A rich history of the years leading up to 1066 when Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and\n\nNormans vied for the English crown. A tale of loyalty, treason and military might.\nIn a saga reminiscent of Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom, Battle for the Island\nKingdom reveals the life-and-death struggle for power which changed the course of\nhistory. The six decades leading up to 1066 were defined by bloody wars and intrigues,\nin which three peoples vied for supremacy over the island kingdom. In this epic retelling,\nDon Hollway (The Last Viking) recounts the clashes of Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and\nNormans, their warlords and their conniving queens.\nIt begins with the Viking Cnut the Great, forging three nations into his North Sea Empire\nwhile his Saxon wife Aelfgifu rules in his stead and schemes for England’s throne. Her\narchenemy is Emma of Normandy, widow of Saxon king Aethelred, claiming Cnut’s\nrealm in exchange for her hand in marriage. Their sons become rivals, pawns in their\nmothers’ wars until they can secure their own destinies. And always in the shadows is\nGodwin of Wessex, playing all sides to become the power behind the throne until his\nson Harold emerges as king of all of England.\nBut Harold’s brother Tostig turns traitor, abandons the Anglo­Saxons and joins the army\nof the last great Viking, Harald Hardrada, where together they meet their fate at the battle\nof Stamford Bridge. And all this time watching from across the water is William, the\nBastard, fighting to secure his own Norman dukedom, but with an eye on the English\ncrown.