Michael John Key completed his History higher class honours degree following early retirement to pursue his lifelong interest in British history. He has previous published Edward the Elder: King of the Anglo-Saxons (2019), House of Godwin: The Rise and Fall of an Anglo-Saxon Dynasty (2022) and The Kings of Wessex: From Cerdic to Alfred (2025). He was born in Lancashire, spent much of his life in Hampshire, and now lives in Wiltshire within sight of Old Sarum Hillfort.