A Woman to Know: Æthelflæd
The dread of enemies, a woman of enlarged soul. — William of Malmesbury
(image via Wikimedia Commons)
The Lady of the Mercians, and an enemy of the Vikings and a beloved ruler whose conquests shaped medieval Europe. When she claimed the throne in 911, today's historians describe it as a "one of the most unique events in early medieval history."
Add to your library list:
Royal Lady, War Lady (Jane Wolfe)
The Warrior Queen (Joanna Arman)
Read more:
Restoration of warrior queen's priory starts (BBC History Magazine)
The woman who founded Warwick to stifle Vikings (The Birmingham Post)
Aethelflaed, Sigtryggr and Other Names to Fear (The Wall Street Journal)
England's matriarch is in the palm of my hand (The Sunday Times)
The Anglo-Saxon Cunning Woman (History)
Listen more:
The Lady of the Mercians (BBC Radio)
** Thank you to Abigail Burman for suggesting this badass medieval babe as a woman to know! **
** Send your own recommendations for women to know! Reply to this newsletter with your lady and she could be featured in an upcoming edition. You can browse the archive here. **