The Battle of Winwaed - the defeat of Penda

On 15 November 655 A.D., Penda of Mercia met a grisly end. 

I'm a bit sad about that as Penda has been my favorite 'bad guy' over the past four books. He's cold and ruthless, and a warmonger, but I'd become fond of him. But, since my novels are following actual historical figures and events, I cannot avoid his death.

The Battle of Winwaed took place on the 15th day of blod monath, or Blood Month - the month we now recognize as November. It was the date that marked a shift in power between Mercia and Northumbria. After decades of tension and battles between the two kingdoms - Northumbria finally prevailed.

Penda had been attacking the northern borders that autumn, and had refused to accept treasure from the Northumbrian king, Oswiu, as a bribe in order to leave them in peace. After his campaign, Penda had headed for home. Unfortunately, he had left it too late, for winter was approaching and the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Instead of heading across the marshes, which had flooded due to heavy rains, Penda was forced to take his army east on higher ground - and that's where it all started to unravel...

Things went pear-shaped when he reached the River Winwaed.

Historians aren't really sure where this river actually was, although many think it was a tributary of the Humber, possibly somewhere near Leeds. Penda had been planning to cross the river, but found it a raging torrent, and impassable.

King Oswiu of Northumbria had been waiting for this moment.

Unbeknown to Penda, the Northumbrians had been tracking his army south, biding its time. With the river at their backs and the higher ground before them, the Mercians were in a terrible position, strategically.

They had a significantly bigger army. Penda had a fyrd (a king's army) of 30 warlords, but the Mercians had some significant desertions upon the eve of battle: Gwynedd, a welsh ruler who would be hence-forth known as the 'battle-shirker;, and King Oswiu's nephew, Aethelwald, who had sided with the Mercians but then pulled out of the battle at the last moment. It's thought that Penda's own son - Paeda - also sided with the Northumbrians - the ultimate betrayal.

On the morning of battle, it was pouring with rain, and the two armies would have fought in mud and soft clay. The Northumbrians pushed the Mercians back into the river, where many of them drowned.

Why is the Battle of Winwaed important in my novel?

This battle is vital to DARKEST BEFORE DAWN because it signifies the agreement that Oswiu of Northumbria makes with Paeda of Mercia. He agrees to allow Paeda rule over southern Mercia, and also agrees to led him wed his daughter Alchflaed - the heroine of our story.

The hero of this novel, Maric, is a Mercian warrior who survives the Battle of Winwaed but is forced to follow Penda's treacherous son. Paeda instructs him to travel north to collect Alchflaed from Bebbanburg (now Bamburgh Castle) and escort his bride-to-be home to Tamworth.

Hence, this battle sets in the entire plot of DARKEST BEFORE DAWN in motion!


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Work on the next novel begins...

The Breaking Dawn has been available on Amazon for over a month now, so it's time for me to start on the next book in The Kingdom of Mercia series: Darkest before Dawn. 

I like to use a common word in the title of each series, which bring all the books together. My first series (The Kingdom of the East Angles), used the word 'night' in each of the four titles - and the first three books of the Mercian series will include the word 'dawn'.

Here's the quote, from Longfellow, which inspired the title of my next novel.

“The nearer the dawn, the darker the night.”

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

They say truth is stranger than fiction 

These novels are set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon England - and it seems that with each book I write, I draw increasingly closer to real history and further from fantasy. Right from my first novel (Dark Under the Cover of Night), I centered by story around a famous historical figure: King Raedwald of the East Angles. After that, a number of historical events and figures have cropped up in my stories, including King Penda of Mercia - who has appeared in three of my books so far!

So, there have plenty of famous men featuring in my books, but I've not yet based a story around a famous woman.

That's all about to change!

My current novel (set in 655/6 A.D.) focuses on the life of Queen Alchflaed of Mercia.

Who was Alchflaed?

She was the daughter of Oswiu (King of Bernicia), and sister of Alchfrith (King of Deira). Her father and brother arranged for her to marry King Penda of Mercia's eldest son, Paeda, in order to settle peace between Northumbria and Mercia.

All of the above isn't that remarkable, or story-worthy, but wait. What makes Alchflaed's tale unique is that history blames her for the assassination of her husband, a few months after their marriage.

There is no historical record of what happened to her afterwards.

This blog post gives a detailed overview on Alchflaed's life and the historical records we have about her.

A historical romance is born...

Reading about Alchflaed, I was inspired to base Darkest before Dawn around her.

Alchflaed, a pawn in her father and brother's game, agrees to wed the young Mercian king: Paeda. Her father also instructs her to poison her new husband, as soon as the time is right.

Charged with this dangerous task, she travels south with a Mercian escort. However, along the way she develops a bond with one of her betrothed's most trusted retainers, Maric of Tamworth.

Tough, embittered, but fiercely loyal to his lord, Maric is a seasoned warrior who swore off love after his wife betrayed him years earlier. Initially, he resists the allure of the proud, willful Northumbrian princess - but events on the journey back Tamworth, the seat of the Mercian king, bring them closer than either expects... or wants.

Will the Northumbrians carry out their plot to kill the King of Mercia?

Will duty or love determine Alchflaed and Maric's futures?

Watch this space for more details on Darkest before Dawn!


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The Real Hero - basing main characters on actual historical figures

Basing a novel around an actual historical figure can be great fun - it just requires a bit of planning first.

I write historical romance novels set in Anglo-Saxon England - and routinely use actual historical figures in them. I love basing my plot around actual events and real people as it ensures my plot lines are original. 

It actually helps me come with ideas that might not have previously occurred to me!

Doing the research - there's no avoiding this one

Using real historical figures in novels can be a challenge. It's a delicate balance, knowing how much 'history' to include, and how much poetic license to employ. You want to stay true to history, but at the same time you need this character to feel real, not like he or she stepped out of the pages of an academic text book.

The closer your historical figure lived to present day, the more details you will find on them. 

And, the more details you find, the harder it is not to drown in details. 

Keep focused - remember that it's not your role to faithfully include every snippet you find. You are writing fiction, not a historical biography, so leave room for creativity.

I set my novels in 7th century Britain. This is both a blessing and a curse. 

It's a blessing because there are quite a few famous historical figures from this period, mostly rulers of the various kingdoms, who are great fun to write about. 

However, it's a curse because there's very little real detail on them. There were no written records during this period. The first accounts were written by monks nearly two centuries later, and then destroyed during the viking raids. This gives me some flexibility with details such as the character's physical appearance, and it also allows me to interpret some historical events without worrying about being contradicted by a history buff!

Details aside, the most important thing is to stay true to the period

Although you may change a few details about the historical figure in question - and even shift his or her timeline around to suit your story - you must keep your character faithful to the period in which he or she lived. 

The last thing you want is to dress a modern character in old clothes. Neither do you want to rely upon cliches about the past. 

Also, consider your dialogue. Too many uses of words like 'tis, 'twas, and 'thou' actually irritate and distract readers. For example, although many people think 'thou' was a formal way of addressing someone, it was actually the informal word for 'you'!

Scattering your dialogue with archaisms doesn't draw your reader into the past - writing in a way that makes he/she live and breathe the past with you does!

Analyze your character's belief system, morals, habits, and attitude towards death. They need to be true of the period. For example, in 7th century Anglo-Saxon England, Christianity was only just starting to make inroads - as such most people worshiped the old gods such as Woden and Thor, and believed that fate controlled their lives. My novels reflect this.

Meet Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn - the Prince of Powys

Until now I have focused on the kings of the Kingdoms of the East Angles and Mercia. However, the hero of my latest novel (THE BREAKING DAWN - available on Amazon at the end of February), is a famous 7th Century Welsh prince: Cynddylan, son of Cyndrwyn. 

Most of what I've found about this charismatic 'battle lord' is in the form of old Welsh poems, and what little historical detail remains about his life is sketchy to say the least. Even so, I have enjoyed bringing 'Dylan' to life in the pages of my novel. My research has allowed me to get a real 'feel' for how this man would have lived.

More on the Prince of Powys in my next post!

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