All posts tagged: Vikings

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 …

10 types of Warriors Part 2 – Dark ages to Medieval

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deadliestblogpage.wordpress.com The Saxon.  After the Romans left the shores of Britain, the Saxons started to arrive on its shores.  Fair haired muscular warriors from the North German plain, their progress was allegedly held up by the legendary King Arthur.  But after his demise the impeding tide could only be held back for so long, and eventually the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of England were formed from Northumbria in the North, through to Mercia in the midlands, and Wessex and Kent in the south. marineinsight.com The Viking.  The English Kingdoms peace was shattered in the ninth century by the Danes, who decided to come Viking and take what was on offer from the rich and prosperous land.  The sight of their dreaded longboats is one of the most feared images from history.  The Vikings came first to raid, but then realised they preferred England to Denmark and settled in the North of England – their progress South being thwarted by Alfred the Great’s Anglo-Saxon Wessex. The Normans.  Contrary to what many people think, the Normans were not actually …

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 …

Great periods of history to write about – STAGE 1 (Ancient to Medieval)

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Okay, so you want to write a historical novel, but what period of history do you choose?  The list is endless, but here are a few options…. Featured novel: The King Must Die by Mary Renault Ancient Greece 1200BC – 300BC:  Greek gods, myths, large scale battles of Hoplites… PRO’s:  The birthplace of democracy, the Olympics, philosophy, and other ideas that shaped the modern world, give you lots of subject matter to base your novel around; whilst the mythology of Ancient Greece allows your novel to be full of gods, goddesses, and all the mysticism that goes with it.  If you prefer a little more action, don’t worry – you have the warlike Spartans, their rivalry with the Athenians, or Alexander the Great’s invasion of Persia.  Disclaimer: I couldn’t resist the last on that list, so I tried my hand at that myself in the first novel I wrote. CONS:  It can be more difficult than you think to research a historical period so far in the past.  Although there are a host of non-fictional books …