Every story has a beginning.Leofwine has convinced his king to finally face his enemies in battle and won a great victory, but in the meantime, events have spiralled out of control elsewhere.With the death of Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, England has lost an ally, and Leofwine has gained an enemy. And not just any enemy. Swein is the king of Denmark, and he has powerful resources at his fingertips.In a unique position with the king, Leofwine is either honoured or disrespected. Yet it is to Leofwine that the king turns to when an audacious attack is launched against the king's mother and his children. Yet Leofwine's successes only bring him more under the scrutiny of King Swein of Denmark, and his own enemies at the king's court.With an increase in Viking Raider attacks, it is to Leofwine that the king turns once more. However, the king has grown impatient with his ealdorman, blaming him for Swein's close scrutiny of the whole of England. Can Leofwine win another victory for his king, or does he risk losing all that he's gained?The Danish King's Enemy is the second book in the epic Earls of Mercia series charting the last century of Anglo-Saxon England, as seen through the eyes of Ealdorman Leofwine, the father of Earl Leofric, the Earl of Mercia, and ally of Lady Elfrida, England's first queen.The Earls of Mercia Series The Earl of Mercia's Father (paperback - second edition)The Danish King's Enemy (paperback - second edition)Northman Part 1Northman Part 2The King's EarlThe Earl of MerciaThe English EarlThe Earl's KingViking King (coming soon)PRAISE FOR THE EARLS OF MERCIA SERIES"This is a fantastic series of books, by an author who certainly knows his subject. I was into the Roman invasions but am rapidly converting to the Britons!" Amazon Reviewer"A must-read for fans of Viking age England. This promises to be a very good series of which I can't wait for the next instalment." Amazon Reviewer"Intriguing, well-written stories about the early days of Great Britain between Alfred the Great and William the Conqueror... at the time Athelred was King... the story is written from the perspective of one the emerging Earl's who sits on the Witan (counsel). The time period show the interplay between Great Britain and the Scandinavian countries (Viking raiders) as well." Amazon.com ReviewerABOUT THE AUTHORI'm an author of fantasy (Viking age/dragon-themed) and historical fiction (Early English, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest), born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since the end of Anglo-Saxon England. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building and told from a very young age that it housed the bones of the long-dead kings of Mercia, it's little wonder that my curiosity in the Anglo-Saxons ran riot. I can only blame my parents!I write A LOT. You've been warned!Find me at www.mjporterauthor.com and @coloursofunison on twitter

The Danish King's Enemy: England: The Second Viking Age (The Earls of Mercia)

Literature & Fiction

Porter, M J

Porter, MJ

Genre Fiction

Independently published

Lady Elfrida is restored to the royal court, and to her son and his ever-growing family. Tasked with raising her grandchildren, Lady Elfrida understands the honour her son has endowed her with, even while it forces her to stay distant from the day to day running of the court.Æthelred, free of all meddling influences from his youth, takes steps to undo his childish mistakes, but despite the success of the peace accord with king Olaf of Norway, England is still a too tempting target for Raiders keen to make their fortune, and Æthelred, even now, is not the warrior king his father was.As the years pass, Lady Elfrida appreciates that her power and influence has grown, not diminished, as she holds the key to the future in the shape of her grandsons and granddaughters. But she must face one more trial to ensure the future of England. And this one might just be impossible to surmount for England's first queen, dowager queen, and now, the grandmother of the future of the House of Wessex.The King's Mother is the first part of a trilogy.Suggested reading order:The King's MotherThe Queen DowagerOnce A QueenPraise for The King's Mother."An excellent read about a strong, intelligent woman!!" Amazon Reviewer"Loved every minute of the series couldn't put it down." Amazon Reviewer"Porter manages to create a lifetime story out of a few charters and genealogies. And of course the Anglo Saxon Chronicles. Amazing!!!" Amazon Reviewer"Such a good insight to the time and people and the real game of thrones." Amazon ReviewerABOUT THE AUTHORI'm an author of fantasy (Viking age/dragon themed) and historical fiction (Anglo-Saxon, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest), born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since the end of Anglo-Saxon England. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building and told from a very young age that it housed the bones of the long-dead kings of Mercia, it's little wonder that my curiosity in the Anglo-Saxons ran riot. I can only blame my parents!I write A LOT. You've been warned!Find me at www.mjporterauthor.com and @coloursofunison on twitter

Once a Queen: Lady Elfrida: England's First Queen (The King's Mother)

Edmund of the English, the aged Constantin of Scotland, Anlaf Sihtriccson of York, Idwal of Gwynedd, Hywel of the South Welsh. The year is 942 and the treaty of Eamont in 927 and the recent battle of Brunanburh in 937 have inflicted an uneasy calm on the lands of the British Isles. The fledgling England, Scotland, Strathclyde, the warring Welsh kingdoms and the Viking stronghold of Dublin are held firmly apart. Or are they? Hinged on the power and resourcefulness of one man, Athelstan, first King of the English, his untimely death in late 939 has thrust his young half-brother onto the throne and the acquisitive eyes of Olaf Gothfrithson of Dublin, his close ally Anlaf Sihtricsson, Constantin of Scotland and Idwal of Gwynedd have turned once more to England's land and her people. Can Edmund hold England firm against the over-mighty men? Or will the greatest English victory at Brunanburh amount to nothing and fade into obscurity, to be forgotten by all?

Of Kings and Half Kings

lulu.com

Before his encounter with Ealdorman Leofwine on his fateful trip to Shetland, King Swein first had to wrestle Denmark from his father's kingship and make his own name as a warrior of great renown. This side story to the Earls of Mercia series tells of the early years of King Swein's reign, his first raid on England, his encounter with Ealdorman Leofwine and his quest to once and for all kill Olaf of Norway, culminating in the mighty sea battle of Svolder in 999. Swein, the Danish King is a companion novella to the epic Earls of Mercia series and should perhaps be read following Ealdormen, book 2 of the Earls of Mercia series.

Swein: The Danish King

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.

The King's Earl

Swein, King of Denmark, and briefly England, lies dead, his son ousted from England as King Aethelred returns from his exile in Normandy at the behest of his Witan and the Bishops. Aethelred might have relinquished his kingdom to Swein, the conqueror, but with Swein dead, the men have no interest in supporting an untried youth whose name resounds with the murder of one of England's greatest bishop's, a youth known only for his savagery and joy of battle, a true norse man who utilizes his weapons without thought. But Cnut wants a kingdom and he will do anything to gain one. Cnut: the Conqueror, is an Earls of Mercia side story to mark the millennial anniversary of Cnut's accession to the English kingdom in 1016, the Danish king of England.

Cnut: The Conqueror

Throughout the tenth century, England, as it would be recognized today, formed. No longer many Saxon kingdoms, but rather, just England. Yet, this development masks much in the century in which the Viking raiders were seemingly driven from England's shores by Alfred, his children and grandchildren, only to return during the reign of his great, great-grandson, the much-maligned Æthelred II.Not one but two kings would be murdered, others would die at a young age, and a child would be named king on four occasions. Two kings would never marry, and a third would be forcefully divorced from his wife. Yet, the development towards 'England' did not stop. At no point did it truly fracture back into its constituent parts. Who then ensured this stability? To whom did the witan turn when kings died, and children were raised to the kingship?The royal woman of the House of Wessex came into prominence during the century, perhaps the most well-known being Æthelflæd, daughter of King Alfred. Perhaps the most maligned being Ælfthryth (Elfrida), accused of murdering her stepson to clear the path to the kingdom for her son, Æthelred II, but there were many more women, rich and powerful in their own right, where their names and landholdings can be traced in the scant historical record.Using contemporary source material, The Royal Women Who Made England can be plucked from the obscurity that has seen their names and deeds lost, even within a generation of their own lives.

The Royal Women Who Made England: The Tenth Century in Saxon England

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Pen and Sword History

Ealdormen (The Earls of Mercia Book 2)

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Northman, the 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 choose 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 direr, 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 Part 1 is where readers of The First Queen of England, and The King's Mother trilogies should pick up the story of Anglo-Saxon England.The Earls of Mercia Series Northman Part 1Northman Part 2The King's EarlThe Earl of MerciaThe English EarlThe Earl's KingViking King (coming soon)PRAISE FOR THE EARLS OF MERCIA SERIES"This is a fantastic series of books, by an author who certainly knows his subject. I was into the Roman invasions but am rapidly converting to the Britons!" Amazon Reviewer"A must-read for fans of Viking age England. This promises to be a very good series of which I can't wait for the next instalment." Amazon Reviewer"Intriguing, well-written stories about the early days of Great Britain between Alfred the Great and William the Conqueror... at the time Athelred was King... the story is written from the perspective of one the emerging Earl's who sits on the Witan (counsel). The time period show the interplay between Great Britain and the Scandinavian countries (Viking raiders) as well." Amazon.com ReviewerABOUT THE AUTHORI'm an author of fantasy (Viking age/dragon-themed) and historical fiction (Anglo-Saxon, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest), born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since the end of Anglo-Saxon England. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building and told from a very young age that it housed the bones of the long-dead kings of Mercia, it's little wonder that my curiosity in the Anglo-Saxons ran riot. I can only blame my parents!I write A LOT. You've been warned!

Northman Part 1 (The Earls of Mercia)

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