Should a princess become an abbess?

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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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Should a princess become an abbess?

When Hildeburg stops at Lyminge Abbey to visit her aunt, Ethelberga urges Hildeburg to follow in her footsteps as abbess at Lyminge. Hildeburg wants to go to the convent at Chelles with her sister. Ethelberga argues "a princess should be an abbess" and Hildeburg won't have that role at Chelles. Hildeburg spends the summer at Lyminge before leaving to meet her sister. But Ethelberga won't accept Hildeburg's decision. Hildeburg is free from husbands and kings, yet the former queen, forced to join the abbey she now leads, is determined to control Hildeburg's choices.

Book Excerpt

Saxon Heroines

Ethelberga, Abbess of Lyminge

My nephew sends twenty thanes to escort Hildeburg and her ladies to East Anglia. After we embrace one last time, I watch the wagons pass through the gate, and I remember the girl I taught to read.

She mustn’t go to Frankland and be lost to us. I go inside to write a letter to Abbot Aidan. Surely someone at his abbey can translate Latin.
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