Northman Part 1 The Earls Of Mercia Book 3

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?

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.

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, bitter pitched battles and treasonous plotting. 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? Covering the year 1007-1013, Northman is the third part of the Earls of Mercia Series. The books can be read either as part of the sequence, or as standalone novels.

This book constitutes a major reappraisal of the late Anglo-Saxon state on the eve of its demise. Its principal focus is the family of Ealdorman Leofwine, which obtained power in Mercia and retained it throughout an extraordinary period of political upheaval between 994 and 1071. In doing so it explores a paradox: that earls were extraordinarily wealthy and powerful yet distinctly insecure. The book contains the first extended treatment of earls' powers in late Anglo-Saxon England and shows that although they wielded considerable military, administrative and political powers, they remained vulnerable to exile and other forms of political punishment including loss of territory. The book also offers a path-breaking analysis of land tenure and the mechanics of royal patronage, and argues that the majority of earls' estates were held from the king on a revocable basis for the duration of their period in office. In order to compensate for such insecurities, earls used lordship and religious patronage to construct local networks of power. The book uses innovative methods for interpreting the representation of lordship in Domesday Book to reconstruct the affinity of the earls of Mercia. It also examines how the house of Leofwine made strategic use of religious patronage to cement local power structures. All this created intense competition between the earls of Mercia and their rivals for power, both at court and in the localities, and the book explores how factional rivalry determined the course of politics, and ultimately the fate of the late Anglo-Saxon state.

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.

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. Northman, son of Leofwine, and foster son of Eadric, Ealdorman of Mercia must once more tread carefully as he tries to navigate the twists and turns of the conflicted Witan, and the men who believe that they should rule England, Aethelred the usurped King, Cnut the son of Swein and the sons of Aethelred, Athelstan, Edmund and his younger sons, Edward and Alfred from his second wife. As external enemies try to exploit internal divisions, a disunited England becomes a real possibility and one that Leofwine, Northman and Leofric must combat at all odds. Covering the year 1013-1017, Northman Part 2 is the fourth part of the Earls of Mercia Series and can best be appreciated after reading Northman Part 1 (although not necessarily Ealdorman and Ealdormen if you're a little impatient). It continues the story of Leofwine, Ealdorman of the Hwicce, Northman, his eldest son and Leofwine's second son, Leofric.

Part 5 in the epic Earls of Mercia series 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. Leofric, left reeling by the murder of his older brother and with an aging father, and dying mother, turns his own thoughts to how he can uphold his family's position against the sudden and magnificent rise of the family of Godwin, the newly promoted Earl of Wessex, one of the men involved in the death of his brother. As much as he feels ambivalent towards the new king, he knows his family's position needs to grow or risk losing even more. His father has sacrificed too much to allow a usurper to claim the position at the Witan that is rightfully his. With Cnut's view increasingly focused on conquering and ruling the Scandinavian lands, with dangerous arguments between the Scandinavian men threatening the stability of the Crown, can the House of Leofwine survive the kingship of the new Danish king and keep its place at the heart of early eleventh century politics, whether they want it or not?