The Cycle of War

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Sandra Wagner-Wright

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Saxon Heroines

Literature & Fiction

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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.

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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

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Author Insight

The Cycle of War

Queen Ethelberga knows King Edwin is reaching too far. The annual sequence of raids has become a war between both men and gods in what seems to be an endless and ever more ruthless struggle. Without war, there is no plunder. Without plunder, there is nothing to distribute among the warriors. Without warriors, the king will topple so another can take his place and renew the cycle. More than 200 years later, the basic cycle continues.

Book Excerpt

Saxon Heroines

Every year my husband leads his men in battle. We need cattle, tribute, and slaves so we can reward our warriors. My husband’s enemies need the same thing. Raids and counter-raids are an endless cycle, justified because our enemies follow Woden. Penda of Mercia to the south enjoys Woden’s special favor, not always winning, but never truly losing. Cadwallon of Gwynedd is another matter. He professes to be Christian, but behaves with a ruthlessness beyond Penda’s reprisals.

Now Penda and Cadwallon fight together, their alliance upheld by Cadwallon’s marriage to Helen of Mercia. I warned my husband. I told him he was pushing too hard and taking too much. I told him they would join forces, but he laughed. “What does a woman know of battle?” he asked.
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