Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians - The First Warrior Queen of England

[@HistoryTime]

*Watch my latest full length history documentary here* :- kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWSrommLlquEp80 Hi guys! Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you see then don't forget to hit that subscribe button... More than 50 new videos coming this year on a huge variety of different subjects. Ancient History, Vikings, Romans, Aztecs, Scythians & More...It's History Time.

[@DedicatedSpartan]

History Time Please do a video on Ivar the Boneless.

[@mookins45]

nah, wait till after the tv show 'Vikings' tells his story, then fill it out!

[@stevenplaeger185]

@@mookins45 mo ml

[@SasukeUchiha-pv4xn]

What's the name of the music at the start

[@evamcmenemyhoang1567]

Dedicated Spartan 7aegjgy

[@kevinnorwood8782]

Regardless of the historical accuracy of The Last Kingdom, I think we can all agree that actress Millie Brady absolutely KILLED IT in her performance as Aethelflaed. She absolutely STOLE the show, especially in Season 3!

[@yaboyed5779]

Kevin Norwood she looks too much like Amber Heard

[@kaiung7542]

She's a cute redhead

[@ninjaboy4583]

True

[@sksman71]

She is still killing it in season 4.In real life she must of been a real bad ass

[@kevinnorwood8782]

@@sksman71 From what I've read about her, she was. But just like her father (possible spoiler alert) she died with her work unfinished. She was concluding a peace agreement between the Mercians and the Northmen, but shortly before she could finalize that peace, she contracted a fever and died.

[@nordicvolkan]

This channel is dope. Netflix" Last Kingdom " brought me here.

[@frankl7370]

Same

[@xavierpaul49]

I bet you did. Me too ⚔️

[@ΧρυσοθεαΨωμά]

Couldn't be more true

[@sarmadjaved7639]

Same

[@megatonhammer4723]

ditto

[@robbieshand6139]

No mention of her being being kidnapped in her youth by Erik, how they fell in love and then Erik was killed by his own brother and she was rescued by Uhtred?? Seems like an important part of her story. I saw it on that there BBC documentary series, The Last Kingdom...

[@franciscomm7675]

The last kingdom is fiction

[@robbieshand6139]

You don't say.

[@alexanderthompson5713]

woosh

[@Suburbannite]

i think the show is only based loosely on accurate historical events

[@JoeGamer81]

@@Suburbannite i think the show is accurately based on loose historical events.

[@FfBrenhines]

Watching this on the first day of the Æthelflæd festival/Anglo-Saxon Festival in Gloucester, which marks 1100 years since her death and burial here.

[@HistoryTime]

Fantastic

[@mariogonzalez5107]

Amazing!

[@ericbrown1101]

I'm so happy she's being celebrated the way she deserves.

[@davidrosner6267]

The struggle between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings is fascinating. Many people forget that England almost ceased to exist.

[@wildfire9280]

@Ryan Rose norman *yoke*

[@johnbuckley6051]

@Ryan Rose Except they didn't crush us all.

[@ErroneousBox]

Actually wrong the nomans invaded and split their countrymen in half. They became English Norman and French Norman's. When the normans collapsed these two subclasses of of normans absolved into their English and French counterparts.

[@reniam]

More properly, the Vikings were the catalyst for England to exist.

[@alicemi4155]

@@someguy3104 Something for which I, someone with no connections to England whatsoever, am grateful for. This creole international language of yours is one of magnificent plasticity and oh, so easy to learn. At least at a basic level necessary for survival. All thanks primarily to those Norman conquerors. I'm not trying to insult anyone, I'm just pointing to a historical event's unexpected linguistic side effect that has worked wonderfully for the rest of the world.

[@mariarice4916]

The greatest english-woman who ever drew breath....sadly unknown to so many these days...!

[@iamthatiam5152]

Some of us in mercia still remember the old storys👌

[@malcolmlugg9843]

Where Aldi bases its distribution centre is a town named after her nephew Aethelstan (Noble Stone): Atherstone. It is near there that Boudicca lost against the Romans too.

[@tracetrace2147]

Yeah 😥 luckily I knew her from Rise of Kingdom game

[@Delgen1951]

Like Ozymandias Said "Look on my works and despair!", time reduces even the Cesar's to myth, how the mighty have fallen.

[@Uhtredrag1080]

She's remarkable and without the Last Kingdom I've would have never looked her up. There needs to be a giant motion picture solely about this woman. She's got one hell of a story.

[@MikeJea]

Destiny is all!

[@Ramdingle007]

wyrd byth ful araed!

[@naylisyazwina6836]

*I am UTHRED, son of UTHRED*

[@Mark28644]

She help found the Saxon town of Warwick in 914, as well! She had ordered a fortified Burh, there. Now in the grounds of Warwick Castle, itself. Which was constructed by the Normans, later in 1068.

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

I just learned about her on History Unplugged Podcast and am doing more research to get to know her better. Super nice job on the video. I love the titles on the video to help understand the word's meanings and for those words that are pronounced miles away from their spelling too.

[@Stuart36]

Great content, one of my favourite history channels

[@HistoryTime]

Thank you mate, really appreciate you taking the time to check out the channel :)

[@chrismears2590]

Great stuff. Going to a talk on Æthelflæd in Oxford this week, and to an exhibition about the Danelaw in Nottingham, a city she reconquered (Snot's people, lol). I love your coverage of these forgotten chapters, and forgotten greats.

[@HistoryTime]

Thanks very much! Snotengaham is where I'm based :)

[@iamthatiam5152]

@@HistoryTime A SNOTTY LITTLE ANGEL(ANGLO) SAXON HEAR TOO😇

[@monicaglenn7878]

Im not from England, I know no one in England (well not personally), is there still a divide? Is there still animosity? Im curious to know.

[@sarahhiggins1515]

@@monicaglenn7878 divide between who? There’s no such thing as Saxons or ‘vikings’ anymore.

[@monicaglenn7878]

@@sarahhiggins1515 no shit.

[@shurik121]

Make Mercia great again!

[@leod-sigefast]

We have to start by kicking out the foreign Norman French aristocracy! Instilled since 1066, exploiting our land.

[@karenwall4301]

I really enjoy these videos and they are very useful in my genealogy work. Thank you for doing the work on these.

[@raineday3996]

Great channel! I subscribed! Thank you for your hard work and putting it on youtube

[@DarylTunget]

Another excellent edition, thank you. I've fostered Æthelflæd into my daughter's imagination for many years. This will be one more video i'll share with her. Thanks again P.K. be well, travel far.

[@persephone2706]

That's awesome. She's lucky to have a father who shares such stories of strong women past with her.

[@Peristerygr]

Unfortunately some men feel deminished by strong women ever from the past -so they nearly imply they never existed.

[@aresalicer514]

@@Peristerygr your definition of strong women should be 'masculine women'. Aethelflaed was extremely masculine which should not be labeled as 'strong women'. You can be a strong feminine women without being masculine like aethelflaed.

[@Peristerygr]

@@aresalicer514 Yes like not overreacting when she meets her husband's cucumbine and protecting the family from scandals effectively, like your mother does.

[@nevik9199]

it was Uhtred! Last Kingdom on netflix is awesome!

[@SuperParatech]

Useful and interesting bite sized chunks from our history. Thank you for this and presentation. Very well done

[@DJ-bq8ng]

This was great! I wish Michael Wood had covered Aethelflead during his IN SEARCH OF THE DARK AGES series

[@HistoryTime]

Thanks ! and Same! One of my favourite historians and documentary series.

[@glynbarrett2542]

I agree

[@joshuabernabe8420]

Micheal Wood did later cover her in the second part of his 3 part documentary series named, "King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons."

[@jaddenmp]

I’ll come back once it’s bedtime

[@pariahthistledowne854]

Being of Saxon descent on my father's side, i am fascinated by this period.

[@redgriffin3923]

Elizabeth's sister Queen Mary I, was the next Queen after Æthelflæd, but have just come across your videos, and thanks I enjoy them

[@zirzoh0969]

Just waiting on the last kingdom Season 5!!!!

[@filmontesfay5446]

when will it come back? (season 5) have they annonse it yet?

[@zirzoh0969]

Filmon Tesfay yes they did! Not sure when they releasing but its official that they are going to make season 5🙏🏼❤️

[@cowboyredemption368]

Hello Arselings

[@historywithhilbert]

Great video as always, just waiting for the triggered Celtic supremacists to cry about Boudicea being the first ;) (Also Northumbria stronk)

[@HistoryTime]

Boudicca coming soon ;)

[@IosuamacaMhadaidh]

Well, she was female, from Britain, a warrior queen, and took on Romans. So....yeah she was first.

[@IosuamacaMhadaidh]

But "England" didn't exist yet so maybe by a technicality you're correct.

[@lazidimir5879]

History With Hilbert no no no mercia stronk

[@wildfire9280]

@@lazidimir5879 NORTHUMBRIA IS DA BEST

[@SuperDancingdevil]

Ethelfled was almost written out of history just because she was a woman doing the work of Kings which some frowned on , She was respected by the Danes because of her ruthlessness and forward planning a true Warrior Queen , When she died she was buried at St. Oswalds Priory in Gloucester next to her husband, A place she knew well as she reorganised the streets there so that her armies could move through it easier and quicker on their way to fight the Danes, Her forward thinking and planning won her many battles and even won the admiration of her enemies.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

I believe in this context the following is appropriate. Yaassss Queen Slay.

[@cmox1830]

literally

[@AkbarMaxx]

Can you please tell me the approximate army size during those years? The show Last Kingdom portrays an "army" as maybe 100 men at most with one of the biggest battles consisting of many 1000 men. Was this true or is the army size understated?

[@badreddinechakibbelabed266]

I read somewhere that the Great Heathen Army consisted of 2000-2500 men, so it is possible that back then a 1000 men strong army was considered to be a big army.

[@leod-sigefast]

Yes, early Medieval armies were considered small, by ancient warfare or later standards. A couple of hundred strong warband-type formations. A 1000 men would be a huge army in those days in England. Hence why the Great Heathen Army was so hard to stop. (Paul Hill - The Anglo-Saxons At War is a really good book. I recommend it).

[@pariahthistledowne854]

Even Boudica's forces, centuries before, were much larger than that.

[@emmanuelsebastiao3176]

thank you for these Videos ... they are in a word, "Awesome"

[@mikewilburn5884]

Outstanding. Thank you.

[@moonlitegram]

Aethelred looks an awful lot like Uhtred "The Bold" from your other video ;)

[@chrismears2590]

It turns out Big Finish, who make audio productions for Doctor Who, made a story called The Lady of Mercia in 2013. I've just finished listening out of curiosity. Of course there are loads of inaccurate and inauthentic bits, which is fine and what you expect, but some were just annoying - They called her Ethelfrid, kept conflating Mercia with the "wild" North rather than the Midlands, and had her at war with her brother in Wessex rather than cooperating. But I liked how they focused on the uncertainty around the end of her reign, when she was offered submission by York, where in the story she is planning a victory rally. Also occasional details like her ceding Oxford to Wessex showed some amount of research. Funnily enough, the modern day part of the story was set in an international conference about Æthelflæd, much like the one taking place in Tamworth this year, to mark 1100 years since her death.

[@boulevard14]

Its so scary that these borders still exist today.

[@bdm-astroscorpion5025]

My local burgh ~ Wednesbury "The Burgh of Woden" ~ commemorates Athelflaed in the street name Athelfleda Terrace, situated on the slope of the hill of Woden, the former pagan temple being on top of the hill. The two churches of St Bartholomew (Anglican) and St Mary On The Hill (Roman Catholic) sit on top of the hill these days. Wednesbury was a major settlement in Anglo-Saxon Mercia.

[@shelleygibbons1065]

Great presentation

[@sakkra93]

Love from York, Lady Aethelflaed, rightful Queen of Jórvik by popular demand.

[@raykaelin]

Loved it..

[@theobolt250]

Can someone tell me wether she actually fought in battle, sword in hand? Or was she just the strategist behind the battle lines?

[@brandyjean7015]

Good question.

[@pariahthistledowne854]

She may have. Saxons women on the Continent often did.

[@cherylbrooks7005]

Thx!

[@petrameyer1121]

I also would rather support Boduccia as the First Warrior Queen. Of course, England did not exist at that point yet. But still, I am very fond of her. :)

[@LordErebusBloodmoon]

Boduccia revolted from Rome and only served to make Briton weaker when facing the saxon invasions.

[@MCernoble]

Petra Meyer she was a leader not a queen

[@kaiserproductions1278]

She was the warrior queen of a bunch of Celtic speaking peoples, not English people.

[@menguy3116]

The last Kingdom

[@maxmustermann369]

who else is only watching this bc of bernard cornwell?

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

Greatest writer of historical fiction ever!

[@snazzyquizzes2336]

Great vid! I've said this elsewhere, but I think 'Aethel' is pronounced 'athel' not 'ethel' because an ash ('a' and 'e' combined) is pronounced with a hard 'a', like hat. So it's pronounced "Athelflad" not "Ethelflade". Not being picky, just wanted to point out something I'd learned.

[@popdartan7986]

In Scandinavia the æ/ä is pronounced as the a in hat

[@tfan2222]

Interestingly enough, though that is true, “æ” in names becomes “e.” For example, “Æþele” became “Ethel.” In the same way, a later poem writes her name as “Ethelflede [the ‘-e’ is a grammatical ending].” This is also how the name is pronounced in the video.

[@loenigma69]

Great!

[@HistoryTime]

Thanks very much! Very kind

[@romella_karmey]

During the time where women's existence is completely fictional. Aethelflaed is a great example that women can also run the world if given the chance to bloom. Like wild flowers, they can run through concrete just to rise up and make their presence felt.

[@wilfordfraser6347]

So she would have been a child living in the marshes with her father during the Viking great invasion. Fascinating. I wonder what that was like for her. Too bad people in those days didn't write their memoirs.

[@JaylukKhan]

Who is the artist behind the thumbnail illustration?

[@Floreal78]

Angus McBride

[@tomurg]

1:58 what’s the name of that song?

[@PeteKellyHistory]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4HYeox6rrSqmZo

[@tomurg]

Peter Kelly nice thanks a lot

[@googelle7555]

I especially love her AoE and debuffs, lul.

[@pariahthistledowne854]

Lol! Me too! RoK on!

[@SasukeUchiha-pv4xn]

What's the name of the music at the start

[@georgec7155]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJOodn2hiKqYeMU

[@dentonstalesofthevikingage8945]

A wonderful woman.

[@TheKeithvidz]

My my. I saved a wikipedia link on her 4 researching my medieval story.

[@thomasmiles9068]

I think you'll find that Elizabeth's older sister Mary ruled in her own right before Elizabeth

[@daemonartursson5952]

Nope. Mary did it all for her husband, Phillip of Spain.

[@nathangoodfellow5260]

How many people work on these videos ? Or do you put these all together alone ? Do write the scripts as well ?

[@HistoryTime]

Hi Nathan. It's all me. I'm a one man team.

[@nathangoodfellow5260]

@@HistoryTime Amazing!! I enjoy what you're doing very much .......Thx for responding, Cheers!

[@philipbrackpool-bk1bm]

Might have been nice to put Tamworth on the map, it was her capital.

[@leod-sigefast]

I am guessing you all know but Burh is the Old English word that became: borough, burgh, borgh, bury in Modern English place names.

[@skull2470]

After learning a bit more about this I can't help but notice they completely butchered her husband's character in the last kingdom.

[@brianferris8668]

The first Warrior Queen of England. Would that not have been to Boudica?

[@ErroneousBox]

Wasn't a queen of England. England did not exist yet mate

[@Antionamente1]

Wasn't Boudica Celtic? She was fighting the Romans I think. The anglos and saxons haven't arrived yet. There was no England. I could be wrong.

[@brandyjean7015]

My thought too! And no she wasn't queen of all of England. But she was a Warrior Queen on that same island.

[@muhammadsaimali1066]

Games of throne's characters Aegon, Visenya, Rhaenys Targaryen were inspired by first king and queen of England........ i think

[@josuegraveran7195]

Exelent. I love the history. I have a lot of friends that speak Spanish. Can you translate some of your videos to give the opportunity to my friends? Thanks a lot.

[@reniam]

I'm glad people watch historical shows and then learn the history behind them. The Last Kingdom was a good show in season 1 & 2, then became goofy. Historically it's garbage. But, if it gets people here that's great.

[@kbaise931]

wasn't boduccia from the same area? Wasn't Boudicca from same area? great story. thanks.

[@maxmustermann369]

not quite. in aethelflaeds time it would be considered east anglia

[@12234nic11234]

No about 600 years differemce. Boudica lived during the time of the Roman occupation of Britain

[@sirpercarde709]

Boudicca was not English! That would be anachronistic and insulting. The Iceni were Briton not Saxon. 🤔

[@flanthemanable]

When did the 'Æ' disappear from the English Language?

[@differentialequation9471]

AreaMan When printing press introduced in England.

[@Nikolaj11]

@@differentialequation9471 I knew a lad when i lived in the UK, that thought he was being fancy by using Æ, Ø and Å in place and E, O and A in his name, on facebook. They became lame when I told him they were just common letters in my language for some reason. Would be kinda neat if the english started to use Æ again.

[@tobyehillier]

Can't really call it English as such. The Angles and Saxons were German, and yeah okay the Saxons called it Englisc but, English as we know it is as much French as it is German. Which is why we did away with the formalities of feminine and masculine. It just got too damn confusing trying to work it all out. I guess that's why English is as influential as it is... It's just a big melting pot of words put together from a load of languages. They reckon Harold Godwinson was the last actual English King (died at Battle of Hastings 1066) but then he was a mix of Anglo-Saxon and Danish. The current Royal family changed their name to Windsor during the war because being German and having a name like Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wasn't favourable

[@VTdarkangel]

@@Nikolaj11 I wish we would readopt 'æ' again because it represents a sound we still have. In general, I think we need some serious reforms to our written language because our current system is broken.

[@Nikolaj11]

@@VTdarkangel Have you seen "What if English were phonetically consistent?" by Aaron Alon? It's a pretty funny video.

[@MCernoble]

Man wtf he didn’t even say last kingdom spoilers

[@HistoryTime]

It happened 1100 years ago... I think that's enough time..

[@wholefoodplantbasedmama5398]

But what about Boudicca? She was a warrior queen and earlier than altelfreud

[@HistoryTime]

England didn’t exist

[@joshmandrell4952]

The last kingdom is great

[@colintilley538]

I thought the first warrior queen was Boudicca queen of the Iceni who fought against the Romans in the 1st Century AD.

[@daudidris]

Aethelflaed was such a baddie

[@jeffpollard7304]

A series on Hegist and Horsa should precede the ‘ Last Kingdom’ to give true understanding to the establishment of “England”!

[@gerner5376]

Pretty sure they weren't real

[@johnrogers8836]

I can’t see a comparison with Queen Elizabeth as being relevant. Elizabeth never carried her sword whilst charging headlong at the enemy.... maybe look back for a comparison in Boudicca. ( an earlier warrior queen to this first one )

[@laxman90210]

I read the title as Muricans and was confused :)

[@jimmason1072]

Though she had a goose of swan in her flag....

[@1922Skidoo]

I’m related to this badass lady💪🏻

[@andywilley3041]

What about boudicca.... Now she was a warrior

[@HistoryTime]

England didn’t exist when Boudicca lived. I have made a film about her.

[@joonte1010]

Didnt know this saxon queen had a swedish vendel helmet.

[@juxyoh4659]

Bödvar It’s an Anglo-Saxon helmet.

[@joonte1010]

@@juxyoh4659 Its the valsgärde 8 helmet, not anglo-saxon but swedish.

[@blackarawak83]

@@joonte1010 the Anglo-Saxons wore similar clothing reminiscent of their ancestors in Jutland mixed with ones of the native Britons.

[@joonte1010]

@@blackarawak83 the jutland ppl didnt have helmets like that, that helmet belonged to the elite in Sweden (Svitjod) in the vendel age.

[@Hervey-de-Keith]

@@joonte1010 Anglo-Saxons had similar helmets, but you're right about the Vendel and Valsgärde 8 helms, they shouldn't really be there, especially not decorated since the Anglo-Saxons at this time are Christian, not the Germanic pagans that they once were, which when they were had decorated helmets like the one at Sutton Hoo. However the helms such as the Vendel and Valsgärde 8 are related to Anglo-Saxon helms, since they're both Germanic and both believed in the old gods, with slight changes to major changes in both respected Germanic religions and obviously the Anglo-Saxons betraying the old gods, and killing the last great Anglo-Saxon pagan King Penda of Mercia in the battle of Winwaed 655 AD, ending paganism in England as a whole well until the Vikings arrived at Lindisfarne and etc.

[@anncbower5564]

The 1st warrior queen 🤔🤨 that's debatable since the Iceni queen Boudica was also a warrior queen during the Roman conquest.

[@lfgifu296]

Mary I was sole ruler before Elizabeth, though.

[@jmconradie_VARIETY_playlists]

Great guns! I am busy writing a time-traveling story in video format about interfering with the battle of Wodensfield, for KZbin. Hoping Lady Aetheflaed survives it...

[@garychynne1377]

thank yew

[@user-qi6tp1te1y]

Why are girls that are my type long dead or my ancestor

[@owenosborne-lewis5060]

Hello.

[@theguitaraholic3951]

The Last Kingdom brought me here.

[@analuiz-wright7941]

watching this cause of history?

[@joeyv47]

I am Uhtred son of Uhtred......

[@mec_473]

Æthelflæd

[@georgec7155]

Intro music? edit: nevermind it's this:kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJOodn2hiKqYeMU

[@WarDogMadness]

did she ever take to to front line to fight in any battles or is warrior queen just a propagandised title? i do love the content

[@Uhtredrag1080]

She was the Queen of conquering warriors (warrior queen). No, she did not engage in combat with the Danes (too valuable and untrained, Alfred raised her to be a wife, not a warrior). She was definitely at the battles however still putting her life in danger and inspiring her men. The morale she provided her troops is priceless and most definitely contributed to victory. She was a awesome women with a warriors spirit, but a combatant is a stretch. I think leading her warriors into battle still earns her the title "Warrior Queen. But hey, that's just me.

[@PozoBlue]

@@Uhtredrag1080 some historians say she did lead in battle.

[@Uhtredrag1080]

@@PozoBlue I said she was at the Battles, leading. She however did not charge into the fight. She would've been in the back surrounded by bodygaurds watching and giving orders. Think of the English King in Braveheart who just sat back and gave orders. That is what she did. So yes, she lead battles. She did not go toe to toe with Danish soldiers. She was not a sword warrior.

[@Badjuda]

Rise of kingdoms brought me here

[@NavjotKaur-cy4jf]

That means uthred and athelfled were never involved ? At last a sigh of relief 😀

[@kevinbaconwasntinfootloose1742]

Of course they were involved. He was the man she trusted most in this world. Alfred can never know, it would destroy him.

[@annye7187]

I dont like her relationship with Utred. She was not really in love with him. She was only using him. Marcia was her only love.

[@PozoBlue]

Good thing Uhtred is a fictional character who she never met in real life hehehe

[@nilgulalparslan291]

Türkçeye çevirebilirmisiniz

[@immortaljanus]

Eowyn?

[@leemason887]

I have not enjoyed .any thing on the new technology as much as the history .I've fumbled upon .Since helping clean a garage and being given a set of Public school books from the eighteen seventies. Truly in the late sixties History was taught to a degree as I understand no longer my daughter's haven't any desire or ......you get it or you don't so let's all make the same mistakes !

[@HistoryandOtherStuffwithBV]

Respecc

[@maxavail]

I love how these artistic depictions show her as a feeble female, when in fact she must have been more like a sturdy Brunhilde to be able to fight properly.

[@73North265]

maxavail 1) You don’t have to be ‘sturdy’ to use a sword, spear or shield etc- the weapons were much lighter than most people think; 2) what evidence is there that suggests she personally took part in the fighting? One would have expected something like that to have been remarked on by the sources of the time. She was clearly a remarkable person but that doesn’t mean she had to fight in the front line

[@PozoBlue]

@@73North265 The chronicles mention her as a warrior that struck fear into even edward's enemies. And those chronicles werent even written by mercians or saxons (who always make their own rulers look good) but by competing kingdoms. the irish, welsh, ulster and anglo norman chroniclers all wrote in awe of her. I mean she retook a huge chunks of territory from the danes, some historians think three of the welsh kings were under her lordship and york vikings had submitted to her but she died before making it to york. You don't gain that sort of respect by just ruling behind doors and even less when being a woman. What kind of powerful ruler she had to be to get a bunch of contemporary men to write about her like that in those times. The annals of ulster call her 'famosissima regina Saxonum' (greatly famous saxon queen) and the anglo norman historian Huntingdon talks about her martial/war fame> ''Heroic Elflede! great in martial fame, A man in valour, woman though in name: Thee warlike hosts, thee, nature too obey'd, Conqu'ror o'er both, though born by sex a maid. Chang'd be thy name, such honour triumphs bring. A queen by title, but in deeds a king. Heroes before the Mercian heroine quail'd: Caesar himself to win such glory fail'd.''

[@73North265]

@@PozoBlue Sorry, but none of that is evidence that she herself took part in direct fighting herself. Yes, you are right - the chronicle are effusive with praise about her but that could easily be explained by her being a successful queen whose Uncle was the most powerful man in North Western Europe at the time. Your highlighted quote even demonstrates the hyperbole being used in the sources - no one seriously would put her success as greater than Caesar, it is poetic licence which we both know was common at the time and makes definitive statements very hard to make from contemporary or near contemporary sources. Consider for instance Elizabeth I, an even more successful Queen, who had even higher praise written about her, but we know for a fact she did not participate in combat herself. Maybe you think I am being unfair, but the bar for definitively proving any particular individual was a 'warrior' at that period is extremely difficult both historically and archaeologically. For example people get very excited at the presence of weapons as grave goods, yet we see them in contexts where the person simply couldn't have been in a position to use them (children mainly). You need a combination of strong sources of evidence to show it, and this requirement is even higher if it should be against the established cultural norms of a society. So in summary, nothing you have stated is evidence that she was a warrior herself, nor did she need to be. Given the cultural mores of the time, I would definitely have expected a great deal of comment about how a Queen herself broke convention by taking part in the actual fighting herself had it been the case (yes, you clearly want to interpret some comments that way but they really don't say what you want them too). We can't even be sure as to the extent that Kings like Alfred and Athelstan themselves took much part in the fighting themselves. Finally I'd ask you why she would even have needed to be a warrior? I strongly get the feeling you want her to have been, but that really is to impose your modern values of what constitutes success on to her. You hypothesise that she would have needed to be so to get the respect she had, but we can see even today that such respect can be earned simply through great leadership (e.g. look at Volodimir Zelensky today - he is an actor not a fighter but he has rallied his nation to fight a much greater enemy). Let's just agree she the evidence shows she was clearly a remarkable individual (from a family that produced several remarkable individuals in that period) who earned the respect of her people and others; she really doesn't need to be mythologised as a sword-swinging valkyrie to suit our modern desire to blur the difference between the sexes.

[@DarkBlueDerry]

1:45 norse men flying a Scottish flag lol

[@azzamon4360]

Michael Skelly you mean Anglo Saxon Mercians flying an Mercian flag.

[@DarkBlueDerry]

Wulfhelm Hardwald I can't dispute this because I don't actually know I just thought it looked like a Scottish saltire flag

[@azzamon4360]

Michael Skelly i can’t blame you the mercian flag is similar to the scottish flag

[@DarkBlueDerry]

I rarely if ever comment on videos unless I'm sure I know what I'm talking about this is exactly why but thank you iv learned something new which I appreciate

[@semiautothanoscar9612]

In the Medcian Flag the Cross is Yellow/Gold

[@jkb1O5]

Mercia (?) = ‘Merica (?) | 🤔 hmmmmm

[@DummyFace123]

I thought this said ‘Mericans

[@Anaris10]

Penda lives!.

[@J040PL7]

so the funny looking A is just to be ignored? lol