Read Viking Raid Online

Authors: Griff Hosker

Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Historical, #Military, #War, #Historical Fiction

Viking Raid (27 page)

BOOK: Viking Raid
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The place names are accurate and the mountain above Coniston is called the Old Man.  The river is not navigable up to Windermere but I have allowed my warriors to carry their drekar as the Vikings did in the land of the Rus when travelling to Miklagård. The ninth century saw the beginning of the reign of the Viking.  They raided Spain, the Rhone, Africa, and even Constantinople. They believed they could beat anyone!

There was a King Egbert who did indeed triumph over King Coenwulf. He founded the power base upon which Alfred the Great built. It was also at this time that the Danes came to take over East Anglia and Yorkshire. The land became, over the next 50 years, Danelaw. Its expansion was only halted by Alfred and was finally destroyed when King Harold defeated his brother and King Harald Hadrada at Stamford Bridge in 1066.  Until Alfred the Danes were used as hired swords.  They fought for gold.

I have made up Elfrida and his marriage to her but the kings of that time had many liaisons with many women.  Some kings sired up to twenty illegitimate children and many legitimate ones. The practice continued into the late middle ages. Wives were frequently taken for political reasons. The inspiration for the abduction comes from the story of the Welsh Princess Nest (Nesta) who, in the 12th century had two children by King Henry 1st and was then married to one of his friends.  She was abducted by a Welsh knight who lived with her until her husband recaptured her and killed her abductor.

Harald Klak became King of Denmark in 826 but I made up his brother.

I used the following books for research

British Museum - ‘Vikings- Life and Legends’

‘Saxon, Norman and Viking’ by Terence Wise (Osprey)

Ian Heath - ‘The Vikings’. (Osprey)

Ian Heath- ‘Byzantine Armies 668-1118 (Osprey)

David Nicholle- ‘Romano-Byzantine  Armies 4
th
-9
th
Century (Osprey)

Stephen Turnbull- ‘The Walls of Constantinople AD 324-1453’ (Osprey)

Keith Durham- ‘Viking Longship’ (Osprey)

Griff Hosker July 2015

Other books
By
Griff Hosker

If you enjoyed reading this book then why not read another one by the author?

Ancient History

The Sword of Cartimandua Series
(Germania and Britannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)

Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior (prequel)

Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua

Book 2 The Horse Warriors

Book 3 Invasion Caledonia

Book 4 Roman Retreat

Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch

Book 6 Druid’s Gold

Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters

Book 8 The Last Frontier

Book 9 Hero of Rome

Book 10 Roman Hawk

Book 11 Roman Treachery

Book 12 Roman Wall

 

The Wolf Warrior series
(Britain in the late 6th Century)

Book 1 Saxon Dawn

Book 2 Saxon Revenge

Book 3 Saxon England

Book 4 Saxon Blood

Book 5 Saxon Slayer

Book 6 Saxon Slaughter

Book 7 Saxon Bane

Book 8 Saxon Fall: Rise of the Warlord

 

The Dragon Heart Series

Book 1 Viking Slave

Book 2 Viking Warrior

Book 3 Viking Jarl

Book 4 Viking Kingdom

Book 5 Viking Wolf

Book 6 Viking War

Book 7 Viking Sword

Book 8 Viking Wrath

Book 9 Viking Raid

 

The Aelfraed Series
(Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.D. - 1085 A.D.)

Book 1 Housecarl

Book 2 Outlaw

Book 3 Varangian

 

The Anarchy Series
(England 1120-1180)

English Knight

Knight of the Empress

Northern Knight

Baron of the North

 

Modern History

The Napoleonic Horseman Series

Chasseurs à Cheval

Napoleon’s Guard

British Light Dragoon

Soldier Spy

1808: The Road to Corunna

Waterloo

 

The Lucky Jack American Civil War series

Rebel Raiders

Confederate Rangers

The Road to Gettysburg

 

The British Ace Series

1914

1915 Fokker Scourge

1916 Angels over the Somme

1917 Eagles Fall

1918 We will remember them

 

Combined Operations
1940-1945

Commando

 

Other Books

Great Granny’s Ghost (Aimed at 9-14 year old young people)

Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul

 

For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at
http://www.griffhosker.com
where there is a link to contact him.

BOOK: Viking Raid
6.27Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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