Offa of Mercia was a powerful English king. And, as James Turner argues, he was also a monarch with enough importance in Western Europe to be of interest to his contemporary, Charlemagne. Around 789, the Frankish king Charlemagne wrote to King Offa of Mercia to propose a marriage between his eldest son, Charles the Younger, […]
Shield of Mercia by MJ Porter
Following a brutally cold winter, King Wiglaf of Mercia is in the ascendancy in 836. Even Wessex’s Archbishop of Canterbury ventures to Mercia to broker a religious accord. But can the hard-won peace prevail? Viking raiders threaten Wessex. These bloodthirsty warriors are fast, skilful and have no reticence about killing those who stand in their […]
Betrayal of Mercia by MJ Porter
Londonia, AD835, and the deadly conspiracy against the children of Ealdorman Coenwulf is to be resolved. Those involved have been unmasked and arrested. But will justice prevail? While the court convenes to determine the conspirator’s fate, King Wiglaf’s position is precarious. His wife, Queen Cynethryth, has been implicated in the plot and while Wiglaf must […]
Enemies of Mercia by MJ Porter
Tamworth, 835. Following Icel’s epic rescue of Lord Coenwulf’s children from their almost certain death, King Wiglaf is forced to call upon Icel’s loyal services once more. Furious that the conspirators behind the audacious move to snatch the children have yet to face justice, he despatches Icel to hunt down the enemy of Mercia and […]
The Last Viking by MJ Porter
Jarl Guthrum has been captured after the terrible events in Grantabridge. King Coelwulf knows exactly what he’d like to do to him, but those with calmer heads have other ideas. Baptised and having taken the name of Æthelstan, Guthrum is Mercia’s prisoner, and in the wake of that, Mercia must rebuild. But Jarl Guthrum 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 […]
Son of Mercia by MJ Porter
Tamworth, Mercia AD825, and the once-mighty kingdom of Mercia is in perilous danger. Their King, Beornwulf, lies dead, and years of bitter infighting between the nobles and cross-border wars have left Mercia exposed to her enemies. King Ecgberht of Wessex senses that now is the time for his warriors to strike and exact his long-awaited […]
Rival kings and the fall of Mercia
The Kingdom of Mercia went rapidly from being the foremost power in 8th-century England to being conquered in less than a decade. What happened? MJ Porter explains a time of unrest, loss, and rival kings. Son of Mercia, the first book in a new series set in the ninth century, occurs against a backdrop of […]