by M J Porter
As I ready myself, choose my target, I allow a smirk to touch my cheeks.
Fuck, it feels good.
Historical Notes
This story of King Coelwulf is entirely fictional. Probably.
The story of the past, or rather the Early English period, was magnificently written down for future generations by two people, or rather, at the instigation of two people – The Venerable Bede (with his Northumbrian bias) and his history of the English Speaking People (as just one example of his vast work) and of course, King Alfred (with his Wessex bias), the man credited with beginning the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle upon which so much of the history of the period relies.
It is, of course, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that’s been used to write the history of the ninth century (Bede wrote in the eighth century), along with the letters that Asser wrote and information available from sources written in what is now Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, but which weren’t known as such until much later. King Alfred, with the resources of all Wessex at his command, had history written precisely the way he wanted ‘his story’ to be remembered.
King Burgred, Alfred’s brother by marriage, was ejected from Mercia by the Raiders, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in AD874, and lived the rest of his short life, alongside his wife, in Rome. It’s what happened afterwards that I find utterly compelling, and is the reason I’ve turned my hand to the ninth century.
I always try and find ‘characters’ that lived during the period I write about. For the names of the ealdormen and the bishops, I’ve made use of the surviving charter evidence as found in the Online Sawyer, a wonderful archive of all things Anglo-Saxon and which I spend a great deal of time studying. I don’t know if the Raiders captured Ealdorman Wulfstan. I actually know nothing about him, other than his name appears in a charter of King Burgred’s in AD968 but not in the later charters issued by King Coelwulf.
Bishop Wærferth, Eadberht, Deorlaf, Ealdorman Beorthnoth, Ælhun, Alhferht and Æthelwold do all witness the charters that Coelwulf is credited with having had produced.
Kingsholm was an ancient royal site, close to Gloucester, but outside the Roman walls of the settlement. I’m assuming it was connected with the kingdom of the Hwicce, which gave Mercia such great leaders as Penda (in the seventh century) and the rulers descended from his brother, Eowa. Coelwulf is believed to have been a descendant of Eowa.
The settlements I have used in this book, Gloucester, Worcester, Warwick, Repton and Tamworth are ancient sites. Warwick is most usually taken to first appear in AD914, although Bartlett has argued that it was probably a proto-ministry site earlier than this. I have taken some liberties.
Gloucester and Worcester have excellent articles available to read about them at this time. Repton is somewhere I’ve visited and Tamworth is somewhere I visited often as a child. For the evidence of the 873/4 camp at Repton, I’ve consulted the article available for free download, entitled, ‘The Viking Great Army in England: new dates from the Repton charnel’ by Jarmen, Biddle, Higham, and Bronk-Ramsey.
I’ve made use of a map from Anglo-Saxon.net, which also appears in Edward the Elder ed. Higham and Hill to determine what was what in England at this time. It depicts the ancient roadways of the Foss Way, Watling Street, Ermine Street and Icknield Way, and also gives some hints as to hills and forests, if not always rivers. I’m also lucky enough to have a ‘mapman’ for a father who has antique maps of every county in England stretching back to the seventeenth century. These are invaluable for gaining an idea of what everywhere looked like in the recent past.
The number of men in the warbands is fictitious. Historians have put a great deal of thought into the size of the ‘Raider invasion’ of the ninth century. At the moment, I understand there is still no definitive answer to the question of just how many Raiders came to what would become England.
I’ve yet to fully decipher all of the events of ninth century Mercia. But I will. There seems to be a confusion of royal men and women all usurping one another. But it is my intention, for the time being, to follow Lord Coelwulf, or King Coelwulf and see what else befalls him in the latter part of the ninth century as he fights to keep Mercia free from the Viking Raiders.
I have chosen to use the term Raiders as opposed to Viking, because the northern people went ‘Viking’ they weren’t Vikings.
The song that Edmund sings is a mash-up of a translation of the Gododdin as shown at faculty.arts.ubc.ca and my own imagination.
My understanding of horses comes from teenager number 2, who spends a huge amount of time caring for a big beastie called Hayden. He’s a lovely horse, and he ‘stars’ as Coelwulf’s horse as Haden, a name that proved to be far more ancient than I realised.
The adventures of Coelwulf and his men will continue in The Last Warrior. Preorder now.
Cast of Characters
Coelwulf – Lord of Mercia (western Mercia)
Edmund
Pybba – loses his hand in battle
Eadberht
Rudolf – Coelwulf’s squire
Sæbald
Ordheah
Oslac
Lyfing
Ingwald
Icel
Hereman
Hereberht
Gyrth
Goda
Eoppa
Oda
Wulfred
Ordlaf
Wærwulf
Eadulf
Eahric
Beornstan
Wulfstan
Ælfgar
Athelstan
Beornberht
Wulfhere - another of the squires
Haden – the name of Coelwulf’s horse, and named after my daughter’s horse. Haden is an Anglo-Saxon name. Who knew?
Bishops and Ealdormen
Bishop Wærferth of Worcester
Bishop Deorlaf of Hereford
Bishop Eadberht of Lichfield
Ealdorman Beorhtnoth
Ealdorman Ælhun
Ealdorman Alhferht
Ealdorman Æthelwold – his father Ealdorman Æthelwulf dies at the Battle of Berkshire in AD871
Ealdorman Wulfstan
Vikings
Ivarr – dies in AD870
Halfdan – brother of Ivarr, may take his place after his death
Guthrum - one of the three leaders at Repton with Halfdan
Oscetel - one of the three leaders at Repton with Halfdan
Anwend – one of the three leaders at Repton with Halfdan
Anwend Anwendsson – his fictional son
Sigurd (fictional)
The royal family of Mercia
King Burgred of Mercia
m. Lady Æthelswith in AD853 (the sister of King Alfred)
they had no children
Beornwald – a fictional nephew for King Burgred
King Wiglaf – ninth century ruler of Mercia
King Wigstan- ninth century ruler of Mercia
King Beorhtwulf – ninth century ruler of Mercia
Misc
Cadell ap Merfyn – fictional brother of Rhodri Mawr, King of Gwynedd (one of the Welsh kingdoms)
Eowa, forest dweller
Lady Eadburh, owns the village near the River Stour
Oswald, Ealdorman Ælhun’s warrior
Shipsmaster Æthelred
Eadric – one of his three sons
Coenwulf – Coelwulf’s dead (older) brother
Wiglaf and Berhtwulf – the names of Coelwulf’s aunt’s dogs
Places Mentioned
Gloucester, on the River Severn, in western Mercia.
Worcester, on the River Severn, in western Mercia.
Hereford, close to the border with Wales
Lichfield, an ancient diocese of Mercia. Now in Staffordshire.
Tamworth, an ancient capital of Mercia. Now in Staffordshire.
Repton, an ancient capital of Mercia. St Wystan’s was a royal mausoleum.
Gwent, one of the Welsh kingdoms at this period.
Warwick, in Mer
cia
Torksey, in the ancient kingdom of Lindsey, which became part of Northern Mercia
River Severn, in the west of England
River Trent, runs through Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Lincolnshire and joins the Humber
River Avon, in Warwickshire
River Thames, runs through London and into Oxfordshire
River Stour, runs from Stourport to Wolverhampton
Kingsholm, close to Gloucester, an ancient royal site
The Foss Way, ancient roadway running from Lincoln to Exeter
Watling Street, ancient roadway running from Chester to London
Meet the Author
I'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 AD1066.
I write A LOT. You've been warned!
Find me at mjporterauthor.com and @coloursofunison on twitter. I have a newsletter, which can be joined via my website.
Books by M J Porter (in chronological order)
Gods and Kings Series (seventh century Britain)
Pagan Warrior
Pagan King
Warrior King
The Ninth Century
The Last King
The Last Warrior (coming soon)
The Tenth Century
The Lady of Mercia’s Daughter
A Conspiracy of Kings (the sequel to The Lady of Mercia’s Daughter)
Kingmaker
The King’s Daughter
Chronicles of the English (tenth century Britain)
Brunanburh
Of Kings and Half-Kings
The Second English King
The Mercian Brexit (can be read as a prequel to The First Queen of England)
The First Queen of England (The story of Lady Elfrida) (tenth century England)
The First Queen of England Part 2
The First Queen of England Part 3
The King’s Mother (The continuing story of Lady Elfrida)
The Queen Dowager
Once A Queen
The Earls of Mercia
The Earl Of Mercia’s Father
The Danish King’s Enemy
Swein: The Danish King (side story)
Northman Part 1
Northman Part 2
Cnut: The Conqueror (full length side story)
Wulfstan: An Anglo-Saxon Thegn (side story)
The King’s Earl
The Earl of Mercia
The English Earl
The Earl’s King
Viking King
The English King (coming soon)
Fantasy
The Dragon of Unison
Hidden Dragon
Dragon Gone
Dragon Alone
Dragon Ally
Dragon Lost
Dragon Bond
Throne of Ash (coming soon)
As JE Porter
The Innkeeper
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank my beta readers for their helpful comments and support with The Last King. They know who they are, but my readers probably don't, so thank you to My Other Half EP, My Breakfast Buddy CS, My Twitter Pals AL, ST and CH and to The Teens AP and MP who put up with my constant questions about either the English Language or insatiable demand for horse facts!