Alfred the Great's daughter defied all expectations of a well-bred Saxon princess. The first Saxon woman ever to rule a kingdom, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, led her army in battle against Viking invaders.

To protect her people and enable her kingdom in the Midlands to prosper, Aethelflaed built seven entirely new English towns. In so doing she helped shape our world today. This book brings Aethelflaed's world to life, from her childhood in time of war to her remarkable work as ruler of Mercia. The final chapter traces her legend, from medieval paintings to novels and contemporary art, illustrating the impact of a legacy that continues to be felt to this day.

You're probably familiar with the stained-glass images of Aethelflaed and her husband Aethelred in Worcester Cathedral. She and her husband jointly issued a decree for fortifying Worcester's city walls, and were friends with Worcester's Bishop. As Lady of the Mercians, Aethelflaed was also Lady of Worcester.

Margaret C Jones has given talks and held book signings about Aethelflaed and about Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen in towns all over the Midlands – including at Gloucester Cathedral. Sometimes the audience turn up dressed as Anglo-Saxons, which is definitely definitely encouraged!

Margaret C. Jones received her PhD from Purdue University in 1989. She has taught English literature – ‘from Beowulf to Virginia Woolf’ – at universities in the USA, Egypt and the UK. She is author of Heretics and Hellraisers, a study of American women radicals in the early twentieth century.