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Author Archives: Patricia

Æthelred the King

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Patricia

On 23 April 1016, Æthelred, king of England, died in London. He was about 50 years old, and he’d ruled England for 38 years. At his death he’d not yet been given the byname, Unræd, (ill-counseled, a play on the … Read More →

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THE LIFE OF EDMUND IRONSIDE at The Road to Hastings Website

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Patricia

Novelist Paula Lofting very kindly asked me to write something recently for The Writers of Anglo-Saxon Literature series on her Road to Hastings Website, and I posted a brief bio there of Edmund Ironside. That’s Edmund up there on the … Read More →

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The Brief Reign of King Harold I of England

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Patricia

The first king of England to be named Harold (there would be a second Harold, whose reign was even more brief but who is far more famous) died on March 17, 1040 at the age of about 25. His by-name, … Read More →

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Emma of Normandy: A Life

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Patricia

Emma of Normandy, Dowager Queen of England, died on 6 March, 1052, in Winchester. She was only the second woman to be crowned queen of all England, and the only woman ever to be crowned queen of England twice. For … Read More →

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Queen Emma and St. Valentine

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Patricia

Despite the painting above of King Cnut wooing Emma of Normandy, this is not a love story. But it IS about Queen Emma and St. Valentine. Emma of Normandy, Queen of England, was long remembered as a generous patron by … Read More →

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The Death of Swein Forkbeard

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Patricia

Candlemas, February 2 On this day in 1014 Swein Forkbeard died; although it might actually have been in the early hours of Feb. 3. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written a decade after Swein’s death reported, confusingly: Swein ended his days on … Read More →

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THE LAST KINGDOM 3, Episode 10

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Patricia

Woe to thee, O land, when they king is a youth…Ecclesiastes 10:16 In Episode 10 of THE LAST KINGDOM Æthelwold’s argument against the naming of the ætheling Edward as the successor to King Alfred is that Edward is too young … Read More →

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THE LAST KINGDOM 3, Episode 9

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Patricia

“To Uhtred, the true lord of Bebbanburg; a man I have never understood but without whom I would not die a king.” King Alfred in THE LAST KINGDOM. THE LAST KINGDOM is a tv drama based on a series of … Read More →

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THE LAST KINGDOM 3, Episode 8

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Patricia

BEWARE SPOILERS! “I cannot resist Skade,” Uhtred’s voice intones during the teaser at the opening of Episode 8. “She has invaded my heart and my mind.” Surely I am not the only one who, upon hearing this, sat up abruptly … Read More →

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THE LAST KINGDOM 3, Episode 7

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Patricia

It’s interesting to consider the women in this episode—Æthelflaed the Lady of Mercia; Brida the Danish war leader; Ælswith the wife of the Wessex king; and Skade the sorceress—because all of them act with agency. Not Edward’s betrothed, alas. She … Read More →

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