#martesdeturra #LadyGodiva #Mercia #chocolate #Collier #Leyendas #England

Mercia | A Slice of Medieval #87 Historian, Sharon Bennett Connolly and historical author, Derek Birks are joined by author, historian and archaeologist, Max Adams, to discuss the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Mercia. Music by A

We have a real treat in our fabulous new episode of A Slice of Medieval. @derekbirks.bsky.social and I chat with Max Adams on the Kingdom of Mercia. I learned an awful lot!
@penandswordbooks.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social
#Mercia #podcast
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Archaeology Students Unearth an Early Medieval Burial Pit During a Training Dig in England Likely related to clashes between the kingdoms of Mercia and East Anglia, the site included the remains of a 6-foot-5 man who had undergone brain surgery

Archaeology Students Unearth an Early Medieval Burial Pit During a Training Dig in England: Likely related to clashes between the kingdoms of Mercia and East Anglia, the site included the remains of a 6-foot-5 man who had… @SmithsonianMag #Archaeology #MedievalHistory #BurialPit #TrainingDig #Mercia

Here’s the blurb for 757 This is Mercia. The year is 757.  A king will fall. A king will rise.  But first, civil war will rage. King Æthelbald’s forty-year vice-like rule over Mercia has been rigid. But he lacks a legitimate heir despite his insatiable bedchamber antics. Offa must stand hostage to his family’s good behaviour, when his father missteps in removing his mother from Æthelbald’s bed. Shockingly, his younger sister now replaces her. But the king isn’t finished with his denigration of Offa’s noble House. When his parents are traitorously killed, Offa’s resentment grows, compounded by the ridicule heaped on him by King Æthelbald’s oathsworn warriors. With the king’s health deteriorating, the matter of the succession becomes paramount. There are plenty who share a claim to the kingship. Discord threatens to fracture the mighty realm, and those with sword and shield, seax and spear are prepared to risk it all to be the future king of Mercia. books2read.com/757 The background to the House of Mercia – AKA what happens after the Gods and Kings trilogy If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know I’ve written about Mercia in many of the centuries of its existence. Until now, I haven’t ventured into the eighth century and many of you might not have read the Gods and Kings Trilogy (there is still time to get it read before House of Mercia hits the shelves), and even if you have, there’s a century between the final events of Warrior King (655) and the beginning of 757, the first book in The House of Mercia series. So, I thought it was time to add some flavour to this century. The Gods and Kings trilogy follows a collection of mighty warrior kings in Saxon England from the 620s to the 650s, as the ‘larger’ Saxon kingdoms were forming – (Northumbria from Bernicia and Deira) (Mercia from the heartland of Mercia centred around the area of the Tomsæte (yep, they get a mention in the Dark Age Chronicles) to include the kingdoms of the Hwicce, the Magonsæte, Lindsey and Elmet). Of these, it’s the brother kings Eowa and Penda that most concern us, as they were both kings of Mercia, claiming descent through Pybba (and it’s this genealogy that leads us back to Wærmund (from the Dark Age Chronicles), and even mentions an Icel (do you see what I did there?) Whatever the exact relationship between the two brothers (as explored in the Gods and Kings trilogy), they ruled one after another, Eowa falling at the battle of Maserfeld in 642, against the Northumbrians and Penda outliving him to rule until his death in 655. (There’s also another shadowy brother, possibly sharing a father but not a mother, Cuthwalh, who is important. He was never a king of Mercia, but his existence (if he existed) is very relevant to events in the eighth and indeed, ninth century.) Eowa had children when he died. Penda also had children. As the brother who ruled second, the kingdom of Mercia was bequeathed to Penda’s children, first Pæda (his son, who didn’t rule for very long), then Wulfhere (Penda’s son 658-675), Æthelred (Penda’s son, who abdicated in 704 and died in 716), Ceonred (Wulfhere’s son, who ruled from 704-709 and abdicated to travel to Rome), Ceolred (Æthelred’s son, from 709-716) and then Coelwald, who briefly succeeds and is assumed to be another son of Æthelred, until the line passes to that descended from Eowa, through his son or daughter (I think in the Gods and Kings trilogy I’ve made Alweo a daughter), Alweo, in the figure of Æthelbald, while Offa’s line descended through the other brother, Osmod. (Looking at this, I can’t help thinking that a little less religious fervour might have been to the advantage of the ruling line of Mercia – but of course, this was the time of conversion – Wulfhere is said to have been the first Christian king of Mercia (although Pæda also converted, but sadly, met a sticky end). The relationship between Mercia and Northumbria at the time was, I think ‘messy.’  So, that all seems quite complicated. At this time, Mercia was very often in conflict with the kingdom of Northumbria, and indeed, a number of assassinations occur. Pæda is killed by his wife (a Northumbrian). A daughter of Penda also marries one of Oswiu’s sons, Alhfrith. The Northumbrian king, Oswiu (the cheek of it), then briefly rules Mercia, until he’s driven from Mercia by Wulfhere (Penda’s son), who then becomes king. Wulfhere endeavoured to defeat the Northumbrians, then being ruled by Ecgfrith (half-brother of Alhfrith), the son of Oswiu, but failed, whereas Wulfhere’s brother, Æthelred, was later successful. These two battles fascinate me, and if you’ve read my short story, A Father’s Son, which you can download here and join my mailing list) it’s the very beginning of a project where I hoped to tell the story of these two battles, the one where Northumbria is triumphant, the other where Mercia sets the record straight, but I’ve never quite found the time.  This succinct account then brings us to Æthelbald, an old man by the time The House of Mercia takes place, but one who evidently ruled well throughout his 41 years – quite an astonishing feat at the time. It’s believed he lived for some time in exile before becoming king, perhaps in the kingdom of the East Angles, when her king, Ælfwald, ruled. It seems evident, therefore, that there was some discord in Mercia at the time between the potential ruling houses. While Eowa’s son hadn’t endeavoured to claim the kingship of Mercia (I think he died, but maybe that was what I had happen in the Gods and Kings trilogy), his descendants were more ambitious. So, this brings us to the events of 757, the first book in the House of Mercia series. What comes next will form the narrative. The Repton Stone at Derby Museum, believed to be a depiction of King Æthelbald riding a horse (please note, the museum was being renovated when I visited. It’s not usually displayed like this). Posts Stay up to date with the latest from the blog. The Danish King’s Enemy has a fab, new cover historical fiction I’m delighted to welcome A.M.Swink and her new book, Gradarius, to the blog with a fab excerpt #romanequestrian #romanequestrianseries #gradarius #ancienthistoricalfiction #romanfiction #equestrianfiction #boudicca Blog Tour · Coffee Pot Book Club · historical fiction · New Release · Roman Fiction · Romance I’m sharing my review for A Body in the Banjo by Elaine Spires, a historical mystery set in Dagenham #blogtour #bookreview book review · Cozy Mystery · Crime Fiction · historical fiction · murder mystery · Mystery I’m delighted to welcome Lady Harriet (Harriet Taggart) and Dr. Peter Stephenson and their book, The Witch of Godstow Abbey, to the blog #TheWitchOfGodstowAbbey #HistoricalMystery #MurderMystery #theladyandthedoc #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub Blog Tour · Coffee Pot Book Club · Historical Mystery · murder mystery

Introducing 757, the first book in the brand new series, The House of Mercia #fiction #nonfiction #Mercia

A section of Offa’s Dyke near Churchtown in Shropshire. The linear earthwork roughly follows the English/Welsh boundary, and was constructed on the orders of King Offa of Mercia in the 780s. 📸 My own. #SaxonSunday #OffasDyke #Mercia #Shropshire

#America has proven that it is smarter and stronger than #Mercia. Blue beats orange.

I'm thrilled to share my review of

🛡️Shield of Mercia by MJ Porter!🛡️

If you enjoy riveting medieval intrigues, feuds, and Viking attacks, it's well worth checking out!

ruinsandreading.blogspot.com/2025/10/revi...
#HistoricalFiction #Mercia #RecommendedReading
@mjporterauthor.bsky.social

#TheLastHorse is 5 years old, and for one day only, it’s FREE on Amazon Kindle. #bookbirthday #histfic #TheLastKing #Coelwulf #Mercia (the less sweary version) Limited hardback editions There are also special edition hardback formats available directly from me for The Last King and The Last Warrior. Follow this link to discover them. Check out all the details for The Mercian Kingdom: The Ninth Century. Posts

#TheLastHorse is 5 years old, and for one day only, it’s FREE on Amazon Kindle. #bookbirthday #histfic #TheLastKing #Coelwulf #Mercia

(the less sweary version) Limited hardback editions There are also special edition hardback formats available directly from me for The Last King and The Last…

The Lady of Mercia’s Daughter turns 8 years old #bookbirthday #Mercia Another book birthday I feel like these are coming thick and fast this year, but then I suppose I've written a lot of books. To celebrate The Lady of Mercia's Daughter turning 8, yes 8, today, I thought I'd share why I wrote about Lady Ælfwynn, and not her more famous mother, Lady Æthelflæd. My first historical fiction story (that of Ealdorman Leofwine) was inspired by the fact that I realised he'd been almost written out of the history of the period.

The Lady of Mercia’s Daughter turns 8 years old #bookbirthday #Mercia

Another book birthday I feel like these are coming thick and fast this year, but then I suppose I've written a lot of books. To celebrate The Lady of Mercia's Daughter turning 8, yes 8, today, I thought I'd share why I wrote…

5 Aug 642: St Oswald king of #Northumbria dies in battle against Penda of #Mercia #otd (Robin Widdison)

5 August 910: An allied army from #Mercia and #Wessex, led by King Edward the Elder and Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians, defeated an invading Danish army at the Battle of Tettenhall. This would be the last major Danish invasion for almost a century. #History

5 August 642: Penda of #Mercia defeated and killed Oswald of Northumbria at the Battle of Maserfield. #History

Wishing you and your kin a blessed Lammas oh and thanks for your brilliant talk at St Editha’s #inspiring #mercia

#TheLastWarrior is 5 years old, and for one day only, it’s FREE on Amazon Kindle. #bookbirthday #histfic #TheLastKing #Coelwulf #Mercia If you've been with Coelwulf, Rudolf, Icel, Edmund and Pybba since the beginning, then you're probably with me in trying to work out how five years have gone by since the release of The Last Warrior, which from memory has a bit of a shocking ending (but no other spoilers here). There are now ten books in all, as well as a short story collection, Coelwulf's Company, and the prequel series featuring a young Icel, the…

#TheLastWarrior is 5 years old, and for one day only, it's FREE on Amazon Kindle. #bookbirthday #histfic #TheLastKing #Coelwulf #Mercia

👑 On this day in 918 CE: Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, dies. 

➡️ Read more about Aethelflaed here: www.worldhistory.org/Aethelflaed,_Lady_of_the...

📷 Photo by Elliot Brown. 

#Æthelflæd #Aethelflaed #Mercia #England #EnglishHistory #Vikings #HistoricalWomen #OnThisDay

Æthelflæd: The Warrior Queen of Mercia - Seven Swords Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, was one of the most formidable leaders of early medieval England. As the

Æthelflæd: The Warrior Queen of Mercia - #mercia #medieval #anglosaxon #history

20 May 794: d. St King Æthelberht II of East Anglia at Sutton Walls, Herefordshire #otd (PHGCOM from BM) at the instigation of Offa of #Mercia

Which is why we should #AbolishEngland and replace it with #Wessex #Anglia #Cantia #Mercia & #Northumbria, to compliment #Scotland #Wales & #NorthernIreland
( #AbolishTheLords and replace it too! )

#AbolishEngland and replace it with #Northumbria #Mercia #Anglia #Cantia & #Wessex to compliment #Scotland #Wales and #NorthernIreland in a #FederalUK
(2nd chamber with Reps from each member state of the #UnitedKingdom)

Æthelflæd 870 – 918, daughter of #AlfredtheGreat, ruled as Lady of the #Mercians in the English Midlands from 911 until her death in 918. Her accession as a sole female ruler in #Mercia is described as one of the most unique events in early #medieval history.

I can’t be alone in really liking the roof of the Garrick Theatre in Lichfield. Reminds me of some of the cool stuff you see in the Netherlands and Belgium. #Architecture #Photography #Mercia

All I can think of with that ridiculous suit comment from the other day.

#mercia

A section of Offa’s Dyke near Churchtown in Shropshire. The linear earthwork roughly follows the English/Welsh boundary, and was constructed on the orders of King Offa of Mercia in the 780s. #SaxonSunday #Mercia #Shropshire #OffasDyke

The site of a Anglo-Saxon Saint Wigstan, burial site of the kings of Mercia Æthelbald & Wiglaf. The holy sanctity of St Wystan’s church 8th-century crypt. #anglosaxon #saxon #mercia

In the #Fens of #Cambridgeshire at #Ely , there has been a recorded settlement, monastic, here since the 670s CE / AD, when #Mercia and #EastAnglia were still kingdoms and #England had not been formed #history