The Road to 1066: Revenge of the Vikings (Part 2)
The Vikings are coming for 9th century England following the murder of their brethren.
Following the bloody St Brice鈥檚 Day Massacre, of the 13th of November 1002, which saw King 脝thelred brutally exterminating the Danes from England, the Vikings were hungry for revenge. None more so than the terrifying Scandinavian King, Sweyn Forkbeard. Having capitalised on his famous father, Harold Bluetooth鈥檚 unification of Norway and Denmark, through his aggressive christianisation of the formerly pagan peoples there, Sweyn had built up a formidable force. It was this power that 脝thelred had unwisely taunted, underestimating the might of the Danes. He would pay the price only a few short months later when Sweyn鈥檚 terrible fleet landed at Wilton Abbey in Wessex - one of the greatest symbols of the House of Alfred the Great - to bleed England dry, and destroy her King. Time and time again, from this date onwards, Sweyn鈥檚 Danish raids would devastate England, even going so far as to lock the Archbishop of Canterbury in a cage鈥y 1013 脝thelred鈥檚 reign was essentially over, his family having fled to Normandy, and England under Danish rule. But then, the death of Sweyn Forkbeard would change everything, setting in motion another titanic war of succession, this time pitting the Scandinavian Cnut against 脝thelred鈥檚 son Edmund Ironside. Who would triumph in this climactic clash of would-be kings?
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Producer: Theo Young-Smith
Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude
Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor
