All posts tagged: Saxons

The Coming- Part 2 by Alan R Lancaster

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A couple of months ago, Alan R Lancaster kindly submitted a post for this site, that described the coming of the Vikings into the British isles. In this post he continues his history, and sets the scene for the later invasion of William the conqueror in 1066.  So over to Alan…. Thomas M D Brooke THE COMING – 2: EADWARD & GODWIN On Eadward’s accession he called Earl Godwin to task about the killing of his younger brother Aelfred a few years earlier when Harold Knutsson held the throne as regent for Harthaknut in 1036. Godwin had intercepted Aelfred on his way via Guildford to see his mother Emma, then in Wintunceaster (Winchester). Aelfred was taken from Godwin by Harold’s men, blinded and then murdered. To atone for his part in Aelfred’s fate Godwin had a ship built, decorated and manned at his expense to give to Eadward.            The king accepted the gift, grudgingly. Next Godwin had his daughter Eadgytha married off to Eadward, who assented to this dynastic connection, although also grudgingly. So Eadward found …

The Coming! Guest Post by Alan R Lancaster

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I wrote a piece a couple of weeks back regarding the novels of  Bernard Cornwell’s: ‘The Last Kingdom’ and the TV series of the same name which has just come out on the BBC.  This brought me to the attention of Alan Lancaster, who loves this period of history and writes extensively on the subject.  Much as he liked the series, he pointed out some issues where the series differs from the real story behind one of the great migrations into the British Isles.  I thought it only fair that I give him a chance to set the record straight so I asked him to write a post on Anglo-Saxon Britain and the coming of the Vikings.  Alan Lancaster is real authority on the subject and writes his own historic novels on the subject, you’ll find links to some of his writing at the end of the article. Okay, so over to Alan! Thomas Brooke study.abingdon.org THE COMING                         A Brief Story of Aengla Land The Romans had left Britain around seven years before a council of Celtic tribal …

Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom. Can the television series match up to the books?

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As the BBC are about to be showing the new televised series of these novels in the UK, I thought it would be a good time to discuss these books.  For those of you who live outside of the UK, I have no idea whether you’ll be able to watch it or not, but in this day of cable TV and the internet, I’m sure it won’t be hard to find somewhere.  What is clear, is that the television series has a lot to live up to regardless. Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon tales, also known as The Last Kingdom series, begins with the novel of the same name.  It covers the breathtakingly exciting period of history of the ninth century when the Vikings were a scourge on England’s shores.  The English Saxon Kingdoms began to fall to the Danish invaders, one by one, and the large kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, and Kent are all soon overwhelmed.  But just as all seems lost, one last kingdom stands strong, the Kingdom of Wessex, ruled by the now legendary …