Why was Abbess Cwenthryth Defamed?

While researching a different post, I stumbled upon the story of 9th century Mercian Princess Cwenthryth and her brother, Cynehelm. It’s got a lot of juicy stuff: lust for power, sibling rivalry, murder, and gruesome divine justice. And it’s simply not true.

Cwenthryth wasn’t a meek woman. In fact she defied a male authority. But she certainly wasn’t a killer.

Who was the real Cwenthryth and why was she maligned? Those are the questions I try to answer in my post on English Historical Fiction Authors.

Cwenthryth’s sainted brother, Cynehelm (or Kenelm) (Image by Sjukmidlands, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)