Online History Talk – The Surprising Afterlife of a Northumbrian King: The Cult of St Oswald

Killed on the battlefield in 642, King Oswald of Northumbria quickly became venerated as a saint and was one of the great heroes of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Over the following centuries, Oswald’s fame spread far beyond his native Northumbria and, thanks to the acquisition of a treasured relic – Oswald’s incorrupt right arm – Peterborough developed as the most important site of his veneration in England. However, interest in Oswald was not confined to the British Isles, spreading widely across Europe and particularly in German-speaking regions, where surprising legends developed in which Oswald shares the limelight with a cheeky talking raven. This talk will cover Oswald’s veneration at Peterborough Abbey and also introduce some of the more unusual German incarnations of medieval Peterborough’s favourite saint!

Dr Johanna Dale is a medieval historian at University College London. She has published several essays on the cult of Oswald of Northumbria in the British Isles and is currently working on a project researching German interest in Oswald across the Middle Ages.

You may also like the following events from Peterborough Cathedral:

• This Saturday, 30th August, 07:00 pm, NEW! All-Age Harvest Barn Dance in Peterborough
• This Saturday, 30th August, 08:00 pm, BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! End of Summer Old Skool Disco in Peterborough
• Next Saturday, 6th September, 09:00 am, Pilgrimage to Castor in Peterborough