Æthelflæd

The Lady of the Mercians

De: Tim Clarkson

Narrado por: Hannah Curtis

This Dark Ages biography chronicles the life of one of the period's most famous women: the ruler of Mercia who took England back from the Vikings.

At the end of the ninth century, a large part of what is now England was controlled by the Vikings—warlike Scandinavians who had been attacking the British Isles for more than a hundred years. Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, was determined to regain the conquered lands. But when he died in 899 A.D., the task passed to his son Edward. In the early 900s, Edward led a great fight against the Viking armies, assisted by the English rulers of Mercia: Lord Æthelred and his wife Æthelflæd, who was also Edward's sister.

After her husband's death, Æthelflæd ruled Mercia on her own, leading the army to war and working with her brother to achieve their father's aims. Known to history as the Lady of the Mercians, she earned a reputation as a capable general who was feared by her enemies. In this authoritative biography, Tim Clarkson tells her remarkable life story from childhood to her vital role in saving England from the Vikings.

©2018 Tim Clarkson (P)2022 Tantor

Enlightening and very interesting.

For what is known about her, I found this well organized and informative! An interesting dive into early English history and a woman who made a lasting impact during her time. If you love history, I would definitely recommend it.

Nice listen

This is a very good book but is more of a period history than the story of the queen. It is still worth the listen for it's rich history.

A great book on Aethelflaed, her family and kin, and of England in the 9th and 10th centuries

This is a splendid book on the life on another extraordinary female figure in history. This time, one who lived in the 9th century. Not only does the writer brilliantly retells Aethelflaed's story, but also those of people in her life, and more on  everything revolving on the traditions, conflicts, and governing over England.
I wholeheartedly recommend this title to those interested in learning more about the true history of Aethelflaed, and those like me, who admired her portrayal in Netflix's 'The Last Kingdom' series.

Not a biography

This is not a true biography, spending at most one chapter on its nominal subject. The rest of the book is a history of England at the time of Aethelflaed; a relatively breezy and well written history but with essentially zero personal biographical details.