The Earls of Mercia

The Earls of Mercia PDF Author: Stephen Baxter
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN: 0199230986
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
Focusing on the family of Ealdorman Leofwine, which retained power throughout an extraordinary period of political and dynastic upheaval, Stephen Baxter reassesses fundamental elements of late Anglo-Saxon government and society, offering a fresh interpretation of the structure of the late Anglo-Saxon polity and the origins of the Norman Conquest.

The Earls of Mercia

The Earls of Mercia PDF Author: Stephen Baxter
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN: 0199230986
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
Focusing on the family of Ealdorman Leofwine, which retained power throughout an extraordinary period of political and dynastic upheaval, Stephen Baxter reassesses fundamental elements of late Anglo-Saxon government and society, offering a fresh interpretation of the structure of the late Anglo-Saxon polity and the origins of the Norman Conquest.

The Earls of Mercia

The Earls of Mercia PDF Author: Stephen Baxter
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191528218
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
This book constitutes a major reappraisal of the late Anglo-Saxon state on the eve of its demise. Its principal focus is the family of Ealdorman Leofwine, which obtained power in Mercia and retained it throughout an extraordinary period of political upheaval between 994 and 1071. In doing so it explores a paradox: that earls were extraordinarily wealthy and powerful yet distinctly insecure. The book contains the first extended treatment of earls' powers in late Anglo-Saxon England and shows that although they wielded considerable military, administrative and political powers, they remained vulnerable to exile and other forms of political punishment including loss of territory. The book also offers a path-breaking analysis of land tenure and the mechanics of royal patronage, and argues that the majority of earls' estates were held from the king on a revocable basis for the duration of their period in office. In order to compensate for such insecurities, earls used lordship and religious patronage to construct local networks of power. The book uses innovative methods for interpreting the representation of lordship in Domesday Book to reconstruct the affinity of the earls of Mercia. It also examines how the house of Leofwine made strategic use of religious patronage to cement local power structures. All this created intense competition between the earls of Mercia and their rivals for power, both at court and in the localities, and the book explores how factional rivalry determined the course of politics, and ultimately the fate of the late Anglo-Saxon state.

Swein

Swein PDF Author: M. J. Porter
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 9781326314705
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
Before his encounter with Ealdorman Leofwine on his fateful trip to Shetland, King Swein first had to wrestle Denmark from his father's kingship and make his own name as a warrior of great renown. This side story to the Earls of Mercia series tells of the early years of King Swein's reign, his first raid on England, his encounter with Ealdorman Leofwine and his quest to once and for all kill Olaf of Norway, culminating in the mighty sea battle of Svolder in 999. Swein, the Danish King is a companion novella to the epic Earls of Mercia series and should perhaps be read following Ealdormen, book 2 of the Earls of Mercia series.

The King's Earl

The King's Earl PDF Author: M. J. Porter
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781517540234
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Part 5 in the epic Earls of Mercia series Ealdorman Leofwine, bereaved and betrayed by the new Danish king of England, hides away from the politics of the Witan, desperate to forget his past links with Cnut and his father, Swein, only Cnut won't let his most trusted ealdorman go quite so easily. He knows that for his fledgling kingship to survive, he needs the old guard from the previous king's reign to add legitimacy to his own. His new men, the men who've followed him from Denmark, know how to conquer, but not how to rule the English. And Cnut has his eye on an even bigger prize. Leofric, left reeling by the murder of his older brother and with an aging father, and dying mother, turns his own thoughts to how he can uphold his family's position against the sudden and magnificent rise of the family of Godwin, the newly promoted Earl of Wessex, one of the men involved in the death of his brother. As much as he feels ambivalent towards the new king, he knows his family's position needs to grow or risk losing even more. His father has sacrificed too much to allow a usurper to claim the position at the Witan that is rightfully his. With Cnut's view increasingly focused on conquering and ruling the Scandinavian lands, with dangerous arguments between the Scandinavian men threatening the stability of the Crown, can the House of Leofwine survive the kingship of the new Danish king and keep its place at the heart of early eleventh century politics, whether they want it or not?

Mercia

Mercia PDF Author: Annie Whitehead
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 1445676532
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 497

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Book Description
The extraordinary history of Mercia and its rulers from the seventh century to 1066. Once the supreme Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was pivotal in the story of England.

The King's Earl

The King's Earl PDF Author: M. J. Porter
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 9781326428754
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
Ealdorman Leofwine, bereaved and betrayed by the new Danish King of England, hides away from the politics of the Witan, desperate to forget his past links with Cnut and his father, Swein, only Cnut won't let his most trusted ealdorman go quite so easily. He knows that for his fledgling kingship to survive, he needs the old guard from the previous king's reign to add legitimacy to his own. His new men, the men who've followed him from Denmark, know how to conquer, but not how to rule the English. And Cnut has his eye on an even bigger prize.

The Earl of Mercia

The Earl of Mercia PDF Author: M. J. Porter
Publisher: Earls of Mercia
ISBN: 9781549555428
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
Leofric, eldest son of Earl Leofwine, thought he'd done enough to assure himself of his father's position when he died. But events outside England constantly distract King Cnut, and instead of his prized earldom, Leofric finds himself as Sheriff of Worcester, a position of strength and power, but heaped with the responsibilities of his father without the title to go with it. Admired by many, his advice is sought by the king, queen, and would-be-queen, whilst he's despised by Earl Godwine; the king's greatest English ally, related to King Cnut by a tenuous family relationship. As events force Cnut ever further away from England, and his own ambitions grow so that he sees himself as more emperor than king, Leofric must find his own path through the intrigue of the court, through the murky relationship between Cnut's two wives, three sons and daughter, as he tries to determine just what it is his king wants from him before he'll grant him the title of earl and how, if he gains it, he'll keep it in the face of the ambitions of Earl Godwine. Only as Cnut turns his attention back to Leofric's beloved England, threatened by internal discord, does Leofric understand how much his king truly needs his support, and find a way to achieve his life-long ambition, to become, just as his father was, The Earl of Mercia. Covering the period from 1026-1031, The Earl of Mercia is the sixth (main series) full-length novel in the epic Earls of Mercia, charting the House of Leofwine from its humble beginnings in 991 throughout the final years of Anglo-Saxon England.

The World Before Domesday

The World Before Domesday PDF Author: Ann Williams
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1441121188
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Ann Williams' important new book discusses the dynamics of English aristocratic society in a way that has not been explored before. She investigates the rewards and obligations of status including birth, wealth, the importance of public and royal service and the need to participate in local affairs, especially legal and administrative business. This period saw the birth of a 'lesser aristocracy', the ancestors of the English gentry, the power-house of society and politics in the late medieval and early modern periods. Going on to examine the obligations and rewards of lordship and the relations between lords and their men, Williams illustrates how status was displayed and covers the importance of the manorial house, which was at once a home, an estate centre and a symbol of authority and the insignia of rank in weaponry, clothing and personal adornment. The growing gap between the highest rank of society and the lowest, fuelled by underlying economic developments is also covered. In conclusion she considers some of the occupations which symbolized and perpetuated lordly power. Though the upper levels of aristocratic society were swept away by the Norman settlement, the 'lesser aristocracy' had a much higher rate of survival and it was this group who began the manorialization of English society, familiar from the late medieval period.

The Land of the English Kin

The Land of the English Kin PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004421890
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 717

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Book Description
This volume draws together a series of papers that present some of the most up-to-date thinking on the history, archaeology and toponymy of Wessex and Anglo-Saxon England more broadly. In honour of one of early medieval European scholarship’s most illustrious doyennes, no less than twenty-nine contributions demonstrate the indelible impression Barbara Yorke’s work has made on her peers and a generation of new scholars, some of whom have benefitted directly from her tutorage. From the identities that emerged in the immediate post-Roman period, through to the development of kingdoms, the role of the church, and impacts felt beyond the eleventh century, the rich and diverse character of the studies presented here are testimony to the versatility and extensive range of the honorand’s contribution to the academic field.

Son of Mercia

Son of Mercia PDF Author: MJ Porter
Publisher: Boldwood Books Ltd
ISBN: 1802807470
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
The start of a brand new series from bestselling author MJ Porter for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Matthew Harffy. 'Immediate and personal' Bestselling author Matthew Harffy 'No lover of Dark Age warfare is going to be disappointed. Son of Mercia is personal, real, fascinating and satisfying.' S.J.A. Turney 'If you love history, fiction, adventure and great stories, grab a copy of Son of Mercia. You won’t regret it!" Eric Schumacher Tamworth, Mercia AD825. The once-mighty kingdom of Mercia is in perilous danger. Their King, Beornwulf lies dead and years of bitter in-fighting between the nobles, and cross border wars have left Mercia exposed to her enemies. King Ecgberht of Wessex senses now is the time for his warriors to strike and exact his long-awaited bloody revenge on Mercia. King Wiglaf, has claimed his right to rule Mercia, but can he unite a disparate Kingdom against the might of Wessex who are braying for blood and land? Can King Wiglaf keep the dragons at bay or is Mercia doomed to disappear beneath the wings of the Wessex wyvern? Can anyone save Mercia from destruction? 'MJ Porter recounts a sensitive, reluctant hero's coming-of-age within a Dark Age realm riven by chaos and conflict' Bestselling author Matthew Harffy ‘Refreshing... I was reluctant to put the book down’ Historical Novel Society Readers are spell-bound by Son of Mercia!: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'So real I felt I was there!... A page-turner' Reader review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Wonderful to read and hard to put down' Reader review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'I found the pages flying by... A great book' Reader review