Eadric is based on Eadric Streona who became infamous in the Middle Ages because of his traitorous actions during the Danish re-conquest of England. Eadric or Edric the Wild was a local landowner along the Welsh Marches. He may have been the nephew of Eadric Streona a.k.a. the Grasper who in 1016 switched sides from Cnut to Edmund Ironside then promptly left the battle field half way through it. Edmund unsurprisingly lost the Battle of Ashingdon. He probably also had something to do with the St Brice’s Day Massacre of the Danes. The Grasper didn’t prosper because his Christmas gift from the new King Canute (who had undoubtedly benefited from the battlefield exit) was to have Eadric executed and thrown into a ditch. More positively, Edric the Wild was probably also related to the Princes of Gwynedd and Powys.

Wild Edric". Shropshire History. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020 . Retrieved 13 January 2022. Eadric the Grasper is a captivating novel that effortlessly weaves together history, character, and intrigue. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of the book- and indeed, perhaps one of the most critical elements- is the relationship between Eadric and his ambitious wife, Aydith. Edmund – he’s one of my favorites and I always cry for him. The determination, loyalty and strength it took just to be him is fascinating. Ah, if only . . . . Eadric features as the central villain in the anonymous play Edmund Ironside, now part of the Shakespeare Apocrypha. In this play, Edricus (as his name has been Latinized) is the bastard son of peasants who raises himself to the level of earl through lies and flattery. Proud of his talent for dishonesty, he would be happy to see either the Danes or the Saxons rule England, but supports the Danes for reasons of personal expediency.

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The sun had not yet fallen below the River Thames, so it bathed the old Roman city in glowing hues of gold. The great stone walls around the burg gleamed like heavenly armor. The River Thames sparkled beneath the Lunden bridge as a breeze raked the surface. The shapes of traders and ships in the port flitted across the light as dancing silhouettes. Even the filthiest of street corners, filled with tethered animals or begging whores, appeared bright and beautiful. A simple map of Britain is included, but one with more detail (cities, towns, etc.) would have been useful.

Battle of Assandun [ edit ] Ashingdon hill in Essex, the more likely location of the Battle of AssandunA combination of all these facts, and my own creative interpretation of them, led me to the unconventional choice of making Athelward young Eadric’s tutor. As I’ve mentioned before, history sources provide three possibilities for Eadric’s father: Wulfric Spot, Alfric of Mercia/Hampshire, and Athelward of Wessex. To me, Athelward made the least sense, considering the established fact that Eadric was of “low birth.” In Eadric the Grasper, I make King Ethelred proclaim Athelward as Eadric’s father so that he does not appear to be so low-born as he truly was, for it was scandalous for a man without birthright to rise to the position of Ealdorman. Meanwhile, a ruthless vigilante called "the Golden Cross" will do anything necessary to keep the Vikings from the throne. Eadric must pit his wits and sword against the crafty masked figure, but doing so traps him in a dark web of lies and deception. When at last he uncovers the rebel's identity, his entire world will fall apart, and he must face a terrible choice. Can the selfish Eadric Streona sacrifice his own welfare for the sake of another's? Eadric's cousin Ealdraed inherited his land at Acton Scott, which was later held by William Leyngleys ('the Englishman," died 1203), likely to have been Ealdraed's descendant. [10] The property is still in the hands of Leyngleys' descendants, the Actons, having passed down through the generations without ever being sold. [11] I felt as if I should leave a more ambivalent review to counterbalance the glowing praise in the other ones, and give people a more realistic picture of it.