Godwine Kingmaker: Part One of The Last Great Saxon Earls
Description
<p><span><span>Harold Godwineson, the Last Anglo-Saxon King, owed everything to his father. Who was this Godwine, first Earl of Wessex and known as the Kingmaker? Was he an unscrupulous schemer, using King and Witan to gain power? Or was he the greatest of all Saxon Earls, protector of the English against the hated Normans? The answer depends on who you ask. He was befriended by the Danes, raised up by Canute the Great, given an Earldom and a wife from the highest Danish ranks. He sired nine children, among them four Earls, a Queen and a future King. Along with his power came a struggle to keep his enemies at bay, and Godwine's best efforts were brought down by the misdeeds of his eldest son Swegn. Although he became father-in-law to a reluctant Edward the Confessor, his fortunes dwindled as the Normans gained prominence at court. Driven into exile, Godwine regathered his forces and came back even stronger, only to discover that his second son Harold was destined to surpass him in renown and glory.</span></span></p>
Story Behind The Book
Dear France,
Today I am far away from you, sweet land of my childhood, but I think of you every day. There
will always be a big place for you in my heart as there is for my adoptive country Australia. Don’t
worry for me, dear France, Australia is looking after me and my family very well, it is a beautiful
place of wide open spaces, sunny skies and friendly people. But I will never forget you and how you
made the man I am today. I grew up in the heart of your majestic mountains, it is there that my
love of nature grew. Your land is generous and I thank you for all the delicious meals I shared
with my family. Provence is a ray of sunshine that warms my heart, it is a feast for all my senses.
You taught me to love life and celebrate the joy and happiness of living in your home. You gave
me my life, a beautiful language, my soul mate and children and for all this I thank you. You will
be in my heart and soul forever, wherever I am.
