It was the year 1066 that completely changed the history of Britain, ending the terrifying invasion of the Vikings that had lasted for a long time. The world of the Anglo-Saxons was completely overturned. This was the biggest split in the history of Britain, and from then on, the foreign races truly ruled their land.
The events of that year forged a new Britain, whose language, laws, and customs survive to this day.
Some say that monarchical power is divinely ordained, but sometimes military power is found in the right place at the right time.
On the 4th of January, 1066, Edward the Confessor, who would be canonized a hundred years later by Alexander III, the Most Reverend of the Universal Church, was not one of the more common monarchs of this age. But he was an Anglo-Saxon and Wessex monarch who was very zealous in his governance and had the interests of the people at his heart. He devoted the surplus of his treasury to good works, was generous to the poor and the foreigners, assisted in the development and building of churches, and attended mass punctually every morning. One may well imagine the attitude of this zealous monarch towards witchcraft and those suspected of witchcraft or those suspected of witchcraft.
But Edward's reign was coming to an end. No matter how much good he did to the people, how many witches he burned at the stake, and how devout he was to his religion, Edward was but a dying man of sixty-five. He lay on his deathbed in a semi-coma, surrounded by the local priest and his wife's brother, Harold Gwynson. He was close to Edward, and proved to be an excellent commander in the battle against the Welsh. Harold, who with his three brothers occupied a large part of England, was essentially the "deputy" king of Wessex.
The deeply devout king Edward, who had been faithful to his marriage all his life, had no children, and had no heir to the throne of Wessex.
"Thou art just a little feverish. God be with thee. Thou hast been a good king. Under the watch of the Almighty, thou hast defended this country. Amen." Harold Gwensen tried his best to comfort his brother-in-law, who was 20 years older than him and had almost all his teeth missing. He could only open his mouth to breathe, but he did not know if Gwensen could hear him. "Thou hast created a kingdom of God here, a kingdom where there are no more evil wizards. I will help thee take good care of it. Thou art my king and my friend. All this is thanks to thee. England now has a reliable person to take over."
But to everyone's surprise, the old king, who had been silent and in a semi-coma for a long time, suddenly regained consciousness. He described his dream to the people gathered around his bed.
"In the dream, two monks appeared in front of me. The fat one was a Magus that I had executed before! He cured pox by poking a farmer with a stick, and he had a habit of conjuring rabbits from the Chalice! But now, he has made a prophecy to me … "Edward, who was still in high spirits, held Harold Gwensen's hand. Then, his expression turned to one of horror, and his breathing became abnormal again." In a year and a day after my death … ho ho … ho … the Lord will hand over my kingdom to … ho … the enemy … and war will follow … ho … the Lord will sweep my kingdom with flames and hideous laughter … "(Author's Note: The prophecy, except for the seven" ho "I used to fill in the word count, is all true content recorded in King Edward. It just happened to fit into the plot.)
Meanwhile, two hundred miles south of London, a bastard duke of thirty-eight ruled with an iron hand, the only son of the late Robert I, Duke of Normandy, by a lady-in-waiting who had been the daughter of a cobbler.
Since the age of seven, William, Duke of Normandy, had been avoiding and resisting the assassination and threats from his relatives who thought they had a more legitimate right to inherit the throne than he did. He fought his way to the peak of power and finally succeeded in inheriting the title of duke.
Now, not satisfied with the title of duke, he wanted to be a king given by God. His goal was to become the next king of England.
When William visited England fifteen years ago, King Edward had promised to let William inherit his throne, although this Edward had actually made the same promise to others for the sake of his own throne. When Harold Gwynson, who was by Edward's side, was trapped in the Duchy of Normandy, he had also acknowledged William's right to the throne of England.
William was leading a group of well-equipped elite knights in combat training. They repeatedly practiced charging at dummies made of wooden sticks and linen bags. The heads of the dummies were made of cabbage. The knights were trying their best to chop off as many heads of vegetables as they could along the predetermined route.
William, Duke of Normandy, was wearing a blue cloak that reached his knees, and the sleeves extended to his wrists. It was a fully armed knight that was much longer than most of the chainmail of this era. Behind his saddle hung a kite shield that provided more effective protection than the traditional small round shield.
"Be serious, all of you! Watch my performance! " Seeing that one of his red-haired subordinates had missed a cabbage, the exceptionally sturdy duke simply gave up on the command training. He picked up a spear and charged at the dummies. After neatly stabbing off a few 'heads', he pulled out the Norman sword that was tied to his waist and charged at a speed that was much faster than the others. He cleanly and smoothly chopped off the heads of the remaining dummies on the route.
This made all the knights and the servants who were constantly putting new cabbage on the heads of the dummies let out cheers.
"This is not difficult at all!" William held onto the reins to slow down the horse. He turned around and roared at the red-haired knight who had made a mistake just now. Only when the red-haired knight had completed his training did William's expression soften a little. "Don't let me catch you again! Otherwise, you can go back and continue to be a court poet! "
The Normans appointed the Vikings and their descendants to live in the Kingdom of West Francia. Now, they had become Christians, learned French, married the locals, and had children.
They were early supporters of the large-scale use of heavy cavalry in Europe. While most areas were still using the shield wall tactic left over from the Roman era, the Norman knights' attacks were extremely fearsome and were in a rather advanced position in terms of tactics. This was due to a series of innovations and improvements in military technology. The Norman saddles were made of wood and the front bridge was raised. Although it was not as comfortable as the leather of the past, it allowed the knights to sit more firmly. There were two wide belly straps under the saddle, one tied to the chest of the mount and the other tied to the abdomen. Two leather stirrups were placed under the saddle. The Norman cavalry were the first to use stirrups in Europe. This allowed them to stand up straight on the horse and clamp their spears with their arms and bodies. They used the speed and weight of the warhorse to charge at the enemy. Although the cavalry of the past also used spears, most of them relied on their shoulders to swing them. Naturally, the strength of the spears was not the same as before.
In the northeast, about a thousand miles away, Scandinavia.
In the Viking Lord's Longhouse, Harald III the Heartless, a descendant of the Blonde King Harald and the son of the chieftain of eastern Norway, Harald III the Heartless, was sitting in a chair and watching his men beat a civilian who could not pay his taxes.
Although Harald Hadrada was already in his fifties, he was tall and had a full head of golden hair and beard. He still maintained a handsome figure that did not match his age. When he was young, he had traveled to many places. With his outstanding appearance, martial arts, and leadership ability, he was chosen by the Grand Duke of Kiev, Yaroslav I Vladimirovich, and he married the Grand Duke's daughter, Elizabeth.
The king, who was fanning himself with a Viking axe, was now recalling his previous life of war. As long as one was willing to pay, he would lead his men to fight for anyone. Give him a place, and he would lead his men to fight.
Poland? YEP！
Estonia? YEP！
Mediterranean pirates? YEP！
Holy land? YEP！
Sicily? YEP！
Bulgaria? YEP！
For a period of time, he even served as the leader of the Byzantine Empire's royal guards, the Varangian Guards.
Because of this, he became rich and had endless money to spend. Eventually, he returned to Norway and became the king. Although Harald was extremely greedy for power and wealth, deep in his Viking soul, there was something deeper surging. He had once tried to conquer Denmark but failed. He was like an old boxer, once a strong and brave warrior. But that time had passed, and he knew it all.
In addition to treasures and killing people, he, who liked to write poems on the battlefield, wanted to leave his name in history through this way, leaving a record of his victories and triumphant returns for future generations. And like all great Vikings, Harald understood that the most important thing a person could leave behind after death was his reputation.
The previous king of Norway had made an agreement with the Viking king who occupied most of the land in England. "When I die, the King of Norway can inherit my throne."
Therefore, even though he knew that Edward was seriously ill, it was time for the Vikings to reconquer England. From a Viking's point of view, their rule of England was the same as the rule of the Anglo-Saxons.
Invading England was a matter of course for the Vikings. It was deeply rooted in their genes.
Harald, who was aware of his old age, longed for one last conquest, to create an immortal Viking legend, a legend that would last forever.
The king's thoughts were quickly interrupted by the pleading voice of the kneeling commoner. He stood up with his axe raised in annoyance and walked towards the poor fellow on the ground. The surrounding men immediately scattered to avoid being affected by the king's anger.
As Harald approached step by step, the poor commoner did not even dare to beg for mercy. "You should know. I mean, how are you going to repay me? I have ensured the safety of you and your parents, but you don't take your responsibility seriously. You have to pay on time. I can't do anything if you do this … "
With a dull thud, the king used the handle of his axe to send the commoner flying to the ground. He couldn't help but cry out in pain, but he also tried his best to suppress his fear. The poor fellow kept making strange noises as he lay on the ground and blindly used his hands to protect his head, trying to avoid the next attack.
"It's not that I don't like your squeals that sound like a pig being slaughtered, but this is enough." The Viking king leaned on his axe and lowered his head to look at the commoner. "Now, crawl back home and tell your neighbours what will happen if you don't pay your taxes."
"As … ordered … Master." The commoner who couldn't pay his taxes struggled to get up as though he had been granted amnesty. In the end, his leg was broken by the king who was still leaning on his axe.
"I told you to crawl back home! Men, throw him out! " The king spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on the ground and ordered his men to throw the convulsing commoner out of the longhouse. He did not return to his throne, but instead received a large cup of ale from a maid. The king did not like to drink the mead that other Viking nobles liked, believing it to be effeminate.
Harald downed the cup of ale in one gulp and threw the wooden cup on the ground. He then raised his head and pondered for a moment before continuing his poem.
"Since the oak tree was born, I have destroyed thirteen enemies …"
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