The Queen as Apprentice

BubbleStream

Sandra Wagner-Wright

a book bubble about

Saxon Heroines

Literature & Fiction

synopsis

Synopsis
Seventh century England is a hodgepodge of warring Anglo-Saxon states filled with shifting alliances and treacherous grabs for royal power. Kings rise and fall, depending on Woden's Luck. Northumbria, the damp kingdom north of the River Humber, is a state riven with rivalries and kings determined to expand at any cost. Women have no obvious role in a warrior society, but by using their wits, four women—two queens and two abbesses—make monumental changes. One woman marries a pagan king and successfully converts him to Christianity before he dies in battle. One becomes the most powerful abbess in Northumbria and holds the Great Synod at Whitby Abbey, which brings the kingdom back to the Roman Church. Another becomes queen and keeps political alliances strong despite different religious denominations. The fourth woman ushers in a new age by negotiating with kings and churchmen to establish one united church in the Northumbrian kingdom. Based on true events and people, this is the story of Northumbria through the eyes of the most important women of their time.

bio

Author Biography

Sandra writes historical fiction. Her latest book, "Ambition, Arrogance & Pride" focuses on 18th century Salem MA. Sandra also blogs about history, travel, and other topics that catch her attention. For more information about Sandra, visit her website https://www.sandrawagnerwright.com

website
- Follow Unfollow
- share
Author Insight

The Queen as Apprentice

Queen Etheldreda holds to her vow. She vowed her chastity to God and will not equivocate. Exasperated, King Egfrid sends her to his aunt's monastery at Coldingham. Perhaps he thought she wouldn't like the life, or that the Abbess could persuade her to change her mind. It was an unrealistic hope. Etheldreda loves life in the monastery. But her conviction to the religious life is unbending. She thinks the nuns should be more prayerful and austere. And she think the abbess should immediately give her a high office. Instead the queen's tasks are things she's unfamiliar with. Eventually, she learns new things and becomes less rigid. But always she fears the king will take her back to the castle and consummate their marriage by force. Can she ever feel safe from his wrath?

Book Excerpt

Saxon Heroines

I embrace life under Abbess Ebbe’s rule. She is pious, gentle, and fair—though I do think she’s lax. She doesn’t discipline those who fail to perform the offices, nor does she enforce the simplicity of a nun’s habit. When I ask her why, she tells me that when a nun truly gives her heart to God, she changes her behaviors and adornments.

Abbess Ebbe assigns me to the apothecary, so I learn how to pick healing herbs and administer them to their best advantage. When I ask why she doesn’t give me work in the scriptorium or making vestments, she says there’s no point giving me work I already know how to do. After two years, Ebbe appoints me as the abbey’s prioress.
- Share
- Follow Unfollow
- Comment
  x
  Comment on this Bubble
  
  Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.
© 2024 Bublish and respective copyright holders bublish.com