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'For the Protection of all the People’: Æthelflæd and her Burhs in Northwest Mercia

Blake, Matthew; Sargent, Andrew

Authors

Matthew Blake



Abstract

The fortifications, or burhs, constructed between 910 and 915 by Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, across much of the western Midlands have often been understood as part of a broader programme initiated by her brother Edward, king of the Anglo-Saxons, as part of the conquest of the Danish parts of the province of Mercia. This study seeks to understand them on their own terms, attempting to characterise their nature as built elements in the early medieval landscape, and placing them within the context of textual sources directly associated with Æthelflæd and her husband Æthelred. It is concluded that, whilst Æthelflæd’s burhs undoubtedly shared features with those constructed by her brother and their father, Alfred the Great, they also formed a particular corpus of their own with shared characteristics, and were conceived with several purposes, political, social and ecclesiastical as well as military, intended to answer problems specific to Æthelflæd’s Mercia.

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 20, 2018
Publication Date Sep 23, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Midland History
Print ISSN 0047-729X
Publisher Maney Publishing
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 43
Issue 2
Pages 120-154
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/0047729X.2018.1519141
Keywords Æthelflæd, burhs, Mercia, landscape, Vikings, peace, defence, protection
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1080/0047729X.2018.1519141

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