- 241 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England
About this book
The little-known lives of women who ruled, schemed, and made peace and war, between the seventh and eleventh centuries: "Meticulously researched." āCatherine Hanley, author of
Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior
Many Anglo-Saxon kings are familiar. Ćthelred the Unready is oneābut less is written about his wife, who was consort of two kings and championed one of her sons over the others, or about his mother, who was an anointed queen and powerful regent, but was also accused of witchcraft and regicide.
A royal abbess educated five bishops and was instrumental in deciding the date of Easter; another took on the might of Canterbury and Rome and was accused by the monks of fratricide. Royal mothers wielded power: Eadgifu, wife of Edward the Elder, maintained a position of authority during the reigns of both her sons. Ćthelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, was a queen in all but name, while few have heard of Queen Seaxburh, who ruled Wessex, or Queen Cynethryth, who issued her own coinage. She, too, was accused of murder, and was also, like many of the royal women, literate and highly educated.
Ranging from seventh-century Northumbria to eleventh-century Wessex and making extensive use of primary sources, Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England examines the lives of individual women in a way that has often been done for the Anglo-Saxon men but not for their wives, sisters, mothers, and daughters.
Many Anglo-Saxon kings are familiar. Ćthelred the Unready is oneābut less is written about his wife, who was consort of two kings and championed one of her sons over the others, or about his mother, who was an anointed queen and powerful regent, but was also accused of witchcraft and regicide.
A royal abbess educated five bishops and was instrumental in deciding the date of Easter; another took on the might of Canterbury and Rome and was accused by the monks of fratricide. Royal mothers wielded power: Eadgifu, wife of Edward the Elder, maintained a position of authority during the reigns of both her sons. Ćthelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, was a queen in all but name, while few have heard of Queen Seaxburh, who ruled Wessex, or Queen Cynethryth, who issued her own coinage. She, too, was accused of murder, and was also, like many of the royal women, literate and highly educated.
Ranging from seventh-century Northumbria to eleventh-century Wessex and making extensive use of primary sources, Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England examines the lives of individual women in a way that has often been done for the Anglo-Saxon men but not for their wives, sisters, mothers, and daughters.
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Yes, you can access Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England by Annie Whitehead in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Historical Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Pioneers: Abbesses and Peace-weavers in Northumbria
- Part II The Saintly Royal Family of Kent
- Part III Murder in Mercia and Powerful Royal Daughters
- Part IV Serial Monogamy: Wessex Wives and Whores?
- Part V Dowager Queens and Mothers-in-Law: Wessex in the Eleventh Century
- Part VI On Foreign Soil: Travel, Widowhood and Living in Shadow
- Appendix The Saintsā Cults
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Plates section