Queen Emma & Earl Godwin — Stephen Grant

Queen Emma, daughter of a duke of Normandy, wife of two kings of England and mother of two more, is one of the most remarkable women in medieval history. Her quick wit, courage, and cunning, inherited from her Viking forbears, allowed her to overcome many cruel twists of fate and ultimately succeed in a world dominated by men. Godwin, nine years Emma's junior, shared her tenacious ambition and rose from the ranks of minor nobility to become earl of Wessex. Godwin's intelligence and political astuteness sees him survive civil wars, hostile rulers, and foreign invasions. For nearly thirty years, he was the most powerful man in England, after the king. As a young boy, Godwin witnessed the marriage of Emma, then a sixteen-year-old virgin, to King Ethelred, a widower with a dozen children and a kingdom under constant attack from Viking invaders, and fell in love. A love that, because of Emma's position, he had to for many years keep secret, a love that endured until they die. Godwin and Emma is historical fiction. It tells the story of Emma, queen of England, and Godwin, earl of Wessex, and of their love affair set against the turbulent backdrop of eleventh century Europe.