annieb123's Review of The Royal Women Who Made England

by M J Porter

Throughout the tenth century, England, as it would be recognised today, formed. No longer many Saxon kingdoms, but rather, just England. Yet, this development masks much in the century in which the Viking raiders were seemingly driven from England's shores by Alfred, his children and grandchildren, only to return during the reign of his great, great-grandson, the much-maligned AEthelred II.

Not one but two kings would be murdered, others would die at a young age, and a child would be named king on four occasions. Two kings would never marry, and a third would be forcefully divorced from his wife. Yet, the development towards 'England' did not stop. At no point did it truly fracture back into its constituent parts. Who then ensured this stability? To whom did the witan turn when kings died, and children were raised to the kingship?

The royal woman of the House of Wessex came into prominence during the century, perhaps the most well-known being AEthelflaed, daughter of King Alfred. Perhaps the most maligned being AElfthryth (Elfrida), accused of murdering her stepson to clear the path to the kingdom for her son, AEthelred II, but there were many more women, rich and powerful in their own right, where their names and landholdings can be traced in the scant historical record.

Using contemporary source material, The Royal Women Who Made England can be plucked from the obscurity that has seen their names and deeds lost, even within a generation of their own lives.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Royal Women Who Made England is a well written, accessible, and nicely notated monograph on the 10th century Saxon England by MJ Porter. Due out 30th Jan 2024 from Pen & Sword on their History imprint, it's 216 pages and will be available in hardcover format. Unclear from publisher's info, but most Pen & Sword titles are also available in electronic format, so it will presumably also be available as an ebook.

The author is a prolific writer of historical fiction of the period, as well as other periods in English and European history. This is a nonfiction selection and although it's perfectly readable and "everyday language" accessible, it's also well annotated and factual. The chapter notes are worth the price of the book and will provide many hours of extra reading. The author has also included a number of appendices including family trees, charters, and a number of facsimiles and photos of relevant geographical points of interest, castles, statues, and illuminated manuscript pages. It added quite a lot of interest to see some of the places that they lived and the castles (and coins).

The fact that the focus of the book was on the women of the times was also an interesting and welcome choice on the part of the author. Almost all of the extant contemporary sources are centered around the male power players, so to get background info on the wives, daughters, queens, and princesses was excellent.

Four and a half stars. Accessible and very interesting.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

28 January, 2024: Started reading

28 January, 2024: Finished reading

28 January, 2024: Reviewed