The date and location of Penda’s attack on East Anglia is not known, but there is evidence that the great ditch (known now as The Devil’s Dyke, or St Edmund's Dyke) was constructed during the fifth and sixth centuries and was clearly built for defensive purposes, so I chose to situate the battle there. There are other dykes that cut across the Icknield Way (the ancient, pre-Roman track that runs from Wiltshire in the west to Norfolk in the east), and any approaching army would need to cross each great ditch, probably facing staunch defence at each. However, I chose to ignore the other dykes – Bran Ditch, Brent Ditch, Fleam Dyke and Black Ditches – and focus the battle in one location for the sake of simplicity.
There is no evidence of a Welsh or Wessex presence in the battle between the East Anglians and the Mercians. The emblem of a golden dragon, or wyvern, on the banner of the West Saxons was first mentioned by the historian Henry of Huntingdon, when he wrote of King Cuthred bearing a golden-dragon standard at the battle of Burford in 752. It is later referred to again when King Edmund Ironside bears it in the Battle of Ashingdon against Canute in 1016. Such golden-dragon standards are also seen lifted by the English on the Bayeux tapestry.
Details of Penda’s attack on East Anglia are extremely scant, and all we really know is that Sigeberht and Ecgric were killed. Penda was a pagan king, but did not ban Christianity from his lands, it seems to be hypocrisy that he really disliked, not any specific religion. So it is feasible that on the far reaches of his land, perhaps in disputed marches along the frontiers with other kingdoms, such as East Anglia, there may have been Christian monasteries. At this time, it was common for men and women to share the same monastery. I have taken some liberties with the location of the monastery where Edmonda is found, situating it on the edge of the Fens, near Peterborough. A monastery was founded nearby in 655, but it is unlikely that any monastery existed there twenty years previously. It is also dubious that its inhabitants would have considered themselves to be part of East Anglia and not Mercia, but I have chosen to have the land in dispute between the two kings, which, given the constant warfare that raged across Britain at the time, is hardly inconceivable.
The old path that Edmonda finds to lead them into the Fens is the Roman road known as The Fen Causeway. It provided a link from the major Roman north–south route of Ermine Street into East Anglia, running from Peterborough to Denver, Norfolk. It is possible it continued east of Denver to meet Peddars Way at Castle Acre, but evidence of this is less clear. The road is thought to have been raised above the marshy fens with gravel. It is believed that, by the seventh century, it had already fallen into disrepair and disuse, but I thought that locals would know of it and perhaps it was still used as a shortcut to avoid the much longer route needed to go around the fens to the south.
The exact relationships between kings and royal heirs during this period is often confusing and open for debate. Scholars cannot decide whether Ecgric was the son of Eni or Rædwald. I have chosen the latter, as it is plausible and I like the link to Sutton Hoo, which is most likely the burial place of King Rædwald.
The death of the two young athelings, Wuscfrea and Yffi, in Frankia is almost a footnote in Bede’s ‘History’, but when I read it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there had been foul play. Ethelburga had sent the boys to the court of Dagobert to be safe from the sons of Æthelfrith who had killed her husband Edwin and reclaimed the land of their father. Yet despite Ethelburga’s efforts at safeguarding, both boys from Edwin’s line still died before reaching maturity. There were many ways to die in the seventh century, but I cannot help but think that kings will do whatever is necessary to cling onto their power, even kings who are later revered as saints.
The relics that Oswald and Aidan send to their Christian brothers in the south are fictitious, but based on many such items in medieval Europe. The belief that inanimate objects can be imbued with religious power is an old one and not limited to Christianity, but the number of relics, often stored in priceless bejewelled reliquaries, would become a huge business in Europe in later centuries. The miracles recounted by the monks are all derived from early medieval accounts. The story of the salmon being dropped by an eagle at the feet of a hungry monk is said to have happened to Saint Cuthbert on the banks of the Tweed some decades after the events in this novel.
Much of Beobrand’s story is concerned with the idea of the bloodfeud. Honour and kin were all important and a murder could legally be avenged by a family member killing the murderer. The price of compensation for each wrongdoing was laid down in law, and a law-breaker could pay the family of someone they had killed the agreed amount to avoid a bloodfeud. However, if they could not, or would not pay, or if the surviving family refused to accept the recompense, a bloodfeud could ensue. These would sometimes continue for decades, over several generations, with each side of a dispute seeking out and killing members of the other family in a bloody spiral of violent retaliations. Such a bloodfeud famously took place in the eleventh century following the murder of Uhtred of Bamburgh by his rival Thurbrand. That feud lasted sixty years! Some people bear a grudge long and hard, and in the warrior culture of the Anglo-Saxons, such a thing was expected and even admired. However, the bloodfeud is not something that has disappeared in the mists of time. Much later in history and an ocean away, an infamous feud between two families, the Hatfields and the McCoys, almost started a war between the states of Kentucky and West Virginia in the nineteenth century. And in parts of the world today, so-called ‘honour killings’ and revenge murders, are all too commonplace.
The gory disposal of a witch’s body is adapted from many diverse histories and countries. Many accounts come from later in the medieval period when there was an obsession with witches and the occult, but most rituals performed once a suspected witch was dead seem to focus on the fear that they might rise from their tomb and return to wreak their revenge on those yet living. Hence they were often dismembered and decapitated, and running water was frequently used to wash away the evil from them and perhaps confound them with its constant motion.
In Killer of Kings Beobrand has found answers to questions that haunted him, and has finally taken the blood-price from some of those who had stood against him. He has suffered much in his short life, experiencing great loss and sorrow. Many readers have contacted me saying they hope he will find some peace. Alas, I don’t think peace is something that our hero can know, except perhaps fleetingly. His wyrd is to stand in more shieldwalls. To fight and kill in the service of powerful men who would do anything to become Bretwalda, ruler of the whole of Britain. Beobrand is bound by his oaths and his honour, and he will continue to play his part in the upheavals that shape the kingdoms of Britain.
There are more stories to tell of Beobrand. Great tales of love, passion, ire and the steel-storm of battles.
But that is for another day. And other books.
Acknowledgements
As always, I must first thank you, dear reader, for buying this book and, hopefully, for reading all the way to this point. If you have enjoyed it, please tell your friends and family. The best way to help spread the word is to leave a short review on your online store of choice. A few words are enough, but it really helps new readers to find my books and to make the decision to give them a chance. A huge thank you to everyone who has left reviews for the previous books in the Bernicia Chronicles. The reviews have definitely helped to make the series a success.
As with each book, I sent an early draft to a select group of test readers. They provide invaluable feedback and help me to produce the best book I can. So thank you, as always, to Alex Forbes, Gareth Jones, Simon Blunsdon, Richard Ward, Shane Smart, Clive Harffy, Mark Leonard and Graham Glendinning.
The team at Aria and Head of Zeus has been amazing. Thank you to Caroline Ridding, Yasemin Turran, Nia Beynon, Paul King and everyone else who works hard behind the scenes. I am privileged to be part of such a great team.
Thanks to my agent, Robin Wade, who is ever supportive and knowledgeab
le.
So many other authors have been helpful and given their time and experience to me over the last few years that there are too many to name, but I’d like to mention a few here who have really stood out. So special thanks to Steven A. McKay, Carol McGrath, Prue Batten, Justin Hill, Angus Donald, Martin Lake, Stephanie Churchill, Samantha Wilcoxson, Giles Kristian and E. M. Powell. All are great writers, as well as lovely human beings.
And last, but definitely not least, extra-special thanks go to my family, to my lovely daughters, Elora and Iona, and fabulous wife, Maite. I love you all and know I could not do any of this without your constant support. Thank you!
About Matthew Harffy
MATTHEW HARFFY has worked in the IT industry, where he spent all day writing and editing, just not the words that most interested him. Prior to that he worked in Spain as an English teacher and translator. Matthew lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters.
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About The Bernicia Chronicles
The Bernicia Chronicles is a series of action-packed historical fiction books set against the backdrop of the clash between peoples and religions in Dark Ages Britain.
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First published in the UK in 2017 by Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © Matthew Harffy, 2017
The moral right of Matthew Harffy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (E) 9781784978853
Author photo © Stephen Weatherly
Jacket design: headdesign.co.uk
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