Tore Skeie - The Wolf Age: The Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons and the Battle for the North Sea Empire

thelred, King of the Anglo-Saxons

Olaf Haraldsson, King of the Norwegians

Pennies featuring royal portraits

Cnut, King of the Danes, Norwegians and Anglo-Saxons

For my grandparents

Brothers will fight

and kill each other, []

an axe-age, a sword-age

shields are riven

a wind-age, a wolf-age

before the world goes headlong.

No man will have

mercy on another.

THE FORETELLING OF THE COMING OF RAGNARK AND THE END OF THE WORLD IN VLUSP, THE SEERESSS PROP HECY, TENTH CENTURY

When sitting among his friends his countenance was so beautiful and dignified that the spirits of all were exhilarated by it. But when he was at war he changed in colour and form and he appeared dreadful to his foes.

SNORRI STURLUSON ON THE GOD-KING ODIN, THE MYTHOLOGICAL FOREFATHER OF ALL NORDIC KINGS, YNGLINGA SAGA, 1220s

I was with the lord, who gave gold to his loyal men and carrion to the ravens.

OLAF HARALDSSONS SKALD SIGVAT TORDARSON, BERSGLISVSUR, C.1031

The meeting at SauafellReykholtThou shalt not strike!the historian and the politicianthe masterpiece

Gods messengerthe royal murder in Corfethelredforeign shipsa kingdom forged in the fight against idolatrous foreign barbariansthe Battle of Maldon 991Harald Bluetooths kingdomSweyn ForkbeardOlaf Tryggvasons conversionSatans bonds are now indeed slippedthe St Brices Day massacre in 1002like a fire which someone had tried to extinguish with fatthe great famine of 1005Eadric Streonas palace coupthe Danes lighted their war-beacons as they wentthat victory on which the whole English nation had fixed their hopes

That immense hostile hostlfr inn digriOlafs backgroundVik and the wider worlda new time and a new Godunder Olaf Tryggvasoneast on the salt seagold to his loyal men and carrion to the ravensin the Danish kings armythe plundering of Tielthe first attack on Canterbury

Between Crdoba and Constantinoplethe hunt for foodplundering in the southGod help us all. Amenthe siege of Londonthe Battle of Ringmerespoiling some wretched people of their property and slaying othersthe second attack on CanterburyArchbishop lf heahs martyrdompeace

New alliances are forgedthe Frankish kingdomNormandyin the service of the Norman DukeRingfjordduke of the piratesplundering the Loire Valleyabout slaves and the slave tradethe caliphate of Crdobathe caliphates crisisabout ships, seafaring and the mighty seathe Vikings and Saracens in al-AndalusCdizCrdoba burns

An invasion is plannedconquestthelreds flightthe Sermon of the Wolf to the Englisha kings deathin Rouen, winter 1014about ceremoniesOlaf Haraldssons baptismhe would be to them a loving lordreconquestthe hostages on the beach

The old North Waythe history of the Jarls of Ladeabout Harald Fairhairs kingdomOlaf Tryggvasons victory and defeatEric Hkonsson, Jarl of Ladethe meeting in Oxford in 1014Edmund Ironsides rebellionyet another invasionOlaf and CnutSaudungssund

About the thinking of the kingsto Vikafterwards you took the tongue of he who lives furthest norththe generous oneabout things and the hailing of kingsSigvat the Skaldabout skalds, skaldic poetry and sagasthe war in England, winter 1016the new Jarl of Northumbriathe Battle of Nesjar

A life lived with great toil and under great difficultiesFlet Engle, Flet Engle!the Battle of Assandunpeace in Gloucestershirethe death of one onlaf rex normannorum chieftains in the north and souththe construction of Borga foreign, Christian kingthe travelling kingabout the Christianization of Norwayabout brutality

Cnut consolidates his powera head higher than everyone else in EnglandCnut and DenmarkOlaf and the Swedesthe thing at MosterOlafs poverty and Cnuts shadowthe feud with Thorir HundThorkell the Talls fatethe fate of Eric Hkonsson, Jarl of LadeOlaf the Stout never surrendered his skull to anyone in the world

Olaf caused his ship, the Bison, to tread the wavesa new war is plannedswitching sidesEuropean complicationsOlaf, feller of the Danesthe trap in the resunda journey through Europethe long march homein Romeat Cnuts courtall the inside of your hall is agreeable to methe death of two brothersthey greedily accepted his bribesLittle joy will the army have tonight in Jrenthe power dissolveseastwards, againa shipwrecktowards Stiklestad

THE WESSEX KINGS

thelred , King of the Anglo-Saxons, both weak and strong, uncertain and despotic.

Edgar the Peaceful, his father.

Edward, his brother.

lfgifu of Northampton, his first queen, mother to many of his children.

Emma, his second queen, sister of the Duke of Normandy, later Cnuts queen.

PROMINENT ANGLO-SAXONS

Eadric Streona, Ealdorman and Lord of Mercia. A master at forging alliancesand at breaking them.

Beortric, his brother.

Wulfnoth, Beortrics rival.

Byrhtnoth, Ealdorman of Wessex and a general in thelreds army.

Ulfcytel the Brave, Ealdorman of East Anglia, army general, probably King thelreds son-in-law.

Wulf hild, according to uncertain sources Eadrics wife, thelreds daughter, later married to Thorkell the Tall.

lf helm of York, ealdorman and central figure in the north.

Uhtred of Bamburgh, Ealdorman of Northumbria, first allied with Sweyn, later with Edmund Ironside.