Good day, dear readers! I am bringing you a new review! This book was amazing from start to finish! The history of Aethelflaed is one of a remarkable woman, one who stood out in the time when women really disappeared into history. Many of them have only their names known, through their powerful husbands or brothers, but many others are simply lost to us. Aethelflaed was determined to make her mark on the world, and she did so with such gusto and energy, that is a wonder that she has not been written more about. Known as the Lady of the Mercians, she ruled in her own right after the death of her husband. Women in those days would have been expected to either remarry or to retire quietly to a nunnery to finish out their days after the death of their husbands, but she refused to do either. Taking up the reigns of government, she continued in the stead that she and her husband had been going for the many years of their marriage, and pushed even further than one might have dreamed. She led troops to battle, designed and saw many burghs carried out, with fortifications to keep citizens safe against the invading Vikings. This book JUST released, so it is available now!
5/5 stars
History
Author – Margaret C. Jones
Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen – Review
Aethelflaed was a woman ahead of her times. The daughter of Alfred the Great, how could she be anything but fabulous!
Aethelflaed was courageous and not afraid to make her mark in the world. At a time when women were expected to stay in the background, she was determined to lead her people fairly and honestly. Married at a young age, she had only one child, a daughter. Yet this woman was more remarkable than many could have dared to hope for. She planned and executed the building of several burghs and towns, fortified to keep the townspeople safe from Viking attacks, held off Viking attacks, and even managed to bring peace throughout her realm.
Known as the Lady of the Mercians, she ruled in her own right after the death of her husband. While her brother, Edward, was her overlord after the death of their father, she ruled Mercia alone for years. After her death, her daughter ruled briefly ad the Lady of the Mercians, before Edward swept through with an army and removed her from power, where she disappears from history altogether.
Aethelflaed, had she still been alive would have fought back against her brother, but the daughter was no match for her powerful uncle. At the time of her death, she was in process of brokering peace with York, where a great Viking community was thriving. Her untimely death waylaid all plans for peace and it was almost ten years later when her nephew would finally bring York under Saxon control.
The story of Aethelflaed has not been recounted as often as it should, and many times she is afforded a footnote in the annals of history, brushed aside. But she deserves more attention than she has been given. Her layouts for the burghs reverberate through many of the towns that she founded, and still exist today.
Margaret Jones did a fantastic job in fleshing out this remarkable woman and bringing her exploits to life. This book was fantastic and one that deserves to be read!
My Opinions
I absolutely LOVED this book! I sat and read it in one sitting. It is not very long, about 208 pages, but it was well done. History is a major love of mine, and so for someone to be able to bring new information, or expand on older information, to the table, and present it in a way that it can be learned from and expanded upon is awesome. I have not heard much of this woman before reading this book. She was just a footnote in ONE of the many history classes that I took when working on my degrees. I hope that ya’ll enjoy this book as much as I have!
