England's Saga of 1066
In September of 1066 Saxon England basked in a
late summer
that promised a bumper harvest. The threat of war seemed to be
receding as the
Duke of Normandy was beset by storms that kept his fleet bottled
up in their
port.
King Harold Godwinson of Wessex enjoys the
popular support
of the people, the preferred successor to the throne of King
Edward the
Confessor, and he has delivered peace and stability to the kingdom
since being
crowned in January. The Anglo-Saxon civilisation remained robust
and vibrant,
it had survived for over 500 years, it seemed that it would
continue for
another 500 years too.
Coenred the Huscarl had followed the way of the
sword for 20
years but now he found his thoughts turning to an easier life.
Although in the
prime of life his world had changed with the passing of his lord,
Eorl Aelfgar
of Mercia. A vow to the nobleman to see his sons, Edwin and
Morcar, educated in
the ways of the Saxon nobility kept Coenred in service as an elite
warrior but
his relationship with the young men is becoming strained. Edwin
and Morcar are
now men of power and authority in their own right and they begin
to tire of their
mentor who is, to all intents and purposes, a servant.
When the beautiful young widow Mildryth asks
Coenred for his
protection it is not only his sense of honour that prompts him to
grant her
wish. Retiring to his estate in Holderness becomes ever more
attractive to
Coenred, not least because peace seems ever more likely as the
year slips into
autumn and winter threatens to end the time for campaigns.
Mildryth, however, lives under a shadow and her
presentiment
of danger is not unfounded. Her husband was murdered by Tostig
Godwinson, the
exiled younger brother of the King of England, and she fears his
return. In approaching
Coenred she seeks protection, that is true, but as the days darken
and danger
threatens, the man she chooses reveals a noble heart that she
comes to much
admire.
The peace of the Saxons is shattered by the
arrival the War
Wolf, King Harald Hardrada of Norway, at the head of the largest
Viking army
ever to set foot in England. A fruitless war with Denmark prompts
the greatest
living Viking of his day to seek success in the pursuit of the
English throne.
Hardarada has allied himself with Tostig the Traitor and together
they descend
upon York, the capital of Northumbria.
Within the city Coenred and his lords, Eorl
Edwin and Eorl
Morcar, find that fate has put them before the spears of their
ancient enemies.
Coenred counsels closing the gates and manning the Roman walls of
York but Eorl
Edwin dreams of glory and believes that at Fulford Gate he can
give battle to
the Vikings and win.
Against his own judgement Coenred takes to the
field with his
brother warriors to face a Viking chief never defeated in battle,
knowing that
the woman he has grown to love depends upon him for her safety
behind the walls
of York. In London King Harold can only hope and pray that his
kinsmen, Edwin
and Morcar, are not foolish enough to attempt to cross swords with
the War
Wolf, to fight and lose would put the very kingdom in peril!