SHORTLIST 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.
Thisis 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 1001–1043
I. Normandy Invasion: 1001
II. Foreigners: 1002
III. Woe to King Aethelred: 1003–1009
IV. The Jomsvikings: 1009–1012
V. Hnefatafl: 1012–1014
VI. Sons of the Fathers: 1014–1016
VII. One King to Rule All: 1016
VIII. Viking England: 1017–1022
IX. Forging an Empire: 1022–1028
X. Kingdoms, Dukedoms, Heirdoms: 1028–1030
XI. Seeking Deliverance: 1030–1035
XII. Power Games: 1036–1037
XIII. Nadirs: 1037–1040
XIV. Harthacnut: 1040–1042
XV. Their Just Rewards: 1042–1043
Part Two. The Anglo-Saxons: AD 1042–1065
XVI. Edward Rex: 1042–1045
XVII. Comeuppances: 1045–1046
XVIII. Outcasts: 1046–1047
XIX. Val-ès-Dunes: 1047
XX. The Godwins: 1047–1049
XXI. William the Bastard: 1049–1051
XXII. Rebellion: 1051
XXIII. Heir to the Throne: 1051–1052
XXIV. The Return of the Godwins: 1052
XXV. Asserting Power: 1052–1053
XXVI. Wars in the North: 1054
XXVII. The Godwinsons: 1055–1056
XXVIII. War and Diplomacy: 1057
XXIX. Supremacy: 1058–1060
XXX. Fragile Peace: 1061
XXXI. Conquerors: 1062–1063
XXXII. Betrayals: 1064–1065
Part Three. The Normans: AD 1066
XXXIII. Challenge Accepted: Spring 1066
XXXIV. Opening Moves: Summer 1066
XXXV. Return of the Vikings: September 1066
XXXVI. Hastings: October 1066
Afterword: Domesday, 1066–1154
Sources
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author
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