Saint killer, warmonger, tyrant: was the Anglo-Saxon king Offa as bad as history makes out? (opens in new tab)

Within a century of his death, Offa of Mercia was reviled as a saint killer, warmonger and tyrant. But look critically at the evidence, argues Rory Naismith, and it’s clear this is at best a partial picture of one of Anglo-Saxon England’s most important monarchs