Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England
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Many Anglo-Saxon kings are familiar. Æthelred the Unready is one, yet less is written of his wife, who was consort of two kings and championed one of her sons over the others, or his mother who was an anointed queen and powerful regent, but was also accused of witchcraft and regicide. A royal abbess educated five bishops and was instrumental in deciding the date of Easter; another took on the might of Canterbury and Rome and was accused by the monks of fratricide. Anglo-Saxon women were prized for their bloodlines - one had such rich blood that it sparked a war - and one was appointed regent of a foreign country. Royal mothers wielded power; Eadgifu, wife of Edward the Elder, maintained a position of authority during the reigns of both her sons. Æthelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, was a queen in all but name, while few have heard of Queen Seaxburh, who ruled Wessex, or Queen Cynethryth, who issued her own coinage. She, too, was accused of murder, but was also, like many of the royal women, literate and highly-educated. From seventh-century Northumbria to eleventh-century Wessex and making extensive use of primary sources, Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England examines the lives of individual women in a way that has often been done for the Anglo-Saxon men but not for their wives, sisters, mothers and daughters. It tells their stories: those who ruled and schemed, the peace-weavers and the warrior women, the saints and the sinners. It explores, and restores, their reputations.
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Women in history, especially as far back as this book goes, have often been overlooked. Many of them were not documented, past a few footnotes here and there. There are some notable exceptions, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Empress Matilda - both of these women were more then mere footnotes - they stomped their way into the pages of history with gusto and determination.
However, women were just not considered essential. Now, we want to know more. We know that they were more involved than just running the households and pumping out babies for their husbands. They were strong, determined, and often very stubborn beings, who could influence and manipulate the events around them (and if you don't think that is the case - go back to Rome, and the manipulations of the royal women - that will raise a few eyebrows).
As we read through Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England - I both enjoyed and disliked it. There were aspects where the information was great - it was real, tangible history. But then there were the parts where it felt the author was stretching just a little to much.
I get it, history was written by men (cause if women had written it, it would have been a lot more detailed in some aspects - and not just the military history - no offense to our ancient historical writers). Women were not seen as integral parts, or worth noting their contributions, mainly because, if they had a decent idea, it would be told to a husband or father, and claimed as that persons brilliant idea.
This book was both fascinating and disastrous. I loved that there were some historical evidences to lead back to these women and the lives that they lead. But there were the pitfalls, and had the feelings of “I am not sure where to go with this here... so lets throw this in.” I felt that it rambled in areas, where it could have been more succinct, and left the reader with a more concise narration, instead of trying to draw out to make the book longer.
I was looking forward to this one but it was a disaster!
The narration jumps all over the place and resembles a dry textbook with clear traces of a self-righteous, pseudo-historian ego. Sub-chapters were definitely needed in each Part. It was rather difficult to follow the events as names, dates and incidents were generously thrown here and there without the slightest hint of coherence.
The writer's dismissive attitude towards the Church and Christianity in general was highly disrespectful and unacceptable. If you don't want a specific audience for your...book, make sure to mention it somewhere for all potential readers who want an objective view of the era. This read like a badly-written, pseudo-feminist libel towards everyone and everything.
Well, this potential reader is out and my advice to the writer is ‘'stick to your romance novels.''
Many thanks to Pen & Sword History and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
