A rich history of the years leading up to 1066 when Vikings,
Anglo-Saxons and Normans vied for the English crown. A tale of loyalty,
treason and military might.
In a saga reminiscent of Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom,
Battle for the Island Kingdom reveals the life-and-death struggle for
power which changed the course of history. The six decades leading up to
1066 were defined by bloody wars and intrigues, in which three peoples
vied for supremacy over the island kingdom. In this epic retelling, Don
Hollway (The Last Viking) recounts the clashes of Vikings,
Anglo-Saxons and Normans, their warlords and their conniving queens.
It begins with the Viking Cnut the Great, forging three nations into his
North Sea Empire while his Saxon wife Aelfgifu rules in his stead and
schemes for England's throne. Her archenemy is Emma of Normandy, widow
of Saxon king Aethelred, claiming Cnut's realm in exchange for her hand
in marriage. Their sons become rivals, pawns in their mothers' wars
until they can secure their own destinies. And always in the shadows is
Godwin of Wessex, playing all sides to become the power behind the
throne until his son Harold emerges as king of all of England.
But Harold's brother Tostig turns traitor, abandons the Anglo-Saxons and
joins the army of the last great Viking, Harald Hardrada, where together
they meet their fate at the battle of Stamford Bridge. And all this time
watching from across the water is William, the Bastard, fighting to
secure his own Norman dukedom, but with an eye on the English crown.
