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Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen: Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians
Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen: Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians
Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen: Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians
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Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen: Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians

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The story of the daughter of Alfred the Great, who fought against Viking invaders and ruled a kingdom in the tenth century.
 
Alfred the Great’s daughter defied all expectations of a well-bred Saxon princess. The first Saxon woman ever to rule a kingdom, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, led her army in battle against Viking invaders. She further broke with convention by arranging for her daughter to succeed her on the throne of Mercia.
 
To protect her people and enable her kingdom in the Midlands to prosper, Aethelflaed rebuilt Chester and Gloucester, and built seven entirely new English towns. In so doing she helped shape our world today.
 
This book brings Aethelflaed’s world to life, from her childhood in time of war to her remarkable work as ruler of Mercia. The final chapter traces her legend, from medieval paintings to novels and contemporary art, illustrating the impact of a legacy that continues to be felt to this day.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 30, 2018
ISBN9781526733979
Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen: Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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    This fairly short book covers the life, achievements and influence of one of the most significant female figures in early English history. Famous as the daughter of King Alfred the Great and sister of King Edward the Elder of Wessex, she was absolutely a significant figure in her own right, effectively co-ruler of Mercia with her husband Ethelred, and sole ruler after his death for seven years, defending her adopted country against Viking incursions and acting as a bridgehead between Mercia and Wessex as the dominant state ruled by her brother. Her settled role was so strong that she even named her own daughter Alfwynn as her successor, though King Edward intervened to overthrow his niece after a short period of time, thus uniting Wessex and Mercia under one crown as the nucleus of the future state of England. Alongside and indeed as integral to her remarkable political and military achievements, Aethelflaed effectively founded or developed many of the towns of the West of England, especially Gloucester, Tamworth, Stafford, Warwick and Chester, thus shaping large parts of the urban pattern of today's England. Yet for large parts of the 1,100 years since her death, her reputation has been overshadowed by those of her famous male relatives, especially of course that of her father. She should be better known. This is a highly readable book, making use of the limited sources about the subject's life to create a proper biography, albeit of course with very many details unknown and unknowable.

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Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen - Margaret C. Jones

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