On the east coast of Ireland 13-year old Finn finds the sword of a slain Norseman, and with Odin’s raven watching, is given the name Stormcrow. When Finn’s family is torn apart by a random act of violence, and the sword lost, he embarks on a quest for revenge with his oldest friend, the shaman […]
Murder and the law in Anglo-Saxon England
Annie Whitehead, author of Murder in Anglo-Saxon England, describes how she went about researching her new book. Were there laws that dealt with murder, justice and compensation? She also looks at some of the more surprising cases she found. I found enough murder stories to fill a book, and made a few accusations of my […]
Eye of the Raven by Tim Hodkinson
For the first time, Einar and the Wolf Coats find themselves divided, on opposing sides in a time of warfare: the Wolf Coats in Ireland, and Einar in the Saxon domains of England. Einar leads a warband for King Aethelstan, but struggles to find acceptance as a Norseman in Saxon lands. Can he truly make […]
The royal women of 10th-century England
Apart from two well-known women, Æthelflæd and Elfrida (Ælfthryth), there’s a lack of information in books about the royal women of 10th-century England, says MJ Porter. So MJ decided to write a book about them. Here are some of the women it covers, including the impressive Eadgifu. In recent years, I’ve set about fictionalising the […]
The Royal Women Who Made England by MJ Porter
Throughout the 10th century, England, as it would be recognised today, formed. No longer many Saxon kingdoms, but rather, just England. Yet this development masks much in the century in which the Viking raiders were seemingly driven from England’s shores by Alfred, his children and grandchildren, only to return during the reign of his great-great-grandson, […]
Clash of Kings by MJ Porter
It’s AD937. After the slaughter field of Brunanburh, a defeated Olaf Gothfrithson of the Dublin Norse and Constantin of the Scots narrowly escaped with their lives. In their kingdoms, failure has left them demoralised and weak. Olaf licks his wounds in Dublin, whilst Constantin and the Welsh kingdoms who defied King Athelstan, are once more […]
Kings of War by MJ Porter
In the year 934, King Athelstan of the English has been successful in uniting the many kingdoms of Britain against one enemy, the Viking raiders. But men who are kings don’t wish to be ruled.Constantin, King of the Scots, rebelled against the Imperium and was forcibly brought to bend the knee to Athelstan and England […]
Review: The Last Kingdom – Seven Kings Must Die
Essie Fox reviews the last TV screen appearance of Uhtred of Bebbanburg in Seven Kings Must Die, the final episode of the long-running The Last Kingdom series. She finds much to admire. Seven Kings Must Die is the one-off Netflix film that finally concludes the historical TV series, The Last Kingdom. These enthralling screen adaptions […]