Gripping historical action and adventure set in viking england the earls of mercia series book 2 ebook. To the west were the welsh who were constantly at odds with the mercians. The anglosaxon kingdom of mercia, author john hunt uses this evidence to paint a. The first queen of england by m j porter, paperback barnes. Still less do we learn about the beginnings of mercia, the powerful english. Part 5 in the epic earls of mercia series ealdorman leofwine, bereaved and. Ealdorman leofwine leofwine ii ealdorman of the hwicce, leofric of mercia formerly mercia. Wulfstan an anglo saxon thegn the earls of mercia series book. See more ideas about books, advance reading and scotland. Its principal focus is the family of ealdorman leofwine, which obtained power in mercia and retained. His rule was confined to the western half, as eastern mercia was then part of the vikingruled danelaw.
Aethelflaed, lady of the mercians and daughter of alfred the great, is dead. Earl of mercia was a title in the late anglosaxon, anglodanish, and early anglonorman period in england. Somehow, by 878, ealdorman aethelred of mercia managed to free western mercia from the vikings. King aethelred mucil of mercia, ealdorman of the gainas, circa 820 911. Many of them were reconsecrated after the introduction of christianity to saints of the church, and so have retained their character for sanctity almost to our own time. The earls of mercia stephen baxter oxford university press. Leofric, earl of mercia project gutenberg selfpublishing. Ealdorman leofwine, bereaved and betrayed by the new danish king of england, hides away from the politics of the witan, desperate to forget his past links with cnut and his father swein only cnut wont let his most trusted ealdorman go quite so easily. Lord known as lordy a man who is for the most part a captain in the royal canadian engineers. Anglo saxon mercia was a great power in its day, although many aspects of it have been shrouded in myth and mystery. Stephen baxter earls of mercia lordship and power in late. Explore genealogy for leofwine ii mercia of mercia born abt. Cawley 2006, adds wulfric but his identity is disputed and hes most likely not the same. The danish king the earls of mercia series book book 9 kindle edition by m j porter.
Viking enemy is the second novel in the epic earls of mercia series, charting the final century of the anglosaxon kingdom from 9941071 through the eyes of the magnificent house of leofwine, the only family to maintain its position for such a long period of time, outlasting even the mighty house of godwine, akin only to the longruling family. Covering the year 101017, northman part 2 is the fourth part of the earls of mercia series and can best be appreciated after reading northman part 1 although not necessarily ealdorman and ealdormen if youre a little impatient. Elfwynn of countess of mercia was born at of mercia, england abt 892 daughter of ethelred duke of mercia and ethelfleda princess of england. Ecgfrith was king of mercia from 29 july to december 796. Offering the first extended treatment of the nature and limits of earls power, the earls of mercia is a reappraisal of the structure of land tenure and the mechanics of royal patronage, and provides a new perspective from which to explore how noble families used religious patronage to strengthen local power structures. Five ealdormen represent him in the old saxon kingdoms.
Edulph earl of mercia elfwynn of countess of mercia. Wulfstan an anglo saxon thegn the earls of mercia series book 9 ebook. Before his encounter with ealdorman leofwine on his fateful trip to shetland, king swein first had to. Browse ebooks from the oxfordhistoricalmonographs series to read online or download in epub or pdf format. The ealdormen who led the various marauding bands assumed royal power in the. Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and videos from thousands of public libraries worldwide. Leofwine earl of mercia born about 0950 mercia, england died 1028 biographical andor anecdotal. Kindle ebooks can be read on any device with the free kindle app. The single most important surviving source for the history of britain. The eastern part was dominated by the vikings with fortified towns and armies. Danish mercia the area was subsequently ruled by the earls.
The earl of mercias father is the first book in the epic earls of mercia series charting the final century of anglosaxon england, as seen through the eyes of ealdorman leofwine, the father of earl leofric, the earl of mercia, and ally of lady elfrida, englands first queen. The project gutenberg ebook of anglosaxon britain, by grant allen. This year, before midsummer, went king edward to maldon. Cnut made leofric ealdorman in place of his brother northman, and afterwards held him in great affection. Coenulfus was the king of mercia from december 796 until his death in 821.
This book constitutes a major reappraisal of the late anglosaxon state on the eve of its demise. The myth of bloody mary is a fascinating book about a shy, retiring woman who, against all odds, became the first woman to rule england on her own. The second viking age earls of mercia series book 11 ebook. The earls of mercia and northumbria remained loyal to edward and to avoid a civil. Part 4 in the epic earls of mercia series main series northman, eldest son of ealdorman leofwine, husband, father and brother almost snatched a moment of peace when king swein of denmark helped himself to the english throne, and aethelred removed himself to the court of duke richard ii of normandy, his brother by marriage. Mercia, including storeys guide to raising poultry storeys guides to raising, and raising poultry the modern way, and more on. First governed by ealdormen under the kings of wessex in the 10th century, it became an earldom in the anglodanish period. Wulfstan, the ealdorman of the hwicces most trusted advisor, mentor and. Northman, the eldest son of ealdorman leofwine, fostered, at the kings insistence, by eadric of mercia, finds himself caught between loyalty to his father and his foster father. Aethelred mucil was born circa 820, at birth place.
Ecgfrith of mercia ebooks read ebooks online free ebooks. The second viking age earls of mercia series book 4 kindle edition by m j porter. Battles are being fought against the viking raiders looking to plunder england for her wealth. The anglo saxon chronicle part 3, ad 920 to ad 1014. Edulph of mercia earl of devonshire born about 0901. This is a bundle copy of the earls of mercia books 1 and 2 ealdorman and ealdormen. The project gutenberg ebook of anglosaxon britain, by grant. Its principal focus is the family of ealdorman leofwine, which obtained power in mercia and retained it throughout an extraordinary period of political upheaval. The second viking age the earls of mercia book 3 kindle edition by porter, m j. Aelfwynn, the niece of edward, king of wessex, has been bequeathed her mothers power and status by the men of the mercian witan but knows she is vulnerable to the north of her kingdom, exposed still to the retreating world of the viking raiders from her mothers generation.
In several cases the parents are given as ordgar of mercia ealdorman of devonshire and wulfrith wife of ordgar ealdorman of devonshire. Fighting for his own sense of self, whilst viking raiders vie for the english kings land, he must choose his own path. William the conqueror, whose cause was favoured by the pope, was soon submitted to by the english, who wanted leaders, and had been of late much accustomed to usurpation and conquest. During this period the earldom covered the lands of the old kingdom of mercia in the english midlands. Jul 06, 2012 mercia had suffered under the vikings for many years. Even the lands that he still held to the west and south were effectively subkingdoms of danelaw, and therefore should not be considered a strictly independent mercia. Its principal focus is the family of ealdorman leofwine, which obtained power in mercia and retained it throughout an extraordinary period of political upheaval between 994 and 1071. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied to the former kings of territories which had submitted to great powers such as mercia. He was a descendant of a sibling of king penda, who had ruled mercia in the middle of the 7th century.
Aethelred mucil historical records and family trees. However, recent discoveries, such as the staffordshire hoard and the lichfield angel, have shone a fascinating light into the world of mercia and the mercians. The project gutenberg ebook of the vikings, by allen mawer. Stephen david baxter this book constitutes a major reappraisal of the late anglosaxon state on the eve of its demise. Linda porters story turns historical scholarship into fastpaced adventure.
Recalled by earl godwine and the witan, he came back to england a norman. Aethelflaed, lady of mercia the freelance history writer. On ethelreds death in 1016 the witan chose edmund ironside as king and a series of battles took place culminating in that at ashingdon in essex where the english were completely defeated through the treachery of eadric. Northman part 1 the earls of mercia porter, m j on. Ealdorman has now been reissued under the title viking sword june 2017. These are the story of leofwine, ealdorman of hwicce, who has proved himself in battle for his king, aethelred and covers the years 995 through to 1006. Anglosaxon mercia was a great power in its day, although many aspects of it have been shrouded in myth and mystery. The story of the ealdorman of the hwicce, leofwine, continues in book 5 of the earls of mercia series. He was the son of offa, the greatest king of mercia, and cynethryth. Eadwine, earl of mercia peoplecharacters librarything. Earl godwin, swein and the rest of the family went to live in bruges. Im an author of fantasy viking agedragon themed and historical fiction anglosaxon, vikings and the british isles as a whole before the norman conquest, born in the old mercian kingdom at some point since the end of anglosaxon england. Northman, eldest son of ealdorman leofwine, husband, father and brother almost. Northman, the eldest son of ealdorman leofwine, fostered, at the kings insistence, by eadric of.
311 1262 1170 312 686 483 1513 1490 1147 592 736 31 669 152 939 678 1237 539 827 39 1213 51 559 171 202 1375 346 1091 278 1015 282 139 396 1320 508 269 814 1181 1158 1297 1091