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Ana Ortiz
See capital1.com for details. Sami Gente It's Ana Ortiz and I'm Markin Delicato. You might know us as Hilda and.
Mark Indelicato
Justin from Ugly Betty.
Ana Ortiz
Welcome to our new podcast, Be My Bestie. Yay. We're rewatching the series from start to.
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Finish and talking to iconic guests like Betty herself, America Ferrera.
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There was this mom when the glasses went on and it was like this is our Betty.
Mark Indelicato
Listen to Viva Betty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dana Schwartz
Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Erin Menke. Listener discretion advised. The latter half of the 9th century was a chaotic time in England, which.
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Was at that time divided into a.
Dana Schwartz
Number of smaller kingdoms. In 867 Vikings from Denmark landed in Mercia, a kingdom that comprised much of the English Midlands. The Vikings conquered the eastern parts of Mercia and soon invaded the rest of the territory, dividing the area into two parts, displacing the current ruler and installing a puppet king. But the puppet king didn't last long on the throne. Just a few Years later, in 879, he disappeared. In the face of that power vacuum, a high ranking English military official named Aethelred took over. Very little is known about Aethelred before he reached the throne, and it's sort of unclear how exactly he got the job. It doesn't seem like he had any noble lineage. He appeared in the written record at around 883 after he was said to have taken power. But it wasn't just Mercia that was under attack by the Vikings. Wessex, another kingdom that included much of England's south coast at that time, was also dealing with Viking invasions. Wessex was led by a man named Alfred. And throughout 870 and 871, Alfred had been fighting off the Vikings with mixed results. Winning some battles, but having trouble keeping the invading forces at bay in the long term. So soon after Aethelred took over in Mercia, he and Alfred decided to team up. And in 889, the pair sealed their alliance by having Aethelred marry Alfred's oldest daughter, Aethelflaed. Aethelflaud was born around 870, right when the Viking invasions were picking up steam, making her much younger than her husband. While there's almost no historical record of Aethelflaud's early life, one can imagine that her youth had been defined by instability and violence. Following her father to various skirmishes with invaders, she likely knew Aethelred from childhood, encountering him in her father's entourage or visiting his palaces in Mercia. No one would have expected Athelflaed to become an even more more important political figure than her husband. Aethelflaud would become the most powerful person in the kingdom, ruling over Mercia independently, starting in 911, one of only two women recorded as doing so before the Norman Conquest of England. I'm Dana Schwartz and this is noble blood. After the wedding, Aethelflad had to move from her home in Wessex to her husband's palace in Mercia. This wasn't a huge deal for Aethelflaed. Her mother was Mercian, so she had family in the area, and her husband preferred to stay in the southwest area of Mercia, around the cities now named London and Gloucester, which wasn't too far away from where she grew up. Still, she had to adjust to married life. Athelred had ceded control over Mercia to Alfred, his father in law, who called himself the King of the Anglo Saxons. This is one of the first times anyone had used the term Anglo Saxon. And in doing so, Alfred, sometimes also known as Alfred the Great, asserted that he ruled over all of the English savages. Saxons, by which he meant the Saxons who had immigrated from what is now Germany to England around the 4th century, except for the ones living in areas under Viking control. So even though her husband wasn't technically a king at this point, Aethelflaed still needed to fulfill the typical duties of a royal wife. A royal Wife was expected to be a peace weaver, or frothawib in Old English. The term was meant to encapsulate the feminine art of political maneuvering. Just like weaving fabric, a royal wife was expected to weave bonds between her and her husband's allies by hosting dinners in the feasting hall and conducting herself well when visiting palaces throughout the kingdom. Usually a royal wife's duties would have ended there. English Saxon wives were considered subordinate to their husbands and were largely excluded from military and political life. That was certainly the case in Wessex, where Aethelflaud's mother was almost completely shut out of governance. She wasn't even referred to as queen. Historian Tim Clarkson described royal wives in Wessex as low profile, nearly invisible. But unlike other parts of medieval England, Mercia allowed more leeway and independence for its queens. Aethelflaed was deeply involved in governing Mercia from the beginning of her marriage. Arriving in Gloucester at around 880, the city was in shambles after battling with the Vikings with collapsed columns from the Roman era all over the city. So together, the newlyweds got to work on building a bur, or a multi purpose fortification, that served as a defensive fortress, an administrative center and a hub for trade. Using a decrepit Roman fort as the structure's foundation, they kept on building burhs throughout Mercia over the next decade. Meanwhile, Aethelflaed worked with her husband to reallocate land, offer privileges to churches and confer grants across the region. You know, general governance. Their campaign fit in neatly with Alfred's attempt to shore up the defenses of Wessex. He also built a number of burghs and forts across the kingdom, ensuring that no one in Wessex was more than a day's ride from a place of safety. Meanwhile, Aethelflaed gave birth to a daughter and named her Alfwin, or elf friend. This ended up being her only child, which is a bit strange, given that there was probably pressure to produce a male heir and secure the line of succession. We can speculate that it's possible she suffered miscarriages or couldn't get pregnant again. William of Malmesbury, an early Anglo Norman historian, proposed a different theory, that Alfwyn's birth was such a horrific experience that Aethelflad pledged celibacy for the rest of her life. In 1099, William of Malmesbury wrote, quote from the difficulty experienced in her first, or rather only labor. Aethelflaad ever after refused the embraces of her husband, protesting that it was unbecoming to for the daughter of a king. To give way to a delight which in time produced such painful consequences. Now, William of Malmesbury didn't give any sources for this from the period, so Aethelflaed's celibacy is likely apocryphal. Contemporary historians imagine that he might have made it up in order to emphasize Athelfla's moral purity. That said, William was a monk at Malmesbury Abbey, a monastery in Wessex with historic ties to the royal family. And it's possible that this story was passed down to him and it was truthful. Fact or fiction, this anecdote represents a rare example of a medieval queen putting her foot down and deciding for herself.
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Dana Schwartz
After a decade of strengthening Mercia's defenses, Aethelflad was ready for battle. When the Vikings descended on eastern England in 892, it was clear that her preparation paid off. After a few years of fighting, Alfred, Aethelflaed and Aethelred successfully repelled the invaders with minimal losses. The Viking army disbanded in 896, and Aethelflaed was finally able to enjoy a period of peace in Wessex and Mercia. But this period of peace didn't last long. In October of 899, King Alfred died. Though this was a huge blow both to Aethelflaed, his daughter, and Aethelred, his son, son in law and closest military ally. They were perhaps relieved to find that, unlike many medieval kings living through long periods of war, he survived decades of battle and had lived long enough to die of disease in his own bed. In his will, he commemorated Aethelred by leaving him a sword worth 1, 100 Byzantine gold coins. Alfred's oldest son, Aethelflaed's brother Edward, succeeded to the throne of Wessex, becoming king of the Anglo Saxons, adopting the title his father invented. It was unclear exactly what this meant for Aethelred and Aethelfla, as I'll call them by their made up couple name, with absolutely no historical accuracy, the Athels. Some historians believe that Alfred preferred his son in law, Athelred, to his actual son, Edward. Since the court produced records of the Viking battles in the 890s, don't mention any of Edward's military successes. Out of loyalty to Alfred, Aethelred was willing to accept a subordinate title and treat Mercy Mercia as a part of the English Saxon kingdom rather than as an independent state. But Athelred seemed to distance himself from Wessex after Alfred's death. In documents from the Wessex court, Aethelred and Aethelflaed officially recognized Edward's authority. However, within Mercia, many charters made never mentioned Edward at all, leading some historians to suggest that Aethelred operated Mercia more or less as an independent kingdom. It seems that the Athels wanted to have it both ways, maintaining a close alliance between Wessex and Mercia without ceding too much of their power. Meanwhile, Aethelred's health began to fail, leaving Aethyl Flood to deal with governing Mercia largely on her own. There's no record of what his illness might have been or when it began, but the first record of his declining health was in 902, when Aethelfla had to administer a land grant without her husband. The last record of Aethelred's involvement in politics comes two two years later, in 904. In 902 there were more invasions into England, this time by Norwegians rather than the Danish Vikings, who were giving the English Saxons Trouble. In the 9th century, the Norwegians sailed from Scotland and Ireland to the west coast of Mercia. They approached Aethelflaed for a settlement in the Wirral, near what is now Liverpool. Aethelflad hesitantly agreed, but imagined that long term peace would be impossible. She fortified a nearby Bur Chester and stationed her army there, eventually kicking out the Norse. The Norse tried to fight back and retake the city by teaming up with the Danes. Aethelflaed defended Chester, leading her army from the ramparts of her birth. In 907, she successfully turned away the Norse and the Danes, representing a huge military victory. And again, this is Aethelflaed on her own, while her husband is ill and incapacitated. But Aethelflaed's triumph was tempered by her ailing husband convalescing sleep, still in Mercia, whose health was only worsening by the day. Finally, in 911, Aethelred died. He was buried at St Oswald's Church in Gloucester, which he and his wife had founded right after their wedding. This left Aethelflad at a crossroads. Traditionally, noble widows retired from their roles in government, however limited. Those roles were to become abbesses or to live out the rest of their lives at a peaceful estate. But on the heels of her military victory in Chester, Aethelflaed had larger ambitions. She had put so much effort into ruling over Mercia and was essentially functioning as its de facto ruler in the years before her husband's death. And so she would decide to succeed her husband as the lady of Mercia and lead the kingdom independently. While Aethelflaed's decision to rule over Mercia was nearly unprecedented, there hadn't been an independent female ruler over an English kingdom since the 7th century. It didn't seem that controversial. Her subjects supported her rule and some of them even called her their queen, even though she was considered the lady of Mercia. It's unclear whether or not she chose that title for herself. But being the lady of Mercia instead of the queen was strategic. It placed her on a lower rung than her brother Edward, who was the king of the Anglo Saxons. And it mirrored her late husband, who was considered the Lord of Mercia. All of which suggested that Aethelflaud intelligently wouldn't upset the status quo. The Mercian nobility also accepted Aethelfla's succession without a single recorded objection. There weren't any obvious alternatives. None of the Mercian royal family's eligible heirs seemed interested in the role. And Edward's son, Aethelflaed's nephew, who was raised in Mercia with Aethelflaed, was too young to take over the throne. An assembly of noblemen and other members of the elite convened to ratify Aethelflaed's rule, so she seemed to have their support. Edward tacitly gave his blessing for his sister's succession. Perhaps assuming that Aethelflad would be a loyal ally, Edward and his sister Aethelflad would have to work together to take on their most intense military engagement yet. While the Danes and the Norse had agreed to peace with Mercia and Wessex, Edward and Aethelflaed wanted to shore up their defenses. To guard against future attacks. Edward built a series of forts throughout Wessex, while Aethelflaed did the same in Mercia. Aethelflaed put special attention on establishing her rule on western Mercia, much of which had been seized by the vikings in the 870s or settled by the Norse coming from Ireland. After building a few burhs in the west in 912 and 13, she focused on protecting Mercia from the Danish who had settled in the east. Edward had already repurposed his rule on a few areas in the southeast, taking over some Viking strongholds in Essex, which raised the Danes alarm bells. Finally, that long simmering tension between the Danes and the Saxons overboiled in 917. In the face of Edward and Aethelflaed's military expansion, the Danes tried to fight back, attacking a few of Edward's forts in southeast Wessex. But they failed. Aethelflaed took the opportunity to invade Derbe, which had been ruled by the Danes since she was born. This wouldn't be easy, because it had been ruled by the Danes so long. Many of Derbe's residents had been born and raised under Danish rule and would want to fight for their hometown, the way they knew it. That said, Aethelflaed succeeded in recapturing the city. The Viking armies were reported to be scattered and uncoordinated, vastly outnumbered by Athelfla's army. Conquering Jerbe was a massive feat, given that it was such a central Danish stronghold. Not only did Aethelflaed conquer Derbe itself, but the regions around it, adding a large swath of land to her territory. Danish Mercia had five main towns called the Five Boroughs, and she had captured one of them. Soon she would take over another. In 918, she invaded London Leicester, which yielded to Aethelflaed's authority without a fight, suggesting she had a pretty fearsome reputation by this point. Edward, fighting the Danes in the southeast, managed to capture another of the Five Boroughs, Stamford, but he struggled a little more than his sister. Unlike Aethelflad, whose reputation had allowed her to take control of Lester without any bloodshed, Edward had to blockade the Danish fortresses at Stamford for six weeks before they folded. Similarly, the Danish colony of York offered to pledge their loyalty to Aethelflaed, but completely ignored Edward. An Irish source alleged that Aethelflaud had even managed to ally with Alba, a kingdom in what is now Scotland, and Strathclyde, a kingdom in northern England, against the Norse, even further expanding her military might and indicating that she was both an incredible warrior and also a diplomat. But her power would be short lived. On June 12, 918, Aethelflaed died in her palace at Tamworth. She was around 50 years old and appeared to have died unexpectedly of natural causes. Her body was taken to Gloucester to be buried next to her husband. After Aethelflaed had put decades of her life into expanding and protecting Mercian territory, with no obvious heir to the throne, Mercia was under threat yet again. News of Aethelflaed's death spread throughout Mercia and Wessex, and also made its way to Ireland and Wales. The Annals of Ulster in Ireland described her in an obituary as the most famous queen of the Saxons, and did not report her brother or her father's death. Welsh chronicles also noted her death, but ignored Edwards, suggesting that she had made an impression far beyond her kingdom, more so than some of the men in her family. Curiously, Aethelflaed's death was almost entirely ignored by chroniclers in Wessex, aside from a brief mention, even though it was where she was born. The Anglo Saxon Chronicle, the court produced record of events in Wessex never referred to her military victories in Derbe or Leicester, even though they were crucial in consolidating the English Saxon kingdoms. Fifty years after her death, it seemed that Aethelflaed's death brought to light some underlying tensions between Wessex and Mercia. While the two kingdoms were united in fighting against the Danes, Mercia's rising power and independence could have made the kingdom less subordinate to Wessex. This could be why Aethylfla was omitted from the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, allowing Edward to take credit for fighting off the Danes instead of his sister. After Aethelflaed's death In June of 919, her daughter Elfwin took over as the lady of Mercia, the only example in early medieval England of a woman inherited inheriting the throne from her mother. But only a few months later, Edward deposed Alfwin and took her to Wessex, gaining control of Mercia. It's unclear what happened to Alfwin after her deposition, and she too was ignored in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. Her brief rule wasn't even mentioned. Given that the Anglo Saxon Chronicle is among the most important, important accounts of 10th century English history, Aethelflaud and Alfwin remained shadowy figures, according to historian Tim Clarkson, and were placed under a conspiracy of silence, according to historian F.T. wainwright. That said, Athelflaed shows up in other early medieval sources, like the Mercian River Register, chronicles of the life of Alfred, Annals of Ireland and Wales and the charters that she issued. Accounts of her ambitious rule were also probably passed down orally before being put into writing in the 11th century by historians like William of Malmesbury, mentioned earlier in the episode. Another of these writers, Henry of Huntingdon, memorialized Aethelflaed in a poem that went heroic. Aethelfla, great in marital fame, a man in valor, woman though in name heroes. Before the Mercian heroine quailed Caesar himself to win such glory failed. Quite a legacy. That's the story of Aethelflaed, but keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear the story of how King Alfred, Aethelflaed's father, made a small mistake that would be remembered for centuries. Cooler days call for layers that last, and quince is my go to for quality essentials that feel cozy, look refined and won't blow your budget. Think $50 Mongolian cashmere, premium denim that fits like a dream and luxe outerwear you'll wear year after year. These are the pieces that'll turn into your fall uniform. Personally, I'm eyeing their wool coats. I travel a lot during this season. I have family in Chicago and Portland and these wool coats look designer level but cost a fraction of the price. And honestly, the quality is just as good if not better than designer level. 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Dana Schwartz
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Mark Indelicato
It's ANA Ortiz and I'm Mark and Delicato.
Ana Ortiz
You might know us as Hilda and.
Mark Indelicato
Justin from Ugly Betty.
Ana Ortiz
We played mother and son on the show, but in real life we're best.
Mark Indelicato
Friends and I'm all grown up now.
Ana Ortiz
Welcome to our new podcast, Viva Betty. Can you believe it has been almost 20 years? That's not even possible. You're the only one that looks that much different. I look exactly the same. We're rewatching the series from start to finish and getting into all the fashions, the drama and the behind the scenes moments that you've never heard before.
Mark Indelicato
You're going to hear from guests like America Ferreira, Vanessa Williams, Michael Urie, Becky Newton, Tony Plana, and so many more icons.
Ana Ortiz
Each and every one, all of a.
Guest or Additional Speaker on Viva Betty
Sudden like someone like comes running up to me and it's Salma Hayek and she's like, you are my Ugly. And I was like, what is she even talking about?
Ana Ortiz
Listen to Viva Betty as part of the My Cultura Podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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You've heard about royal bloodlines, but what about the kingdom within your body? Trillions of gut bacteria wage battles that shape your health, vitality, and even weight. Introducing Bioma, a novel supplement with everything your gut needs. Prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics, all science backed and third party tested. Enjoy. Better digestion, sustained energy and improved well being. Plus smoother weight management. When following a diet and exercise plan, visit Bioma Health and use code noble for 15% off your first order.
Ana Ortiz
It's Ana Ortiz.
Mark Indelicato
And I'm Mark and Delicato.
Ana Ortiz
You might know us as Hilda and.
Mark Indelicato
Justin from Ugly Betty.
Ana Ortiz
We played mother and son on the show, but in real life we're best friends.
Mark Indelicato
And I'm all grown up now.
Ana Ortiz
Welcome to our new podcast, Viva Betty. Can you believe it has been almost 20 years?
Dana Schwartz
I.
Ana Ortiz
That's not even possible. You're the only one that looks that much different. I look exactly the same. We're rewatching the series from start to finish and getting into all the fashions, the drama, and the behind the scenes moments that you've never heard before.
Mark Indelicato
You're going to hear from guests like America Ferreira, Vanessa Williams, Michael Urie, Becky Newton, Tony Plana, and so many more icons.
Ana Ortiz
Each and every one, all of a.
Guest or Additional Speaker on Viva Betty
Sudden, like, someone like, comes running up to me and it's Salma Hayek. And she's like, you are my ugly boy. And I was like, what is she even talking about?
Ana Ortiz
Listen to Viva Betty. As part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Eva Longoria
I'm Eva Longoria.
Narrator/Host
And I'm Maite Gomez Rejan.
Eva Longoria
And on our podcast Hungry for History, we mix two of our favorite things. Food and history.
Narrator/Host
Ancient Athenians used to scratch names onto oyster shells and they called these oyster ostracon to vote politicians into exile. So our word ostracize is related to the word oyster.
Dana Schwartz
No way.
Narrator/Host
Bring back the ostracon.
Eva Longoria
And because we've got a very mi casa es su casa kind of vibe on our show, friends always stop by.
Dana Schwartz
Pretty much every entry into this side of the planet was through the El Golf of Mexico.
Eva Longoria
No, the America.
Narrator/Host
No, the America.
Dana Schwartz
Forever and ever.
Eva Longoria
It blows me away how progressive Mexico was in this moment. They had land reform, they had labor rights, they had education rights.
Narrator/Host
Mustard seeds were so valuable to the ancient Egyptians that they used to place them in their tombs for the afterlife.
Eva Longoria
Listen to Hungry for History as part of the My Kultura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dana Schwartz
After a skirmish with the Vikings in 878, King Alfred fled a battle to the Somerset Levels, a marshy area in southwest England, in order to hide and recover. He turned up at a cottage where a peasant woman took him in without recognizing that he was the king. She was baking some wheat cakes by the fire and asked Alfred to keep an eye on them as she attended to some other chores. But Alfred, with so much on his mind, given that he was trying to protect Wessex from the Vikings, forgot about the cakes and accidentally let them burn. When the woman returned and discovered the burnt cakes, she scolded Alfred, who was duly humiliated. The story is likely a legend, appearing in the written record over a century after Alfred's death. It seems to be a medieval English version of Stars. They're just like us. Reassuring the listener that even kings can sometimes get distracted. The story became a staple of English folklore. There's even a mushroom named King Alfred's Cakes because they're chalky and black like brown burnt cakes.
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Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Erin Manke.
Dana Schwartz
Nobleblood is hosted by me, Dana Schwartz.
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With additional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hite and Julia Milani. The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk with supervising producer Rima Il Kayali and executive producers Erin Menke, Trevor.
Dana Schwartz
Young and Matt Frederick.
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For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the.
Dana Schwartz
Iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you.
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Listen to your favorite. You've heard about royal bloodlines, but what about the kingdom within your body? Trillions of gut bacteria wage battles that shape your health, vitality and even weight. Introducing Bioma, a novel supplement with everything your gut needs. Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics. All science backed and third party tested. Enjoy better digestion, sustained energy and improved well being. Plus smoother weight management. When following a diet and exercise plan, visit Byoma Health and use code NOBLE for 15% off your first order.
Narrator/Host
What do you think makes the perfect snack?
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Hmm, it's gotta be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient.
Ana Ortiz
Could you be more specific when it's cravenient?
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Okay, like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter, available right down the street at a.m. p.m. Or a savory breakfast sandwich I can grab in just a second at am, pm.
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I'm seeing a pattern here.
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Dana Schwartz
Crave, which is anything from am, pm.
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Ana Ortiz
Sami Gente. It's Ana Ortiz.
Mark Indelicato
And I'm Mark and Delicato.
Ana Ortiz
You might know us as Hilda and.
Mark Indelicato
Justin from Ugly Betty.
Ana Ortiz
Welcome to our new podcast, Viva Betty.
Dana Schwartz
Yay.
Ana Ortiz
We're rewatching the series from start to.
Mark Indelicato
Finish and talking to iconic guests like Betty herself, America Ferreira.
Guest or Additional Speaker on Viva Betty
There was this moment when the glasses went on and it was like, this is our Betty.
Mark Indelicato
Listen to Viva Betty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Narrator/Host
This is an iHeart podcast.
Host: Dana Schwartz
Podcast: Noble Blood
Theme: The extraordinary life and legacy of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, one of the most powerful and dynamic women in early medieval England, who defied expectations to rule a kingdom in her own right amidst Viking invasions, political intrigue, and a shifting balance of power.
Dana Schwartz delves into the turbulent history of late 9th and early 10th century England, centering on Aethelflaed, the daughter of Alfred the Great and wife of Aethelred, Lord of Mercia. Not only did Aethelflaed play a leading role in resisting Viking incursions, but she rose—almost uniquely for the era—to rule Mercia as its independent Lady. The episode traces her path from royal daughter and political bride to warrior, reformer, and nearly-forgotten ruler, examining how her legacy was shaped by gender, power, and the politics of chronicling history.
Dana reflects on the deliberate omission of Aethelflaed and her daughter from the Wessex-centric Anglo Saxon Chronicle, underlining how the victors and those in power shape remembered history, often at the expense of remarkable women in power.
“Given that the Anglo Saxon Chronicle is among the most important, important accounts of 10th century English history, Aethelflaud and Alfwin remained shadowy figures... placed under a conspiracy of silence.” (25:30)
The episode ends with the story of King Alfred’s legendary mishap, burning cakes while hiding from the Vikings—offering a relatable, human touch to legendary figures and underlining the blurred lines between myth and history.
“The story became a staple of English folklore. There’s even a mushroom named King Alfred’s Cakes because they’re chalky and black like burnt cakes.” (34:13)
“Lady of the Mercians” brings to life the remarkable accomplishments and challenges of Aethelflaed, a ruler who fought not just the external threat of Vikings but the internal obstacles of gender prejudice and historical erasure. Through diplomatic skill, innovations in defense, and direct military leadership, Aethelflaed earned her place in legend—her story remembered by some, silenced by others, yet resonating centuries on as an emblem of unsung female power in medieval Europe.