Book
Storm of War
England, 990. King Æthelred II rules a divided kingdom influenced by his mother, Queen Ælfthryth, and powerful churchmen. Sensing weakness, Olaf Tryggvason brings the Jomsvikings to the English coast in search of plunder and political advantage. Byrhtnoth of Essex and his thegn Beornoth gather a hard-fighting warband to oppose the invasion, but treachery within the kingdom proves as dangerous as the enemy arriving from the sea.
Æthelred’s weakness is not simply personal. Rival noble households, court factions and uncertain regional loyalty make coordinated defence difficult even when the scale of Viking danger is obvious. Beornoth’s experience at the local level therefore contrasts with decisions made at court, showing how effective resistance can be undermined when political mistrust reaches the men expected to fight.
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