Review – Mercia: the rise and fall of a kingdom

1 min read

Annie Whitehead
Amberley, £9.99
ISBN 978-1398103337
Review AB

A lack of sources regarding the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia has often led to it being overshadowed by other contemporary kingdoms, such as Wessex, in discussions of the Heptarchy, but in this book Annie Whitehead has gathered all of the available historical references to tell the story of the kingdom and the people who shaped it.

Mercia’s ‘rise and fall’ is presented chronologically through a series of surprisingly vivid images of many of the key figures involved, making for an engaging narrative, while retaining the necessary details.

An impressive amount of information is compiled in this relatively brief volume (now even more compact in its paperback form), and care is taken to address the reliability of the sources used, many of which were written by enemies of the kingdom. It contains several helpful family trees, as well as some scenic photographs, and represents a well-researched and informative resource for anyone interested in the Mercian kingdom.


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