| November 4 |  |
Editor says, what if the Normans and Viking had landed in 1066 at the same time? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1066, on this day King Harold's English Army stood poised on London bridge with the Viking and Norman invaders on either bank of the Thames.
The Battle of London Bridge by Ed, Jackie Speel & Scott PalterAs expected, William the B*stard had landed on the South coast, a location that meet his communication and logistical needs from Normandy. However, the Vikings had surprised the English by choosing a landing point out of the Danelaw (the invading Norwegian force was led by King Harald Hardrada of Norway and the English king's brother Tostig Godwinson).
Unable to march out and meet either invading army without leaving the Capital undefended, Harold had decided to stay in London. He also began to explore options for an accommodation with either or both usurpers. Incredibly, the best prospect appeared to be a deal with Tostig, who Harold had outlawed twelve months before. Such an unlikely settlement would permit a joint English-Viking attack on the Normans. Of course that outcome was Tostig's plan from the very beginning..
Entry posted by
Jackie Speel
© Jackie Speel, 2011-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Alternate Nations Source: Wikipedia Labels: Harold, 1066, England, Anglo-Saxon, Edgar. Editor says, thanks to Jackie Speel and Scott Palter for their contributions to the development of this article.
~ Good deal! The Saxons had already fought a war and most of them refused to mobilize again, leading to their greatest national tragedy. I am glad that you guys found a way to make things turn out all right.
~ Is there any way for Tostig to have an "accident"? From what I read, he was none too popular with the nobles and magnates of Saxon England? Trouble is, with a PoD this far back, current affairs will be pretty much unrecognizable.
~ A Scandanivian England will be very different from OTL.
~ Although if you run English voices with Swedish subtitles they seem, sometimes, more in sync than English and German, so maybe things would not have been so different -- in some ways.
But, what if Harold had bought help from the Welsh and Irish, enlisting their archers to surprise the invaders, and scare up a different future for a different sort of United Kingdom?
~ Pippi Longstocking would have a British accent!
Just kidding.
~ The Scandinavians went Protestant fairly early, so their English descendants might do the same, thus avoiding those endless religious conflicts.
~ Even with Britain turning Protestant around the time of the Nordic countries, we'd still have the very Catholic Irish next door. Would they remain conquered or might it be the Thirty Years War in Ireland as well as Germany?
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
