Earls of Mercia Series

Book 1

Leofwine, Ealdorman of the Hwicce, has proved himself in battle and won the support of his King, Aethelred II, but the spectre of Swein of Denmark, the man who partially blinded him five years before, has suddenly become a harrowing reality. As the Viking raids intensify, conflict at the King's Witan and amongst his Councillors grows and Leofwine finds himself still treading a difficult path between loyalty and the twisted self-interests of the men the King surrounds himself with. Can Leofwine weather more storms and grow his own power base, or will his King, once and for all, lose patience with his broken Ealdorman?

Book 2

The Danish King's Enemy

by M J Porter

Published 26 July 2019

Book 3

Northman Part 1

by M J Porter

Published 19 July 2014

Northman, eldest son of Ealdorman Leofwine, fostered, at the King's insistence, by Eadric of Mercia, finds himself caught between loyalty to his father and his foster father.
Fighting for his own sense of self, whilst Viking raiders vie for the English King's land, he must chose his own path, and hold true to his own belief's amongst murky Court politics and bitter pitched battles.
Leofwine, Ealdorman of the Hwicce, must accept his King's wishes with regards to his eldest son, even though he finds them abhorrent. Simultaneously he must continue to act in the best interests of his King as the English people face their direst threat yet, the raiding of Thorkell the Tall, the King of Denmark's own Commander, trusted friend and foster-father of his son, Cnut.

And when events become even more dire, will father and son act as one, or will they be torn apart by the machinations of the man who plots to undermine every action the King takes, Ealdorman Eadric?

Book 4

Northman Part 2

by M J Porter

Published 13 December 2014

Northman, eldest son of Ealdorman Leofwine, husband, father and brother almost snatched a moment of peace when King Swein of Denmark helped himself to the English throne, and Aethelred removed himself to the Court of Duke Richard II of Normandy, his brother by marriage.
But when Swein unexpectedly dies weeks after his coronation, England is once more plunged into strife and war, for who will succeed to the throne now?
Leofwine, ex-enemy and sometime friend of Swein of Denmark, is given an unenviable task on the short-lived King's deathbed, one he will struggle to accomplish without compromising himself, his family, and oaths already given.

Book 5

The King's Earl

by M J Porter

Published 25 September 2015

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.

Book 6

The Earl of Mercia

by M J Porter

Published 29 August 2016

Book 7

The English Earl

by M J Porter

Published 25 July 2018

Book 8

The Earl's King

by M J Porter

Published 3 February 2019

Book 9

Viking King

by M J Porter

Published 23 December 2019

Book 10

Wulfstan - An Anglo Saxon Thegn

by M J Porter

Published 4 April 2015

Wulfstan, the Ealdorman of the Hwicce's most trusted advisor, mentor and friend, has a few secrets of his own to tell in this side story to the epic Earls of Mercia Series. Returning to the beginning of the reign of King Aethelred II, the child-king who must spend his early years over coming the petty feuds that threaten to rip the Kingdom of England apart, Wulfstan is a companion novella to the Earls of Mercia series best read after Northman Part 1.

Book 10