02/10/2026
In a new publication, Corpus Fellow Rory Naismith, Professor of Early Medieval English History at Cambridge, and colleagues have revealed that the discovery of 20 coins in Rome’s English quarter in 2020 suggests English expats received special treatment from the Pope in the Middle Ages.
Their findings, presented in a chapter co-written with Marzia Di Mento, Valentina Pica and Filippo Salamone, have just been published in a new book (in Italian) entitled: "Rome and the Others (300-1000): Foreigners in the city between conflicts and integration".
Read the full story below.
In the early Middle Ages, the Anglo-Saxons developed a “Little England” in Rome 🏴🇮🇹
Early written sources recorded some information about this discovery, but we never had any material evidence of the Schola Saxonum… until now!
New research by Professors Rory Naismith (Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge) and Francesca Tinti (Clare Hall, University of Cambridge) suggests that English expats avoided ‘travel money’ hassle, thanks to special treatment from the Pope in the early Middle Ages.
The discovery of 20 coins, alongside evidence of craftwork, suggests it was a thriving and valued expat community.
“The Anglo-Saxons were very firmly a part of the European community," Professor Naismith said. "They kept these bonds with Rome going strong for hundreds of years, through thick and thin. These coins show us how deep that relationship went.”
The discovery of these English coins changing hands in Rome in this period challenges a long-held assumption that the papacy forbade the use of foreign currency in the city.
Find out more through the link in the comments 👇
