scientific publication

Main Themes and Chapters

I. Redbad: New Perspectives on Early Medieval Kingship in Frisia

• Redbad and Early Medieval Kingship in Frisia and the North Sea Region (Dr Han Nijdam and Dr Diana Spiekhout)
• Sacral Kingship: A Song of Redbad and Woden (Dr Han Nijdam, Ewoud van Aalst MA, Petter Jensen MA, Arjan Sterken MA, Hilbert Vinkenoog MA)
• Kingship, Lawmaking, and the Legal Community (Dr Han Nijdam)
• Weapons and Their Meanings in Early Medieval Frisia (AD 400–800) (Dr Diana Spiekhout, Dr Egge Knol, Dr Ulrich Lehmann, Dr Johan Nicolay, Dr Han Nijdam, Dr Annette Siegmüller)
• Pre-Christian Gods and Cosmology in Early Medieval Frisia (Dr Han Nijdam, Ewoud van Aalst MA, Petter Jensen MA, Dr Diana Spiekhout, Arjan Sterken MA, Hilbert Vinkenoog MA)

II. Archaeological Perspectives on the Development of a Coastal Identity

• Climate, Vegetation, and Plant Use in Early Medieval Frisian Landscapes (Dr Mans Schepers, Prof. Dr Felix Bittmann, Dr Daniel Hepp)
• Depopulation and Migration in the Southern North Sea Region: Towards an Understanding of Regional Differences (c. AD 250–900) (Dr Johan Nicolay, Prof. Dr Hauke Jöns)
• “Frisian Trade” and Coinage, c. AD 650–900 (Prof. Dr Hauke Jöns, Dr Kirsten Hüser, Selina Pohl MA, Dr Karin Struckmeyer, Prof. em. Dr Gilles de Langen)
• Watercraft in the “Frisian Realm” (Dr Mike Belasus, Jeroen Vermeersch MA)
• Life on Salt Marshes and Sandy Ridges: Settlements and Houses in Early Medieval Frisia (AD 400–800) (Dr Jan F. Kegler, Dr Menno Dijkstra, Dr Andreas Hüser)
• Coastal Connections: Frisian Kingdoms and Their Pottery Networks from the Third to the Tenth Century AD (Jan de Koning MA, Dr Sonja König, Dr Andreas Hüser, Ines Reese, Dr Martin Segschneider, Dr Katrin Struckmeyer)
• Textiles and Clothing in the Early Medieval Southern North Sea Region (Christina Peek MA, Marjolijn Koens MA, Dr Katrin Struckmeyer)
• Graves and Burial Practices in Frisia (Christina Peek MA, Dr Menno Dijkstra, Dr Egge Knol, Selina Pohl MA)
• Conclusion: A New Light on Redbad and the Frisians (Editors)

III. Epilogue

• Frisian Heritage, Identity, and Language Today (Dr Anne Merkuur, Prof. Dr Christoph Winter, Dr Simon Halink)

Scholarly Significance

Redbad, King of the Frisians brings together contributions from more than thirty specialists representing a wide range of disciplines and institutions, including the Fryske Akademy, Fries Museum, University of Groningen, Ostfriesische Landschaft, and the Niedersächsisches Institut für historische Küstenforschung. Through a combination of archaeological, historical, legal, material-cultural, and religious approaches, the volume provides a comprehensive overview of a region and period that have previously been studied only in a fragmentary manner. The book places Redbad’s political authority and sacral kingship within the broader social, economic, and cultural networks of the North Sea world. At the same time, it offers insights into everyday life, from trade and seafaring to pottery, textiles, and burial rituals, demonstrating how Frisian identity developed during this formative period.

Publication and Access

The open-access English edition will be published in February 2027 and will be freely available online. Readers who prefer a printed copy will be able to obtain a print-on-demand edition through Brepols Publishers, which will become available following the open-access publication.