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Home / Series / The Kingdom of Mercia: the Ninth Century

Series

The Kingdom of Mercia: the Ninth Century

The Kingdom of Mercia: the Ninth Century series reimagines the reign of Coelwulf II, Mercia's last independent king, during the Great Heathen Army's conquest of the English kingdoms. Coelwulf and his oath-sworn warriors fight Danish jarls, negotiate uneasily with Alfred of Wessex and attempt to hold together a fractured realm. The sequence combines battlefield action with the political choices that led to Mercia's partition and eventual absorption into a wider English kingdom.

Reading order

Books in this series (10 books)

The Last King cover

#1 – The Last King

M J Porter

The Viking raiders sent three hundred warriors to kill one man. It was never going to be enough. The Saxon kingdom of Mercia lies broken but not beaten, her alliance with King Alfred of Wessex in tatters. Coelwulf, a fierce and bloody warrior with a distant…

The Last Horse cover

#3 – The Last Horse

M J Porter

The crown was never his ambition. But Mercia's survival is. The Vikings have been routed from Torksey — dead or fled — but victory brings no peace. Mercia lies broken, her alliance with Wessex in tatters, her new king a warrior thrust unwillingly beneath the king's…

The Last Enemy cover

#4 – The Last Enemy

M J Porter

The king's warrior helm was never his ambition. But Mercia's survival is. Coelwulf has done little but fight since the day they declared him king — and the fight is far from over. The Saxon kingdom of Mercia lies broken, her alliance with Wessex in tatters,…

The Last Sword cover

#5 – The Last Sword

M J Porter

The three defeated jarls of Grantabridge might be hiding behind the walls of their settlement as winter storms ravage, but the weather is no deterrent for another adversary, and Coelwulf holds a far more personal grudge against Jarl Halfdan. King Alfred hovers on the border with…

The Last Shield cover

#6 – The Last Shield

M J Porter

Summoned back to Worcester by Bishop Wærferth, Coelwulf discovers that an old enemy has resurfaced on the border with the Welsh, but this time, an enemy demanding help. Aware he can’t leave Mercia, Coelwulf must split his force, determined that his old enemy is more helpful…

The Last Seven cover

#7 – The Last Seven

M J Porter

He sent twenty men to infiltrate three hundred. It had to be enough. While Archbishop Wulfhere of York begs for assistance against Jarl Halfdan, now living in Northumbria, Bishop Smithwulf of London is eager for Coelwulf to forge an alliance with King Alfred of Wessex. And…

The Last Viking cover

#8 – The Last Viking

M J Porter

Can one man win Mercia’s freedom from the Viking raiders? Jarl Guthrum has been captured after the terrible events in Grantabridge. King Coelwulf knows exactly what he’d like to do to him, but those with calmer heads have other ideas. Baptised and having taken the name…

The Last Alliance cover

#9 – The Last Alliance

M J Porter

Can one man unite the Saxons against their common enemy? The recent events within Kingsholm allow King Coelwulf of Mercia and his warriors no time to enjoy their successes or mourn their dead. Unwilling but honour-bound to meet King Alfred of Wessex, Coelwulf journeys south. The…

The Last Deceit cover

#10 – The Last Deceit

M J Porter

Deceit and ambition threaten to undo the most fragile alliance. King Coelwulf of Mercia has unwillingly accepted the need to ally with the kingdom of Wessex under the command of King Alfred. But King Alfred of Wessex must still prove himself, and Coelwulf can’t remain absent…