‘Aethelflaed’, by Anna Fenn, from the E2BN ‘History’s Heroes’ website. Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the imprints of Pen & Sword Archaeology, Atlas, Aviation, Battleground, Discovery, Family History, History, Maritime, Military, Naval, Politics, Railways, Select, Social History, Transport, True Crime, Claymore Press, Frontline Books, Leo Cooper, Praetorian Press, Remember When, Seaforth Publishing and Wharncliffe.įor a complete list of Pen and Sword titles please contactĤ7 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS, EnglandĬhapter Seven Aethelflaed’s (Missing) Daughterġ. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

Jones to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.Ī CIP record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved. In memory of my Uncle Simon who loved medieval history and admired strong womenįirst published in Great Britain in 2018 by 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.

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.

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. 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. 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. This fairly short book covers the life, achievements and influence of one of the most significant female figures in early English history.

The Warrior Queen by Joanna Arman