Mercia and the Making of England [Hardcover]

Ian W. Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2000

This pioneering book re-examines the events of the mid-eighth to the mid-tenth centuries to provide a completely fresh and more balanced account of the period.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing; First Edition edition (September 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750921315
• ISBN-13: 978-0750921312
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,594,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wessex did not stand alone!, October 18, 2002

By 

Mark Howells (Puyallup, Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mercia and the Making of England (Hardcover)

The history of Anglo-Saxon England is perforce centered on the kingdom of the West Saxons. With the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle's focus on Alfred and the eventual establishment of his dynasty as kings of a unified England, Wessex has taken the spotlight in our understanding of this period of history. However, Wessex did not stand alone against the Danes.

The central English kingdom of Mercia was a major source of support in the effort to re-conquer lands lost to the Danes. While dynastic accidents prevented Mercian royalty from competing for the crown of all England, Mercia was vital to the unification process. The history of this kingdom is represented by a much more limited set of surviving sources when compared to Wessex.

Ian Walker attempts to redress this imbalance by providing a history of the Mercian kingdom. Most of the book focuses on the struggles with the Danes and the emergence of a unified England. Without the co-operation and consent of Mercia, England would not have been formed under the Wessex kings. Of particular interest are the sections on Lord Æthelred of Mercia and his wife Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians. The daughter of Alfred the Great, Æthelflæd's marriage to the ruler of Mercia helped ensure the critical co-operation between the two kingdoms in the darkest days of the Danes' hegemony. Æthelflæd ruled Mercia in her own right for several years after the death of her father and husband - the only instance of a female to have done so in Anglo-Saxon times.

After reviewing the history of kingdom from King Offa of Mercia to King Edgar of England, the book provides two chapters on the composition of Mercian society and the Mercian Church. Mercians in positions of power under Wessex and later English kings are given biographical treatment. A highlight of the book is its consideration of Mercian art in building, sculpture & literature. This is an excellent read and a much needed redress of the paucity of popular works on Anglo-Saxon kingdoms other than Wessex.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good of late Mercian History, September 18, 2007

By 

Scott Gregg - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mercia and the Making of England (Hardcover)

I was impressed by this book in its detail regarding the muddy middle history of the kingdom of Mercia as it was eventually joined with the other Heptarchy in forming England. Mr. Walker writes in a style that makes this dim past come alive. I would have rated this book higher had he spent a little more time laying the ground work for the 8th and 9th centuries by discussing the 6th and 7th Centuries. Particularly the contributions of Penda, Peada, Wulfhere etc. to the increasing power of Mercia as an economic and social power. Michael Woods "In Search of the Dark Ages" would make a nice companion book to this one.