The Emma of Normandy Trilogy by Patricia Bracewell

The Emma of Normandy Trilogy by Patricia Bracewell

Starting in 1002, Patricia Bracewell’s Emma of Normandy trilogy follows the life of the young, royal Emma of Normandy, as she embarks on her marriage to King Athelred of England. Emma meets her husband just before their wedding, and quickly finds herself in a tumultuous and dangerous early English court. Navigating intrigue from adult stepsons and rivals for her crown, Emma learns quickly to rely on herself. Throughout a three-part series, Patricia Bracewell illustrates how Emma develops into a queen and keen political player in 11th century England.

Patricia Bracewell's Emma of Normandy Series

This post is a part of my What to Read series, where I share themed reading lists and book guides based on genre, time period, theme, or author.
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The Three Part Historical Fiction Series

The three books in Patricia Bracewell’s Emma of Normandy series are:

While the first novel of the series could stand alone, it ends rather abruptly and leads into the second cleanly. All three are fast reads, and they all kept my attention well. I listened to the audiobook of Shadow on the Crown and then read the e-books of The Price of Blood and The Steel Beneath the Silk.

Historical Fiction: Is the Emma of Normandy Trilogy Historically Accurate?

Before I get into whether or not the books are authentic and accurate or not – my answer there is pretty lackluster – I should note that the book was entertaining enough that, even if it was not quite true to history, I wouldn’t really mind.

The trilogy covers approximately fourteen years starting in 1002 through to Cnut of Denmark’s ascension to the English throne in 1016. Bracewell quotes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle periodically, meaning the story follows the larger pattern of history. As much of a history fan as I am, I know very little about the turn of the first millennium. My early English and British history knowledge pretty much starts in earnest around the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and even that’s a stretch (Tudor England, on the other hand, is a different story).

Since I came into the series lacking background information, I found myself a little frustrated throughout that I wasn’t sure what was true and what was embellished. That’s certainly not a fault of the novels themselves or of its author. Rather, it is simply the lens I bring to historical fiction reading. The positive of all this, though, is that it’s making me want to learn more about this era on my own.

Based on the author’s website, she seems to be well-versed in early medieval history. Bracewell’s background is pretty refreshing, as she came to writing history after teaching English literature. Her various blog posts about Emma of Normandy (and other historical figures) are pretty illuminating.

A Note on Naming in the Emma of Normandy Series

This book follows Emma of Normandy as she crosses the Narrow Sea between France and England to marry King Athelred – affectionally known to history as Athelred the Unready. Some of the characters referenced will likely sound familiar to fellow fans of The Last Kingdom and Vikings.

The characters may also sound familiar because many of the names are incredibly similar – typical, for the time. For example, Athelred had a whole slew of children, including Athelstan, Ecgberht, Edmund (easy enough), Eadred, Eadwig, Edgar, Eadgyth (an early spelling of Edith), and Alfgifu, among others. To make matters worse, while Bracewell seems to have adopted the easier spelling – Athelred, for example, instead of Æthelred – the sons of Athelred all had the title of Ætheling. Athelstan Ætheling certainly has a lot of vowels in it.

While part of me thinks it would have been easier to keep track of who was who if I had read the physical book itself, the narrator did a great job of pronouncing and enunciating names.

Female Led Drama with Relatable Characters

Overall, the series covers a span of 14 years with a variety of characters (like I mentioned, many with similar names). Overall, it focuses on a few key players: Emma, Athelred, Athelstan, and a handful of ladies in waiting and servants. The characters are well developed. Certainly, Bracewell certainly had to create a lot of the female histories, since historical records tend to leave out even royal women from this era, much less Emma’s Norman nursemaids. The stories are believable and realistic. Bracewell paints a detailed picture of both the socio-political atmosphere – particularly, of its uncertainty — of the English court around Emma and the household which Emma comes to run.

How to Read Patricia Bracewell’s Emma of Normandy Series

Patricia Bracewell’s Emma of Normandy series is available from Amazon as both audiobooks as well as ebooks and paperbacks. Click the links below to see shopping options for each installment of the three-part book series:

Shadow on the Crown
The Price of Blood
The Steel Beneath the Silk


Further Reading for Historical Fiction Lovers

If you love historical fiction as much as I do, I have a few more book reviews and round ups that you’re sure to enjoy:


 *This post was originally published on June 27, 2019. It was most recently updated on May 17, 2023.