By AD836 the Viking raiders’ devastation has been halted once more — by the shields of Mercia, as opposed to Wessex. ,But their whereabouts are unknown. King Wiglaf of Mercia is keen to ensure the Viking raiders are swept from his shared border with Wessex but these Viking ships are quick and difficult to track. […]
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 […]
The Battle of Hatfield in 632
17 November is St Hilda’s feast day. Who better to write about the 7th-century Abbess of Whitby’s world than Nicola Griffith, whose novel Menewood, the second in her retelling of Hilda’s (or Hild’s) life, has just been published in paperback? Here she looks at the battle which opens her book: Hatfield, in 632. Menewood is […]
Protector of Mercia by MJ Porter
We’re in Tamworth in the year 833. After successfully rescuing her husband, Lord Coenwulf, from the Isle of Sheppey, Icel hears the deathbed confession of Lady Cynehild — which leaves him questioning what he knows about his past, as well as his future. Icel is in the unenviable position of being oath-sworn to protect their […]
Killer of Kings by Matthew Harffy
Beobrand has land, men and riches. He should be content. And yet he cannot find peace until his enemies are food for the ravens. But before Beobrand can embark on his bloodfeud, King Oswald orders him southward, to escort holy men bearing sacred relics. When Penda of Mercia marches a warhost into the southern kingdoms, […]
Conrad Monk and the Great Heathen Army by Edoardo Albert
Conrad is a monk, but he has become a monk through trickery and against his will. So, it is fair to say that his heart isn’t really in it. Conrad is also clever, charming, entirely self-serving, self-absorbed and almost completely without scruple — but in Anglo-Saxon England, when the Danish invaders come calling, those are […]
Oswald: Exile, King, Saint
If you were to ask most people to name an Anglo-Saxon king, they might mention Alfred (he was Great, after all!), or Harold (with the infamous arrow in the eye). A few might even bring up names like Ethelred the (mistranslated) Unready, or, if they are a bit more into pre-Norman Conquest British history, they […]