Learnings: Military Leadership

Reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo helmet / 7th cent.

Anglo-Saxon armies were not led by a single general. Each war band had more than one leader, and at least one of them would take up a position behind their "army" to supervise the battle.

It may also have been mandatory to have another leader on the frontline, well-placed to lead by example. A commander who would get his hands dirty with the rest of his men was a source of inspiration and morale, two key qualities that kept armies fighting against unfavorable odds.

This artifact is known as the Sutton Hoo helmet. Some scholars believe it belonged to King Rædwald of East Anglia, allegedly a strong military leader.