Bringing Sutton Hoo to life in fiction

Nearly 1,400 years ago, a king was buried in a treasure-filled longship on the banks of the River Deben in Suffolk, England. Welcome to Sutton Hoo - one of the most spectacular archaeological discoveries ever made.

Many historians believe it is the burial site of Raedwald, the charismatic king of the East Angles. But, the truth is, we will never know for sure who was buried among the treasures of Sutton Hoo. 

When I visited Sutton Hoo over ten years ago. As I wandered over the gently undulating land under the wide East Anglian sky, the seed for a story took root in my mind. I imagined the tale of a great Anglo-Saxon King, and a series of events that took place during the last year of his life. The premise for my first novel set in Anglo-Saxon England, Dark Under the Cover of Night was born.

Today, you can view the Sutton Hoo treasures in the British Museum.

Watch the story of the discovery and subsequent restoration of the Sutton Hoo treasure.

Live the history of Sutton Hoo

A king's daughter, the son of his sworn enemy - and a reckoning...

Discover the stories of the men and women who lived in 7th Century Britannia, through the eyes of Raedwyn - King Raedwald's headstrong daughter. 

Dark Under the Cover of Night (Quarter Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, 2013 - Romance Category), will be available for free on Amazon, for 3 days only, from 12-14 November 2015.

Download your Kindle edition of this historical novel while the free book promotion lasts!

Historical background for The Breaking Dawn

The Breaking Dawn is slowly inching further towards publication. The bulk of the editing has been completed and now we're on to polishing and perfecting the novel!

For this story, I've decided to insert some 'Historical Background' notes at the start, in order to give readers an idea of the cultural and political context of the time. 

Something that readers have asked me, is when exactly was the 'Anglo-Saxon' period? Not only that, but what made it different to the rest of the Middle Ages?

In the 7th Century, England was not as we know it today 

The British Isles were named Britannia (a legacy of the Roman colonization) and split into rival kingdoms: the Kingdom of the East Angles, Mercia, Northumbria, Kent and the East, and West Saxons - as well as the Celtic Kingdoms of Powys (Wales) and Wessex.

The Anglo-Saxon period lasted from the departure of the Romans, in around 430 A.D., to the Norman invasion in 1066 A.D.

However, I've focused on just a small window within the period.

I'm particularly fascinated by the period between the departure of the Romans and the first Viking invasion in 793 A.D – a 300 year period in which Anglo-Saxon culture flourished. So far, I've only set my novels in the 7th Century - from 600-700 A.D.

Why the 7th Century?

These were exciting times. The Kingdom of the East Angles was dominant at the beginning of this century, but gradually diminished under the power of Mercia. The 7th Century saw Christianity make inroads into the British Isles. Famous kings: Raedwald, Penda and Offa ruled during these years, leaving a lasting influence.

The Breaking Dawn is set in 641 A.D., at the height of King Penda of Mercia's reign. It is the year of the Battle of Maserfield (Maes Cogwy in Welsh). In the summer of this year, Powys (Wales) and Mercia united against, and defeated, the Northumbrians.

And very soon, you'll be able to read all about it. 

I will be announcing the publication date for The Breaking Dawn soon, so watch this space!

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Fact and Fiction - using real history in historical romance

My historical romance isn't exactly main-stream... 

What do I mean by that? Yes, there's a couple that fall in love and triumph despite adversity - but my books have a strong focus on real historical figures and events, not just the central love story. The story is strongly rooted in the period, and couldn't exist outside it.

I didn't start off writing them that way - it's just that when I was researching the period - Anglo-Saxon England - I realized that fact is not only stranger than fiction. It's often stronger. As such, I base my stories around actual people and events, and I think my stories are stronger for it.

So, if you love early British history - mixed in with a bit of romance - my books might be what you're looking for!

Historical figures I used in the Kingdom of the East Angles series

• Raedwald of the East Angles, the king thought to have been buried in the Sutton Hoo longship.
• Eni of the East Angles - father of Annan, who later becomes King of the East Angles.
• Eorpwald, Raedwald's son, who succeeded his father.
• Ricberht, the usurper who kills Eorpwald and takes the throne.
• Sigeberht, Raedwald's exiled stepson who returns to Britannia, overthrows Ricberht, and takes back the throne for the Wuffinga family
• Botulf, the missionary who founds the monastery at Iken.
• Ecgric, the man who co-rules with Sigeberht after the King of East Angles dedicates his life to Christianity.
• Anna (who I call Annan), Raedwald's nephew, who takes the throne after Sigeberht's death
• Penda - the warlord king of Mercia, and our villain. Penda is the last pagan ruler of Anglo-Saxon England.

Historical events I used in the Kingdom of the East Angles series

• King Raedwald's burial in a longship at Sutton Hoo.
• The death of Raedwald's son Raegenhere, slain in the Battle of the River Idle against Aethelfrith of Northumbria.
• Sigeberht's return from exile in Gaul to take back the East Anglian throne for his family.
• Sigeberht's abdication of the throne, in favor of a monastic life.
• Sigeberht's refusal to bear arms in battle against the Mercians. He goes into battle with only a staff for protection and dies.
• Annan's supervision of the building of Devil's Dyke the southern and western borders of the Kingdom of the East Angles

Work in progress...

I've now left the Kingdom of the East Angles behind, and traveled to Mercia. I'm currently hard at work on the first novel in this series, THE BREAKING DAWN.

Once again, I am using history to form the story's backbone. Our bad guy, King Penda of Mercia is back (and more ruthless than ever), while our novel's hero is Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn, the Prince of Powys, who forms an alliance with the Mercians.

The story begins at the Battle of Maes Cogwy (Maserfield), where the Mercians (with the help of the Welsh) defeat the Northumbrian army.

King Oswald of Northumbria dies at this battle and is famously dismembered, his head and arms stuck on poles at the edge of the battlefield. Oswald (who was later sainted) became revered as a Christian martyr and his dismembered limbs ended up in various relic collections in monasteries around Britannia.

Want more?

Sign up to Jayne's monthly newsletter and receive a FREE copy of NIGHT SHADOWS (PDF format). Newsletter subscribers will also get sneak previews of upcoming novels, behind the scenes 'extras', snippets about Anglo-Saxon England, and podcasts from Jayne!

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Who was King Raedwald?

King Raedwald is thought to be the king buried in the Sutton Hoo longship in Suffolk. 

His name (spelled Rædwald) means 'power in counsel'. Raedwald was King of the East Angles, and one of the most powerful figures of the Anglo-saxon period. The famous Sutton Hoo helmet that was discovered amongst other treasures at the burial site is now synonymous with Raedwald.

King Raedwald was a member of the Wuffinga dynasty. The family name came from his grandfather, Wuffa (which means 'wolf' in Old English). Few details remain about Raedwald's reign, as the 9th Century Viking invasions destroyed the East Anglian monasteries. However, historians have managed to gather enough evidence over the years to create a remarkably clear picture of the powerful and charismatic ruler.

Raedwald of the East Angles:

• ruled from circa: 593 A.D. to 624/625 A.D
  
• lost his son, Raegenhere, during the the Battle of the River Idle against Æthelfrith of Northumbria - Raedwald went on to win the battle and, with Æthelfrith dead, he installed Æthelfrith's exiled brother, Edwin (who was loyal to Raedwald), as the new king of Northumbria
• had a second son, Eorpwald, who went on to succeed him
• also had a stepson, Sigeberht, a son from his wife's first marriage. Raedwald eventually exiled Sigeberht to Gaul in order to protect the Wuffinga bloodline. However, after Raedwald and Eorpwald's deaths, Sigeberht returned from exiled and claimed the East Anglian throne for his own
• was married to a pagan princess, possibly from Essex. Little is known about his wife, although historical accounts from Bede reveal that she was devoutly pagan, strong-willed and forthright
• was the first king to convert to Christianity - although he remained loyal to the pagan gods as well - probably due to his wife's influence
• is thought to have had his royal residence in Rendlesham - this was likely to have been a great timbered hall with a straw thatched roof.

During Raedwald's reign, Gipeswic (today, Ipswich) grew into an important important trade centre, due to its location on the upper reaches of the River Deben. Some historians believe that Raedwald's kingdom was the inspiration behind Beowulf, and that many of the characters and locations in the epic poem, including the famed 'Golden Hall' are actually from Raedwald's reign.

Raedwald was a warrior king, who would have died as he had lived. With this in mind, he was my inspiration for Dark Under the Cover of Night. I set this historical romance in 624-25, during the last year of Raedwald's life. The story, although fiction, culminates in Raedwald's burial on the banks of the River Deben.


Books about Raedwald:

Newton, Sam, Dr: The Origins of Beowulf and the pre-Viking Kingdom of East Anglia, 1993, ISBN 0 85991 472 0.
 Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Translated by Leo Sherley-Price, Penguin, 1990, ISBN 0-14-044565-X.
Carver, M. Sutton Hoo: Burial Ground of Kings? British Museum Press, 1998, ISBN 0-7141-0591-0.
Laing L, Laing J. The Picts and the Scots. Sutton, 2001, ISBN 0-7509-2873-5.

Inspiration: this cover image from Dr Sam Newton's book "The Reckoning of King Raedwald", inspired me to write a tale of vengeance, honour and love.