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SHORTLISTED FOR MILITARY HISTORY MATTERS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
Includes all the key individuals that inspired the final season of Netflix's Vikings: Valhalla and the brand-new BBC drama King and Conqueror.
Bloody battles, political intrigues and dynastic marriages all played a part in shaping a nascent England. Battle for the Island Kingdom is a rich history of the violent six decades when Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and ultimately Normans vied for the English crown before the seismic Battle of Hastings determined the fate of England for centuries.
Discover the defining personalities of the age, from the English king Aethelred and his nemesis Viking Svein Forkbeard to Cnut who forged an empire across England and Scandinavia only for his Norman queen Emma and Saxon consort Aelfifu to pit his sons against each other. We discover how the power-hungry Earl Godwin plays all sides until his own son Harold eventually seizes the crown and why Harold's brother Tostig chose to betray both him and his people for the Norman William the Bastard, who would become William the Conqueror.
This is a gripping tale of divided loyalties, treason and military might by master storyteller Don Hollway, author of the critically acclaimed The Last Viking.
List of Illustrations
Author's Note
Dramatis Personae
Introduction: A New Millennium
Part One. The Vikings: AD 1001–1043I. Normandy Invasion: 1001II. Foreigners: 1002III. Woe to King Aethelred: 1003–1009IV. The Jomsvikings: 1009–1012V. Hnefatafl: 1012–1014VI. Sons of the Fathers: 1014–1016VII. One King to Rule All: 1016VIII. Viking England: 1017–1022IX. Forging an Empire: 1022–1028X. Kingdoms, Dukedoms, Heirdoms: 1028–1030XI. Seeking Deliverance: 1030–1035XII. Power Games: 1036–1037XIII. Nadirs: 1037–1040XIV. Harthacnut: 1040–1042XV. Their Just Rewards: 1042–1043Part Two. The Anglo-Saxons: AD 1042–1065XVI. Edward Rex: 1042–1045XVII. Comeuppances: 1045–1046XVIII. Outcasts: 1046–1047XIX. Val-ès-Dunes: 1047XX. The Godwins: 1047–1049XXI. William the Bastard: 1049–1051XXII. Rebellion: 1051XXIII. Heir to the Throne: 1051–1052XXIV. The Return of the Godwins: 1052XXV. Asserting Power: 1052–1053XXVI. Wars in the North: 1054XXVII. The Godwinsons: 1055–1056XXVIII. War and Diplomacy: 1057XXIX. Supremacy: 1058–1060XXX. Fragile Peace: 1061XXXI. Conquerors: 1062–1063XXXII. Betrayals: 1064–1065Part Three. The Normans: AD 1066XXXIII. Challenge Accepted: Spring 1066XXXIV. Opening Moves: Summer 1066XXXV. Return of the Vikings: September 1066XXXVI. Hastings: October 1066
Afterword: Domesday, 1066–1154SourcesBibliographyAcknowledgmentsIndex
Description
SHORTLISTED FOR MILITARY HISTORY MATTERS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
Includes all the key individuals that inspired the final season of Netflix's Vikings: Valhalla and the brand-new BBC drama King and Conqueror.
Bloody battles, political intrigues and dynastic marriages all played a part in shaping a nascent England. Battle for the Island Kingdom is a rich history of the violent six decades when Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and ultimately Normans vied for the English crown before the seismic Battle of Hastings determined the fate of England for centuries.
Discover the defining personalities of the age, from the English king Aethelred and his nemesis Viking Svein Forkbeard to Cnut who forged an empire across England and Scandinavia only for his Norman queen Emma and Saxon consort Aelfifu to pit his sons against each other. We discover how the power-hungry Earl Godwin plays all sides until his own son Harold eventually seizes the crown and why Harold's brother Tostig chose to betray both him and his people for the Norman William the Bastard, who would become William the Conqueror.
This is a gripping tale of divided loyalties, treason and military might by master storyteller Don Hollway, author of the critically acclaimed The Last Viking.
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