1070 - Eadgyth Aelfgarsdottir relates her tale of passion and war, and highlights the plight of women in feuding Anglo Saxon Britain.
Daughter of the powerful Earl of Mercia, Eadgyth is sold into marriage to Gruffydd ap Llewellyn of Wales; a man old enough to be her grandfather. The marriage fails and she is accused of treason, fornication and incest.
War comes in the form of Harold Godwinson’s night attack on the palace. Gruffydd and his household escape but Eadgyth is abandoned and falls into the hands of the Saxon invaders.
After the brutal murder of her husband, Eadgyth, separated from her sons, is taken to the court of the Saxon King, Edward the Confessor. There, desperate to be reunited with her children, she befriends the queen and her feminine charms enable her to infiltrate the sticky intrigues of the Godwin family.
A proposal of marriage from Earl Harold provides the security she needs and on the eve of his accession to the throne she agrees to become his queen. However, this newfound position of power is threatened as William the Bastard prepares his invasion fleet in the south while Hardrada invades from the North. The portentous date of October 14th 1066 looms.