Ælfweard, the Forgotten King: England’s Monarch for Sixteen Days (Or Was He?)

History remembers the mighty, the long-reigning, and the victorious, but what about the nearly forgotten? This article explores the short, shadowy life of Ælfweard, the little-known son of Edward the Elder, who may have briefly ruled England for just sixteen days.

Between the political turmoil of Anglo-Saxon succession, rival claims to the throne, and the uncertain legacy of his education and legitimacy, Ælfweard’s story is one of potential, tragedy, and mystery. Was he truly king? Was he meant to rule at all? Dive into the lost life of a prince who stood on the edge of power—and vanished almost as quickly as he appeared.

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Microphone - Podcast - Interview

Gothic Bite Magazine Interviews Their Writer, Ivy Wayne

At Gothic Bite Magazine we love welcoming new patients to become part of our asylum. We question them and learn about them. It doesn’t matter what creative field they are part of because they’re our patient now. This week, we welcome Ivy Wayne

Patient Name: Ivy Wayne

I’m Ivy Wayne, and I grew up in the publishing world and attended acting/art school. I grew up in a small northern French town in Québec, Canada. Determined to make it into the big leagues. I learned English independently. I had Stephen King, Oliver Bowden, Charlaine Harris, Jeaniene Frost, Katie Aiken Ritter and Bernard Cornwell as my ‘literary teachers in writing.

Odd to most people, I became a bookworm and developed an antisocial personality disorder my whole life. I fought many stereotypes and misconceptions from the outside world her entire life. After all, horror is hard to defend to other parents when your daughter is only six-year-old.

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The Last Kingdom — BBC-Netflix

The Last Kingdom Is A Gothic, Historical Story

Sometimes history hides heroes deep in the art and leaves a battlefield without a name. The Last Kingdom is about one of those men.

Where It Came From

The Last Kingdom is a gothic, historical story. But where to begin? History is an infinite source of ideas for authors.

It is becoming a series that has people glued to their small screens. Netflix didn’t waste time and jumped on Bernard Cornwell‘s work of The Saxon Stories and called it The Last Kingdom.

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Viking Axe

An Evil King In A Most Unforgiving Time

In the Dark Ages, technology and discoveries were stagnant. Yet, to this day, creative minds dive into history to grab a piece of its history. While some things stood still, the battle for kingdoms had begun. Reign of Mad Kings roared over lands, and Æthelred II was one of them.

Dark Ages Fun Fact & Warning

A Dark Ages fun fact: people had no surnames or family names. In fact, they had either sobriquets or a nickname to separate them from others wearing the same first name. For that reason, many last names today carry words that once meant something different.

I should warn you that this article is about Æthelred II, ‘the Unready’ from later in history and not based on the fantastic character from the television series, The Last Kingdom. Those are two different Æthelred II. While native from the same kingdom apart in time.

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