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The Warrior Queen: The Life and Legend of Aethelflaed, Daughter of Alfred the Great
Æthelflæd, eldest daughter of Alfred the Great, has gone down in history as an enigmatic and almost legendary figure. To the popular imagination, she is the archetypal warrior queen, a Medieval Boudicca, renowned for her heroic struggle against the Danes and her independent rule of the Saxon Kingdom of Mercia. In fiction, however, she has also been cast as the mistreated wife who seeks a Viking lover, and struggles to be accepted as a female ruler in a patriarchal society. The sources from her own time, and later, reveal a more complex, nuanced and fascinating image of the ‘Lady of the Mercians’. A skilled diplomat who forged alliances with neighbouring territories, she was a shrewd and even ruthless leader willing to resort to deception and force to maintain her power. Yet she was also a patron of learning, who used poetic tradition and written history to shape her reputation as a Christian maiden engaged in an epic struggle against the heathen foe. The real Æthelflæd emerges as a remarkable political and military leader, admired in her own time, and a model of female leadership for writers of later generations.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 17, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 30, 2017
Does any nation make less of its extraordinary, heroic founders than England does of Alfred and his children, Edward and Æthelflæd, and his grandson, Æthelstan? Of the dynasty, only Alfred is widely known, and then mostly for burning some cakes. His children, who carried on the struggle against the Viking invaders, and his grandson, who completed the creation of England pretty well within its present-day boundaries, are now all but forgotten.
Thankfully, interest is growing in the children of Alfred, helped by Bernard Cornwell’s series of books on Uhtred (although these do no favours to Alfred), and The Last Kingdom TV series. But the portrayal of Æthelflæd in these works is thoroughly modern: in this excellent attempt to find the real woman in the meagre historical sources, Joanna Arman drills through modern romance to the nuggets of knowledge that lie deep in the historical record. As Arman shows, Æthelflæd must have been an extraordinary woman, for she was freely chosen by her people to lead them through war and terror, and she lead them to the brink of victory. What is also clear is that she was not the sword-wielding warrior queen of modern fantasy, but a woman anchored in her own society and culture; one who, understanding the warrior and spiritual ethos that underlay it, could lead and persuade her people to follow her strategy against the Vikings that had carved out kingdoms in the land. This is proper history: sober and factual, but carrying the deep excitement that must underlay any serious engagement with such an extraordinary subject. The one caveat is that the publisher was sloppy with the editing and proofreading: there are far too many typos in the present edition. I hope that a new edition will correct these, so that The Warrior Queen may become the definitive book on Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians.
Thankfully, interest is growing in the children of Alfred, helped by Bernard Cornwell’s series of books on Uhtred (although these do no favours to Alfred), and The Last Kingdom TV series. But the portrayal of Æthelflæd in these works is thoroughly modern: in this excellent attempt to find the real woman in the meagre historical sources, Joanna Arman drills through modern romance to the nuggets of knowledge that lie deep in the historical record. As Arman shows, Æthelflæd must have been an extraordinary woman, for she was freely chosen by her people to lead them through war and terror, and she lead them to the brink of victory. What is also clear is that she was not the sword-wielding warrior queen of modern fantasy, but a woman anchored in her own society and culture; one who, understanding the warrior and spiritual ethos that underlay it, could lead and persuade her people to follow her strategy against the Vikings that had carved out kingdoms in the land. This is proper history: sober and factual, but carrying the deep excitement that must underlay any serious engagement with such an extraordinary subject. The one caveat is that the publisher was sloppy with the editing and proofreading: there are far too many typos in the present edition. I hope that a new edition will correct these, so that The Warrior Queen may become the definitive book on Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians.
December 10, 2024
3.5/5
Unfortunately there isn’t lots of information about Aethelfaed herself but more about her Father King Alfred and other Kings at the time.
An interesting read though
Unfortunately there isn’t lots of information about Aethelfaed herself but more about her Father King Alfred and other Kings at the time.
An interesting read though
August 2, 2021
Although contemporary records have provided ample materials for examination and study of the life and accomplishments of renowned ninth-century English monarch, warrior, nation-builder, and intellectual Alfred the Great, original sources which would further illuminate the life and person of Æthelflæd, illustrious eldest daughter of Alfred and his wife Ealswith, have yet to be discovered and remain comparatively scarce.
Despite this scarcity of authentic records, serviceable historical portraits of Æthelflæd have been drawn by experts of the recent past, and now present-day British scholar Joanna Arman has made a significant contribution to the existing body of work with The Warrior Queen, a comprehensive account of Æthelflæd’s life and improbable role in the perilous environment of ninth-century England.
Arman constructs her account using the historical, social, and familial structures foundational to Æthelflæd’s unlikely rise to rulership of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, effectively showing how she demonstrated her capabilities as an authoritative yet benevolent ruler and exceptional military commander throughout the eleven years she performed the duties of a king as ‘Lady of the Mercians’. The absence of even a hint of the thinly-disguised feminist ideology or cartoonish notions of over-sexualized warrior goddesses so prevalent today enhance Arman’s sober portrayal of a purposefully-chaste and disciplined lady who lived a thousand years ago.
In my lack of expertise concerning Early Medieval England, I leave these intricacies of history to Arman, and turn to the literary qualities so important to a volume which sets out to prove equally valuable to trained scholars, students, and the more casual history reader. In this area, Arman succeeds brilliantly, combining the clear and rhythmic prose of an accomplished novelist with the confident assurance of an experienced historian and researcher to produce a volume enjoyable as a true story of a real medieval ‘shield maiden’, as a valuable addition to the academic canon available to students of pre-Norman England, or as simply a “good read”.
Fortunately, I purchased The Warrior Queen in the paperback version, thus avoiding the typos and mistakes noted by reviewers of the hardback edition, and removing any reason (other than my aging eyes and need for a larger typeface) to not accord this excellent work any less than Five Stars.
Despite this scarcity of authentic records, serviceable historical portraits of Æthelflæd have been drawn by experts of the recent past, and now present-day British scholar Joanna Arman has made a significant contribution to the existing body of work with The Warrior Queen, a comprehensive account of Æthelflæd’s life and improbable role in the perilous environment of ninth-century England.
Arman constructs her account using the historical, social, and familial structures foundational to Æthelflæd’s unlikely rise to rulership of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, effectively showing how she demonstrated her capabilities as an authoritative yet benevolent ruler and exceptional military commander throughout the eleven years she performed the duties of a king as ‘Lady of the Mercians’. The absence of even a hint of the thinly-disguised feminist ideology or cartoonish notions of over-sexualized warrior goddesses so prevalent today enhance Arman’s sober portrayal of a purposefully-chaste and disciplined lady who lived a thousand years ago.
In my lack of expertise concerning Early Medieval England, I leave these intricacies of history to Arman, and turn to the literary qualities so important to a volume which sets out to prove equally valuable to trained scholars, students, and the more casual history reader. In this area, Arman succeeds brilliantly, combining the clear and rhythmic prose of an accomplished novelist with the confident assurance of an experienced historian and researcher to produce a volume enjoyable as a true story of a real medieval ‘shield maiden’, as a valuable addition to the academic canon available to students of pre-Norman England, or as simply a “good read”.
Fortunately, I purchased The Warrior Queen in the paperback version, thus avoiding the typos and mistakes noted by reviewers of the hardback edition, and removing any reason (other than my aging eyes and need for a larger typeface) to not accord this excellent work any less than Five Stars.
February 12, 2020
On the positive side: the pages turn themselves and it will only take a day and a half or so to read.
On the negative side: it is an appallingly researched book full of errors, historical, scribal and geographical.
This book is 280 pages long, all in. That sounds like quite a lot for Aethelflaed, to whom the primary sources have not been kind. However, when you take out the end notes, glossary, index and bibliography, this comes down to 232 pages. 216 when her place in history is deducted, 206 when Aelfwynn's chapter goes west and when you take out the chapters on Alfred, Aethelwold, Aethelraed, etc, this becomes more like 70 pages – which she shares with Edward the Elder. And even this isn't as generous as it might seem.
Arman uses a lot of Irish annals as sources and these were written much later and contain quite a lot of questionable information, beyond bees and ale. She also makes use of works of fiction, refuting some of the more lively inventions, such as tales of Aethelred's unpleasantness as recounted by Bernard Cornwell and friendship between Aethelflaed and Aethelwold, but this really has no place in a history book. Plus there is a lot of stuff that is speculative at best, such as scouting the idea that she may or may not have received training in weapons, with an account of some other noble women who may (or may not) have led armies. This felt like padding.
The writing style is casual, which can work well, but in places this makes it very hard to take seriously, such as when it comes out with pearls such as 'the Mercians were a proud people'. It doesn't appear as if this book was edited beyond someone clicking spellcheck, as you have deducted instead of deduced (plus a few other examples of this) and 4-5 occasions were a sentence makes no grammatical sense, because it appears as if Arman started saying something, went to make a cup of tea and then came back and concluded the sentence in a way that makes a nonsense of its opening. I don't believe it was given the once over before it was published, as Alfred and Aethelraed campaigning in 992-6 instead of 892-6 would surely have been picked up as a mistype. Alfred must have been great indeed if he was still fighting almost a hundred years after he died.
Here's an incomplete list of errors:
Calls Mercians and Northumbrians Saxons.
Lindisfarne raided in 793 and 'there may have been more before' – yes there was, we know there was. It's in The Chronicle and gets mentioned in most books.
States that Alfred had 4,000 men at Edington and outnumbered Guthrum – I'd like to know how she knows that.
She claims Aethelstan's mother is unknown – she isn't. It was Ecgwynn.
Aethelwold, cousin of Edward the Elder, was the first Christian king of Northumbria 'in nearly a century'. Yikes. If there's one things the Northumbrians weren't short of in the 9th century, it was Christian kings.
Ealswith, married the 'second son of the King of Wessex'. No.
Offa's wife, Cynethryth, holding power during the minority of her son. What minority?
Others:
The idea that the Witan chose the king. I can believe it was necessary for an atheling to gain the acceptance of the political nation, but the way she describes it, she gives a far more active roll to the Witan in king making.
Arman has a very shaky understanding of the Burghal Hidage in relation to the manning of the walls. She doesn't seem to know that it was worked out by poles and this equated to the number of hides that theoretically supported the burh. She sees the Burghal Hidage as listing 'the number of hides they (the towns) contained' and sees the walls of Stafford spanning 1200 metres and being equivalent to the measurement of 960 hides, which I think she believes is the area contained within, although in fairness that section on Stafford is ambiguously worded.
She describes Aethelflaed's conquest of Derby in 917, but doesn't mention the context of Edward the Elder defeating three separate Viking armies that year and him drawing off most of their strength, which arguably made her conquest feasible.
Arman recounts the idea of Paul Hill's that Alfred was either deposed by his nobles or was going to be deposed by his nobles at Chippenham. However, there is no evidence of this. Alfred's position subsequent to Chippenham was that he still had enough support to call out the Fyrds of Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire and parts of Wiltshire, ie everywhere practicable, which seems unlikely if he had been deposed. The ealdormen who did vanish from the witness lists could easily have fallen at Edington, only Wulfhere is labelled as having deserted the king.
There are also some basic errors of geography. Gloucestershire is NOT flanked to the west by Berkshire, it's not even on any flank. Bakewell is NOT south of Nottingham and I'd love to know in which universe Haesten's army in Powys could be said to be 'perilously' close to the Viking army in Exeter.
On the negative side: it is an appallingly researched book full of errors, historical, scribal and geographical.
This book is 280 pages long, all in. That sounds like quite a lot for Aethelflaed, to whom the primary sources have not been kind. However, when you take out the end notes, glossary, index and bibliography, this comes down to 232 pages. 216 when her place in history is deducted, 206 when Aelfwynn's chapter goes west and when you take out the chapters on Alfred, Aethelwold, Aethelraed, etc, this becomes more like 70 pages – which she shares with Edward the Elder. And even this isn't as generous as it might seem.
Arman uses a lot of Irish annals as sources and these were written much later and contain quite a lot of questionable information, beyond bees and ale. She also makes use of works of fiction, refuting some of the more lively inventions, such as tales of Aethelred's unpleasantness as recounted by Bernard Cornwell and friendship between Aethelflaed and Aethelwold, but this really has no place in a history book. Plus there is a lot of stuff that is speculative at best, such as scouting the idea that she may or may not have received training in weapons, with an account of some other noble women who may (or may not) have led armies. This felt like padding.
The writing style is casual, which can work well, but in places this makes it very hard to take seriously, such as when it comes out with pearls such as 'the Mercians were a proud people'. It doesn't appear as if this book was edited beyond someone clicking spellcheck, as you have deducted instead of deduced (plus a few other examples of this) and 4-5 occasions were a sentence makes no grammatical sense, because it appears as if Arman started saying something, went to make a cup of tea and then came back and concluded the sentence in a way that makes a nonsense of its opening. I don't believe it was given the once over before it was published, as Alfred and Aethelraed campaigning in 992-6 instead of 892-6 would surely have been picked up as a mistype. Alfred must have been great indeed if he was still fighting almost a hundred years after he died.
Here's an incomplete list of errors:
Calls Mercians and Northumbrians Saxons.
Lindisfarne raided in 793 and 'there may have been more before' – yes there was, we know there was. It's in The Chronicle and gets mentioned in most books.
States that Alfred had 4,000 men at Edington and outnumbered Guthrum – I'd like to know how she knows that.
She claims Aethelstan's mother is unknown – she isn't. It was Ecgwynn.
Aethelwold, cousin of Edward the Elder, was the first Christian king of Northumbria 'in nearly a century'. Yikes. If there's one things the Northumbrians weren't short of in the 9th century, it was Christian kings.
Ealswith, married the 'second son of the King of Wessex'. No.
Offa's wife, Cynethryth, holding power during the minority of her son. What minority?
Others:
The idea that the Witan chose the king. I can believe it was necessary for an atheling to gain the acceptance of the political nation, but the way she describes it, she gives a far more active roll to the Witan in king making.
Arman has a very shaky understanding of the Burghal Hidage in relation to the manning of the walls. She doesn't seem to know that it was worked out by poles and this equated to the number of hides that theoretically supported the burh. She sees the Burghal Hidage as listing 'the number of hides they (the towns) contained' and sees the walls of Stafford spanning 1200 metres and being equivalent to the measurement of 960 hides, which I think she believes is the area contained within, although in fairness that section on Stafford is ambiguously worded.
She describes Aethelflaed's conquest of Derby in 917, but doesn't mention the context of Edward the Elder defeating three separate Viking armies that year and him drawing off most of their strength, which arguably made her conquest feasible.
Arman recounts the idea of Paul Hill's that Alfred was either deposed by his nobles or was going to be deposed by his nobles at Chippenham. However, there is no evidence of this. Alfred's position subsequent to Chippenham was that he still had enough support to call out the Fyrds of Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire and parts of Wiltshire, ie everywhere practicable, which seems unlikely if he had been deposed. The ealdormen who did vanish from the witness lists could easily have fallen at Edington, only Wulfhere is labelled as having deserted the king.
There are also some basic errors of geography. Gloucestershire is NOT flanked to the west by Berkshire, it's not even on any flank. Bakewell is NOT south of Nottingham and I'd love to know in which universe Haesten's army in Powys could be said to be 'perilously' close to the Viking army in Exeter.
April 20, 2020
Although there are not many facts to work with, Arman has created a very readable and balanced story of Æthelflæd's extraordinary life. Resources on her more famous father, Alfred the Great, are hard to come by themselves, so you can imagine how scarce materials are regarding his daughter -- who, though accomplished, led a much less prominent kingdom than Wessex. Arman does her utmost to glean a story about Æthelflæd's life by reading between the the lines of other sources -- guessing at what her education might have been through comparison with similar subjects, for instance, and consulting other histories and literary works for allusions to her. I was particularly taken with Arman's frequent gentle reminders to readers that there's a great deal believed about the modern period which is misleading, if not downright erroneous. The world was not regarded as flat, and women did not sit at home darning their husband's tights: in the medieval household, regardless of social position, husbands and wives were two oxen at the same plow -- both working together. Æthelflæd's novelty was as ruling as queen in her own right, well after her husband had perished, and training her daughter to succeed her. Arman also notes Æthelflæd's military activity, although she notes three other examples of prominent military females in the medieval period -- and none were Joan of Arc. While this narrative is more about Æthelflæd's times, rather than a detailed account of her life, it has much of interest.
September 14, 2018
Despite being an expert for this time period in Chinese history I know nothing about it for British history. Reading this it hit me how little is known and how few original documents survive. But as someone without a background I found this was a very good book for detailing what was going on in that period, the background and circumstances of Aethelflaed's rule. There was perhaps a bit more about the setting than her, but I think that was probably down to the lack of source material. What there was seemed to be marriage and battle related. But it was still very interesting and I learned a lot.
April 16, 2020
Great book, good overview. Personally I could have done with it being longer, more detail on the lives and times, but as an introduction to Aethelflaed I think this is pretty good.
August 15, 2023
Wow. Really well written argument, with subtle intonations of likelihood opinions and admiration.
July 19, 2017
Full Review to Follow on my blog: https://wheretheresinktherespaper.wor...
June 16, 2024
This should’ve been interesting as the subject matter is something I’ve been keen to learn more about. For the most part the writing is ok, however the lack of flow, slightly odd tone in sections and an embarrassing amount of editorial mistakes detracts from the topic and the author’s more fluid passages.
January 19, 2018
An interesting book somewhat marred by poor editing. Would have liked more on her historical reputation also.
November 25, 2018
Aethelflaed was hugely important even without reading back our own feelings about the place of women in history. She seems to have risen to the challenges before her disregarding her position in society as a woman. She also feels like a real link back through the generations. I found the book readable too, although the editing was disappointing. (I almost wondered if they had published from the wrong 'final' proofs.)
August 6, 2018
Appallingly edited and doesn't event contain a map of anglo-saxon England. Some interesting points but focused almost entirely on Alfred for the first half. More than just set up to introduce Aethelflaed. No doubt there are muh better books out there.
October 28, 2019
The book is 232 pages long and the author only starts writing about Aethelflaed on page 154. The first half of the book is all about Alfred. Even in the second half there is more information about Edward, Aethelred and Aethelstan than Aethelflaed. Really disappointing :(
April 24, 2023
As a history of England between the periods of Alfred the Great and Aethelstan, this book is quite competent, but as a biography of Aethelflaed it leaves something to be desired. Only about 50 pages are exclusively dedicated to the Lady of Mercia, focusing much more on the political activity of her father (Alfred), husband (Aethelred), brother (King Edward), and nephew (King Aethelstan).
Many interesting points are raised, such as the fact that Alfred's wife was never considered a queen (due to bad experiences of previous Saxon queens) and did not get involved much in politics, unlike their daughter who was locally considered the queen of Mercia and even with her husband alive, actively participated in charters and governance.
Well-researched and focusing on many available sources, it also refers to events that are probably legendary, such as the ambush on the way to the wedding. Other sources, such as the Gaelic ones, are somewhat problematic in terms of dates, but the events can be determined and usually make sense with the sources of the Saxons.
Aethelflaed was undoubtedly a respected and feared ruler. When one of her clerics died, she responded brutally against the Celtic kingdoms of Wales, defeating Twedr (Tudor), but diplomatically managed to establish peace afterwards. She also had incredible victories against the Danes, conquering two important towns, recovering relics in special operations, achieving the submission of York, and building with her brother Edward a strategy of building Burhs that was limiting the Danelaw in size and power.
This is a good read, but there is available material on Aethelflaed such as the contents of her charters, or more information about the military engagements, which could have been included making this book an history of this great forgotten ruler, instead of a history of the period between Alfred and Aethelstan.
It includes glossary of terms and names, geneology, maps and pictures of artifacts and statuary.
Many interesting points are raised, such as the fact that Alfred's wife was never considered a queen (due to bad experiences of previous Saxon queens) and did not get involved much in politics, unlike their daughter who was locally considered the queen of Mercia and even with her husband alive, actively participated in charters and governance.
Well-researched and focusing on many available sources, it also refers to events that are probably legendary, such as the ambush on the way to the wedding. Other sources, such as the Gaelic ones, are somewhat problematic in terms of dates, but the events can be determined and usually make sense with the sources of the Saxons.
Aethelflaed was undoubtedly a respected and feared ruler. When one of her clerics died, she responded brutally against the Celtic kingdoms of Wales, defeating Twedr (Tudor), but diplomatically managed to establish peace afterwards. She also had incredible victories against the Danes, conquering two important towns, recovering relics in special operations, achieving the submission of York, and building with her brother Edward a strategy of building Burhs that was limiting the Danelaw in size and power.
This is a good read, but there is available material on Aethelflaed such as the contents of her charters, or more information about the military engagements, which could have been included making this book an history of this great forgotten ruler, instead of a history of the period between Alfred and Aethelstan.
It includes glossary of terms and names, geneology, maps and pictures of artifacts and statuary.
November 11, 2018
I haven’t read or viewed any of the fictional accounts of the life of Æthelflæd so brought no preconceptions other than bare bones from my undergraduate Medieval History course in 1964. Clearly a lot of scholarly work has been undertaken since then!
I really enjoyed the reconstruction of the battles, manoeuvres and strategies of Alfred and the Lords of Wessex and Mercia in managing their territories in the face of Danish and Norse invasions. The map, though small, was of great help. I remember reading the accounts of these events in Bede and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, but this account gave them much more flesh.
It was also remarkably applicable to our own time - the struggle to find land, resources, a living: the battle to hold ( and extend) what you have: how to compromise and share. It supports Tolstoy’s claim that “All great literature is one of two stories; a man [sic] goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town” .
The Warrior Queen took rather a long time to focus on Æthelflæd. I don’t regret this . I valued the context but I’m not sure the title is entirely appropriate. The text is far more nuanced.
There is a lot of speculation and balance of probability in the narrative. I appreciated this in terms of historical argument and allowing the reader to form her own opinion. It does not, however, make for great storytelling. Hopefully it means The Warrior Queen will be used as a source for further novels and television dramas that better reflect the current state of scholarship.
There were still a few typographical errors in my paperback copy but not enough to interfere with my reading. This is not a mass-market read, but it enriched my understanding of Æthelflæd, her times and ours.
I really enjoyed the reconstruction of the battles, manoeuvres and strategies of Alfred and the Lords of Wessex and Mercia in managing their territories in the face of Danish and Norse invasions. The map, though small, was of great help. I remember reading the accounts of these events in Bede and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, but this account gave them much more flesh.
It was also remarkably applicable to our own time - the struggle to find land, resources, a living: the battle to hold ( and extend) what you have: how to compromise and share. It supports Tolstoy’s claim that “All great literature is one of two stories; a man [sic] goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town” .
The Warrior Queen took rather a long time to focus on Æthelflæd. I don’t regret this . I valued the context but I’m not sure the title is entirely appropriate. The text is far more nuanced.
There is a lot of speculation and balance of probability in the narrative. I appreciated this in terms of historical argument and allowing the reader to form her own opinion. It does not, however, make for great storytelling. Hopefully it means The Warrior Queen will be used as a source for further novels and television dramas that better reflect the current state of scholarship.
There were still a few typographical errors in my paperback copy but not enough to interfere with my reading. This is not a mass-market read, but it enriched my understanding of Æthelflæd, her times and ours.
November 21, 2024
The author does a good job of using very little in the way of historical records to create a satisfying biography. Daughter of Alfred the Great, Aethelflaed was the only women to be chosen by the governing council to rule the kingdom of Mercia. During a turbulent period of Viking raids and warring rulers, her focus seemed to be on using diplomacy and deterrence to ensure the safety of her kingdom. When necessary (which was a lot) she showed skill in planning strategy and leading her troops into battle to protect her kingdom. While she is little known today, Aethelflaed achieved fame and respect during her lifetime not just in her own kingdom, but internationally.
Pg 167
"Her actions were not only remarkable but were also remarked upon favorably. Those who wrote about her seemed to have genuinely liked and admired her as a person, whether from personal acquaintance or second-hand knowledge."
Pg 184
"Throughout the Middle Ages, there were examples of women in Europe and beyond who assumed roles of leadership and, according to some chroniclers, even donned armour and fought. Between the 11th and 12th centuries there were several such women, Matilda of Canossa or Matilda of Tuscany (1046-1115), Sichelgaita of Salerno (1040-90), Isabel of Conches (born c. 1070) and reportedly several others."
Pg 167
"Her actions were not only remarkable but were also remarked upon favorably. Those who wrote about her seemed to have genuinely liked and admired her as a person, whether from personal acquaintance or second-hand knowledge."
Pg 184
"Throughout the Middle Ages, there were examples of women in Europe and beyond who assumed roles of leadership and, according to some chroniclers, even donned armour and fought. Between the 11th and 12th centuries there were several such women, Matilda of Canossa or Matilda of Tuscany (1046-1115), Sichelgaita of Salerno (1040-90), Isabel of Conches (born c. 1070) and reportedly several others."
January 31, 2026
It's great to read a book focused on Æthelflæd, daughter of the much better known Alfred the Great, as she seems to have been somewhat neglected by historians. I remember reading Michael Wood's In Search of the Dark Ages as a teenager and being inspired by the exploits of Alfred and Athelstan fighting off the Vikings, uniting the kingdom and learning Latin. I don't remember Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians really featuring.
This book has a very amateurish feel though due to the excessive number of typos. Facts about the Mercian queen's life have been sketchily recorded and it's impossible to understand them without covering the wider context of the Anglo-Saxon fight back against the Vikings. Inevitably a lot of the book is devoted to Alfred and Æthelflæd's brother Edward. I did wonder about her sister though, who was married to the Count of Flanders. The book is silent about how this came about and what the wider European scene was like at the time. Another woman ignored by historians, it seems.
This book has a very amateurish feel though due to the excessive number of typos. Facts about the Mercian queen's life have been sketchily recorded and it's impossible to understand them without covering the wider context of the Anglo-Saxon fight back against the Vikings. Inevitably a lot of the book is devoted to Alfred and Æthelflæd's brother Edward. I did wonder about her sister though, who was married to the Count of Flanders. The book is silent about how this came about and what the wider European scene was like at the time. Another woman ignored by historians, it seems.
July 18, 2020
A potential good read let down by poor execution.
This is book appears not to have been edited, proofread or sense checked. There are so many errors that should have been picked up if properly looked at.
I started reading this, then as these errors came to light, I thought 'no I'll stick it through because I want to find out more about this character.....' till I got to Chapter 5 - then I gave up.
I'm no historian, I'm not a book critic - I am, however, a Quality Assurance Officer in the Pharmaceutical Industry, where document checking is a big thing and I have an interest in Anglo-Saxon history and texts, so these errors jump out.
It's a shame as the author writing style is quite light and easy and I reckon with a bit of tidying up, proper referencing, both of what the source is and which bit of text the source relates to, word and sense checking and possibly technical checks, this could be a good introduction to Aethelflaed.
This is book appears not to have been edited, proofread or sense checked. There are so many errors that should have been picked up if properly looked at.
I started reading this, then as these errors came to light, I thought 'no I'll stick it through because I want to find out more about this character.....' till I got to Chapter 5 - then I gave up.
I'm no historian, I'm not a book critic - I am, however, a Quality Assurance Officer in the Pharmaceutical Industry, where document checking is a big thing and I have an interest in Anglo-Saxon history and texts, so these errors jump out.
It's a shame as the author writing style is quite light and easy and I reckon with a bit of tidying up, proper referencing, both of what the source is and which bit of text the source relates to, word and sense checking and possibly technical checks, this could be a good introduction to Aethelflaed.
December 23, 2021
Aethelflaed of Mercia is a tough subject for biography: one of the key players in the unification of Anglo-Saxon England, a leader remarkable enough that her kingdom's witan chose her to succeed her husband, and yet little reliable information survives about her. Arman does a solid job of extrapolating from the facts, mediating between conflicting versions of events in contemporaneous chronicles, and throwing occasional shade at modern novelists who let their imaginations run a bit too wild when casting the Lady of Mercia as their hero.
What the author fails to do is create a lively and engaging picture of Aehelflaed's life and times. Additionally there are issues with the editing - multiple misspellings (e.g. "and" instead of "an") and paste errors that would have been caught by a grammar checker or middling proof reader.
All said though, I do recommend this as a reference book.
[Note this review is based on the paperback edition]
What the author fails to do is create a lively and engaging picture of Aehelflaed's life and times. Additionally there are issues with the editing - multiple misspellings (e.g. "and" instead of "an") and paste errors that would have been caught by a grammar checker or middling proof reader.
All said though, I do recommend this as a reference book.
[Note this review is based on the paperback edition]
March 13, 2020
Disappointing execution of a fascinating subject. Needed a clearer/better map of England/Wessex/Mercia to make it easier to follow, and the editing was sloppy ("brought" was rendered "bought" nearly every single time) and though Arman critiques some of the fanciful narratives of Aethelflaed's life, she has largely her own speculation to go on, which results in language like "Aethelflaed may have been exposed to X, Y, and Z." As a lawyer, I appreciate the accuracy of the statements, but it can come across as weak, and left me wondering why I was reading this book if the author didn't have any new insights to share.
I read this book as a part of my project to read one book from every aisle in Olin Library. You can read more about the project, find reactions to other books, and (eventually) a fuller reaction to this one here: https://jacobklehman.com/library-read
I read this book as a part of my project to read one book from every aisle in Olin Library. You can read more about the project, find reactions to other books, and (eventually) a fuller reaction to this one here: https://jacobklehman.com/library-read
January 15, 2018
Very interesting work about Æthelflæd, daughter of Alfred the Great, who ruled over Mercia first with her husband Aethelred and then, for the last 8 years of her life, in her own name.
This historical figure remains quite unknown today but offers a very compelling exemple of powerful woman figure in the medieval age.
In a time of turmoil, she aptly restored the defenses of her kingdom and expanded its borders by a mix of ruthless pragmatism and shrewd personal diplomacy.
The book is very well written and easy of access for those who would not be so familiar with the era. Far from offering a romanticized version of Æthelflæd, Joanna Arman simply lays out the facts as we know them today and the possibilities which can be infered from them.
This historical figure remains quite unknown today but offers a very compelling exemple of powerful woman figure in the medieval age.
In a time of turmoil, she aptly restored the defenses of her kingdom and expanded its borders by a mix of ruthless pragmatism and shrewd personal diplomacy.
The book is very well written and easy of access for those who would not be so familiar with the era. Far from offering a romanticized version of Æthelflæd, Joanna Arman simply lays out the facts as we know them today and the possibilities which can be infered from them.
March 15, 2020
Arman does a good job to produce a full book given the scarcity of sources on Aethelflaed, but it does mean that the first half is largely the events of her father Alfred's rule, with occasional speculation that Aethelflaed might have been around. An interesting historical figure, and era, but an awful lot of work being done by the word "probably".
The author did her MA on Aethelflaed, and the style has a slight feel of the student essay (perhaps her MA thesis formed the basis of the book), without quite the precision and formality of a textbook or the narrative flow of a popular history. It will be interesting to see if she produces any more books and how her style matures, because this was still an enjoyable read. (Could also have done with a better proof read from the publishers)
The author did her MA on Aethelflaed, and the style has a slight feel of the student essay (perhaps her MA thesis formed the basis of the book), without quite the precision and formality of a textbook or the narrative flow of a popular history. It will be interesting to see if she produces any more books and how her style matures, because this was still an enjoyable read. (Could also have done with a better proof read from the publishers)
January 4, 2023
Very interesting read!
+ Good to read a book about a woman who has almost been lost to the mists of time. The author speaks confidently and in a well-informed tone. There is glimpses of personality although the book as a whole reads very academically. There are some interesting theories, parallels and comparisons drawn, especially with relation to Judith.
- Fascinating subject as Æthelflæd is, it felt like some of the book was filler about better-documented contemporary men due to the lack of information we have available to cover this incredible woman's life. I wouldn't have minded a shorter book that delved into more theories around her life & the acts that we have definitively recorded.
+ Good to read a book about a woman who has almost been lost to the mists of time. The author speaks confidently and in a well-informed tone. There is glimpses of personality although the book as a whole reads very academically. There are some interesting theories, parallels and comparisons drawn, especially with relation to Judith.
- Fascinating subject as Æthelflæd is, it felt like some of the book was filler about better-documented contemporary men due to the lack of information we have available to cover this incredible woman's life. I wouldn't have minded a shorter book that delved into more theories around her life & the acts that we have definitively recorded.
August 21, 2024
An interesting topic about a Lady of the Mercians that I know little about. The book gives a fascinating insight into the emerging England of the 9th to 10th Centuries.
What let the book down for me was the proof reading especially around dates which on occasions didn’t make sense. It was full of perhaps & maybes which didn’t add up for me.
I know there’s little direct information about Aethelflaed but more could be made of that using social history, archaeology and about how much of her or her relatives blood line is still around today.
What let the book down for me was the proof reading especially around dates which on occasions didn’t make sense. It was full of perhaps & maybes which didn’t add up for me.
I know there’s little direct information about Aethelflaed but more could be made of that using social history, archaeology and about how much of her or her relatives blood line is still around today.
December 1, 2018
Nice to have a modern life of Aethelflaed and a bibliography. I do have a couple of concerns, however. It seems to me there’s a lot of circumstantial evidence, which feels rather like padding; there’s also a certain amount of repetition, which shouldn’t be necessary. My other concern is that all of the ‘primary’ sources are listed in translation. If Joanna Arman wrote this using translated primary sources, that to my mind, compromises the authority of the book.
January 10, 2020
Interesting
I chose this rating because there is a lot of supposition. A lot of perhaps and surely this or that. I understand that the author is a historian and bases these on what she has learned in her researched. But there are a lot of book's cited and perhaps they would have been better used ad footnotes. Also, as a fan of Bernard Cornwell I really didn't like her sneery references. He's quite open about admittedly what's history and what he's fictionalized.
I chose this rating because there is a lot of supposition. A lot of perhaps and surely this or that. I understand that the author is a historian and bases these on what she has learned in her researched. But there are a lot of book's cited and perhaps they would have been better used ad footnotes. Also, as a fan of Bernard Cornwell I really didn't like her sneery references. He's quite open about admittedly what's history and what he's fictionalized.
June 2, 2020
This was a thoroughly good read. The author provides a creditable account of Aethelflaed's life considering the lack of sources. Inevitably there are numerous occasions where speculation takes over and sources concerning Aethelflaed's father Alfred the Great are used in attempts to form a complete picture.
April 25, 2022
Æthelflæd is one of the most underrated historical figures ever. Her lordship of Mercia in her own right was completely unprecedented and speaks of a woman who was loved and respected by her contemporaries. I just wish she had lived longer! This short book was brilliant.
August 4, 2019
3.5 stars
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