scotland. It would seem that the intention was to bookend the chapters in between, but it does not really work, and in my view it would have been better to leave all things 1066 to the conclusion. As for geographical scope, the series editor, Keith Robbins, notes that its perspective is “broadly pan-insular,” but that translates in this case to an uneasy incorporation of evidence from Scotland and Wales, usually at the end of each chapter but sometimes at the beginning. It is admittedly very difficult to do justice to the Welsh or the Scots in a survey that is principally about England, but I would have preferred their separate treatment rather than a piecemeal approach that often feels forced. The second chapter examines some of the material and textual evidence the remaining ten chapters will examine, although it is largely through the work of other scholars that this is accomplished. For a student, however, this is likely to be a useful chapter.

The rationale for the remaining three parts of the book is somewhat elusive. Part two, “Beginnings: Identities and Communities,” contains four relatively short (nineteen pages or so) chapters on kingship, community, and identity. It is not clear to what “Beginnings” refers because the chapters cover, though unevenly, the entire period in question. The first chapter demonstrates that “where kings were strong their power was underpinned by the Church and its ideological and economic resources” (78), which is not, it has to be said, a very provocative thesis. Here Redgate mines the work of Catherine Karkov in particular. The next chapter extends the discussion of royal control by considering the conversion of the Vikings and the manipulation of saints' cults, while chapters 5 and 6 examine diocesan and parish boundaries, the mechanisms of episcopal control, and the various ways in which religious rituals contributed to social cohesion.

Part three also has an enigmatic title—“Ends: The structuring of society.” The three short chapters in this part explore everything from political theory and misogyny to slavery and episcopal endowments. Chapter 7, “The Church in Society,” rehashes political theory in the works of Alfred and Wulfstan and begins a discussion on the church and gender that is continued in the subsequent chapter, “Women's Agency,” which is particularly dependent on the work of Barbara Yorke and Sarah Foot. The final chapter in this part, “The Church in the Landscape,” begins with a consideration of the role of minster churches (although it sidesteps any of the interesting debates on the topic) and concludes by mining recent scholarship on episcopal and monastic endowments.

The last part, “Means: Order and Individuals,” combines a number of topics, including government, law and administration, pastoral care and the Christian life. At twenty-seven pages, the last of the three chapters is the most substantial, but like all of the others, it contains many subheadings separating topics that are, in some cases, treated in only a page or two. Here, too, the limited notes at the end of each chapter simply reference the author's last name and work, but only if more than one work is listed in the bibliography. It would have been more useful to indicate specific pages, but it is clear early on that Redgate draws quite a lot from each of the works she used, perhaps making it difficult to be more specific. It is also unclear why Redgate chose to cite only a handful of sources from the first volume of English Historical Documents rather than more recent editions, many of which are listed in the bibliography.

The subheadings are indicative of a work that sacrifices depth for breadth, which would not be such a problem if the organization were clearer. From the perspective of students and nonspecialists, the coverage could, in fact, be a good reason to read this book. Having said that, I would recommend Nicholas Higham and Martin Ryan's 2013 survey, The Anglo-Saxon World, over this book as a more readable (not to mention nicely illustrated) overview or the studies listed in the bibliography for more specific topics. The premise that the church played a prominent role in Anglo-Saxon England is standard in any recent work on the subject.