Review: Æthelflæd by Tim Clarkson

You might be aware that I've written a few times about Æthelflæd, in fiction and in nonfiction - and she'll feature again in my new book due out next year. So whilst I didn't read this book necessarily expecting to find anything new, it's always a joy to be introduced to new ideas or research and it's always interesting to know how other writers/historians perceive her. 

This book is simply wonderful. The author begins not, as might be expected, with Alfred's reign, but gives a more detailed and perhaps relevant background, covering the history of Mercia from the earliest Anglo-Saxon period. This is done with skill and precision and Clarkson makes this difficult history easy to understand. I had to stop and think about this, actually, because I do know and understand this complex period, but no, I am sure that anyone new to the history of Mercia will find this accessible. 

I especially like the way the book is laid out. It's chronological, but each episode is taken and dealt with separately. Every so often there are panels, too, which give additional information. The maps are frequent and informative.

Clarkson makes some intriguing suggestions, for example the idea that Edward the Elder's final marriage, to the daughter of a Kentish nobleman, was more linked to Kentish insubordination at the battle of the Holme than might usually be supposed.

He also offers interesting insights: when discussing Edward's motive for taking over control of London and Oxford he offers alternative theories which are entirely plausible.

There is good analysis of the more florid (usually later, Anglo-Norman) sources and the author takes the time to examine them thoroughly to see if there might be kernels of truth lurking there. He applies skilled and informed logic.

Whenever alternative theories or explanations are offered, the points are never laboured, rather the arguments and/or opposing viewpoints are presented with clarity, we are offered the possibilities, they are discussed intelligently, and then the narrative moves on. 

The book  provides a thorough overview of the period. It's accessible for those new to the subject but gives plenty for scholars to get their teeth into. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the possible locations of the unidentified burhs.

Rather than examining the life and career of Æthelflæd merely by presenting her as the daughter of Alfred, Clarkson gives the Mercian context and even suggests that she might have been working more towards furthering Mercian interests than in the common cause of English v. Danes. As I've often remarked, Mercian nationalism never really died, and there is a wonderfully dry observation that the nationalist fervour so stoked up by the Lady's translation of St Oswald's bones to Gloucester rather glossed over the fact that it was their own resolutely pagan king who had dispatched the saintly Oswald in the first place!

The book doesn't end with Æthelflæd's death but discusses her daughter's brief career and what happened to Mercia after Edward the Elder's death. It then goes on to discuss Æthelflæd's legacy. I began this review by mentioning how often I've written about Æthelflæd myself and I was completely surprised and rather overwhelmed to find a paragraph about my own novel in that section. It's gratifying to know that someone as knowledgeable as this author has such nice things to say about my work.

I really can't recommend this book highly enough.* It's beautifully laid out, it's clear, it presents all the facts and arguments in an extremely readable fashion and won't 'bog' anyone down, even those who are completely new to Anglo-Saxon history. 

It's always good to know of historians who have the knack of being able to convey complex ideas and present history in a seemingly effortless and readable way. 

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*(There's only one point on which I disagree, and that's the identity of Æthelflæd's maternal grandmother. Her name was Eadburh but I disagree that she was King Offa's daughter. Asser, Alfred's biographer, gave her name and said that she was a notable woman who remained a chaste widow. Of Offa's daughter by the same name, he was scathing, giving the story of how she accidentally poisoned her husband and was banished.)

Review - Edward the Elder: King of the Anglo-Saxons: Forgotten Son of Alfred

'Edward the Elder succeeded his father Alfred the Great to the kingdom of Wessex, but was largely overlooked by his contemporaries (at least in terms of the historical record) and to a greater or lesser extent by later historians. He is the forgotten son of Alfred. Edward deserves to be recognised for his contribution to Anglo-Saxon history and a new assessment of his reign is overdue.'

So begins the blurb for this new book and I heartily concur with the sentiment. Having written about Edward's sister myself in both fiction and nonfiction, I had played with the idea of pitching a proposal to my publisher, suggesting a book about Edward. Had I done so, I would have discovered that they had this book already in production, so when I was offered a review copy, I immediately said 'Yes please'.

As I know only too well, there are very few books about Edward and he has been overshadowed by his much more famous father. I've always thought that this was an injustice which needed rectifying. Michael John Key's book does this admirably.

It states that it is a 'popular' history of Edward but I disagree. I think this is a scholarly work by an author who has been at great pains to ensure that he lets the evidence speak for itself. Much use is made of the primary sources, and the bibliography and notes (which give page numbers) are useful for students and anyone would like to read further. Scholarly, yes, but very readable and accessible too.

Edward's childhood, the campaigns when his father was still alive, and the partnership with his sister Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, are examined in detail and laid out in chronological order. Other aspects of Edward's reign are explored too, however, so that we get an account of his administration as well.

Often when I was reading the book I found myself nodding in agreement. That Edward was less inclined than his father to compromise made him - in my view and the author's - an ultimately more successful military leader. 

On some occasions I also found myself disagreeing. Some of the conclusions about Edward's sister and his dealings with her, for example, run counter to my own assessments, but Mr Key is clearly skilful at reading and using the primary source material and this wouldn't be the first time when two historians have looked at the same material and come to different conclusions. 

In fact, I had only two very slight niggles. The first is a sentence in which it is stated that 'by all accounts' Athelstan was educated by Æthelflæd and her husband Æthelred, when in fact there is only one, post-Conquest, source which says so. However, it is generally accepted that this was the case and this may, in fact, be the author's intended meaning. My second niggle is the use throughout of infer instead of imply. But it says a great deal about this book that those are my only noted negative points.

Mr Key provides excellent analysis of the policy of burh-building. We are not only given details of the strategy, but much investigative work has gone into producing great detail too about the physical buildings and the locations thereof. I found this section of the book particularly interesting and informative. His analysis of this policy was insightful. Judging from the colour plate section, the author has visited many of the locations and his knowledge of the lie of the land informs this analysis.

This is not, as I said earlier, simply a story of the of the military campaigns. The point is made that study of the last fifteen years of Edward's reign is hampered by the lack of charters; nevertheless, the author turns to other sources to glean as much information as possible. 

It is hard to know what else could have been included in this book, because for me it is a thorough and complete examination of Edward. It is written in an easy style, terminology is explained for those readers who might be new to the subject or indeed the period, and there is rich juicy detail for those who already know much of the basics of Edward's life and times. His legacy is also discussed, and after reading this book, surely no one can disagree with the assessment that Edward 'should be acknowledged as a great Anglo-Saxon king in his own right, and is entitled to stand comparison with every English monarch that has passed since his reign.'

I recommend this book to anyone interested in Anglo-Saxon and/or military history.  

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