1066: The Battle of Middle Earth - 2009

This British television series tells one of the forgotten stories of the year 1066. We usually associate this important date in England’s history with the Battle of Hastings and the Norman invasion. However, "the darkest year of all Englishmen" was also the setting of an event that hit the peaceful shores of the English shires, and exposed its untrained, yet brave farmers in the south. That event was The Viking Invasion.

During the 1000s, England was THE prize catch for European powers. Not only was it remote and able to fend off conquests thanks to its geographic location alone, but it also boasted acres upon acres of farmland and a perfect climate. The notable powers which were ready to pounce on the merest of opportunities were the ruthless Danes (Vikingr), the greedy Normans, and the powerful County of Flanders.

At the time, the ruling king, Harold Godwinson, was from the House of Wessex. Because of the tumult that would hit the Isles, he would ironically be the last proclaimed Anglo-Saxon king of England, opening the floodgates to a number of French (Norman) and German (House of Hanover/ Saxe Coburg & Gotha) monarchs who would later run England, Britain, and the British Empire. As the first of only three kings of England who died on a battlefield, along with Richard the Lionheart and Richard III, King Harold was known for his courage in warfare, having previously defeated the brave Welsh. King Harold had no royal ancestry. He ended up King of England simply because he refused to acquiesce to the demands of foreign powers, who had struck an agreement with his predecessor, Edward the Confessor. King Edward had promised England to many of his cousins across the North Sea in return for a peaceful death.

But 1066 was not the first time the Vikingr had posed an imminent threat to England’s stability. The Danes, through the House of Denmark, were intermittently kings of England, as rule seesawed between them and the Anglo-Saxons. Many of their conquests of the land had not bode well thanks to remoteness and Saxon defenses. However, the Men of the Fjords would not be deterred. These sea-warriors were the most-feared peoples of Middle Earth (or Land Between Heaven and Hell).

England-bound, the Vikingr would set sail. Focused on their mission, they would overlook an unstable Scotland – fresh from the regicide of King Macbeth (the very one from Shakespeare’s play) at the hands of King Malcolm III - which would not prove as sating as the fertile soil and fair air of England.

The English were “ready” for an attack, with their farmers courageously bearing their pitchforks and axes. However, directing their basic weapons France-wards, they found out, rather late, that they had lined up for the wrong battle. At the peak of harvest-time, the Normans did not dare approach the English coasts. The Vikingr, on the other hand, were the best at their trade, and under the leadership of King Harald Hardrada, were eternal warriors, who knew only one season - that of fighting season. Norse accounts reveal that the Vikings were merciless berserkers – or madly fierce warriors; hence, the term "berserk".

Relishing the opportunity, the Vikingr ravaged the unguarded North, sailing inwards and easily fighting off soldiers and farmers of Earls in ditch warfare. During this time, King Harold would end up making the move that would shape up the year 1066 as we know it. He would sacrifice the southern shores and mobilize his forces to the North to combat the Vikings. Unfortunately, the King’s first major challenge would come around with farmers from Crowhurst in his ranks.

The locals fought bravely in what is historically known as The Battle of Stamford Bridge, near York. In part II of the series, the Battle seals the opposing fates of both kings. The English benefit from a stroke of luck. As the Vikingr go about looting towns on the 25 September 1066, the English are quick to besiege the under-manned viking forces at the Bridge up North. King Harold would try to reach a settlement, even if it meant splitting the country. He wished to do so in the face of the Viking war-machine because the English needed every one of their men to counter the Normans in the southern front. But, the settlement never took place.

The same Norse accounts speak of a giant Viking who one-handedly stood on the Bridge and slayed 40 or so Saxons, preventing them from crossing the narrow bridge. In the process, he was also buying the vikingr time for the return of their fellow warriors. The Saxons opted for a cunning tactic, positioning a farmer under the bridge and spearing the fierce Viking to death from underneath. This opens the path for the English to corner the Vikings on the other side of the river. It also paved the way for a historic English victory over the invincible Vikings, who even after the death of King Hardrada, opted to fight over surrender. Many historians have dubbed the horrific Battle of Stamford Bridge as the beginning of the decline of the Viking age.

Shortly-lived, the English victory would amount to very little. A second predator would already be on the southern shores ready to conquer the unprotected shires of the south. There, brave King Harold would find his doom in the Battle of Hastings. In our heads and history books, this is the account we all recount. Well, this interesting documentary/series reminds us that 1066 was not only the year William of Normandy found his way to England, it was also the year brave English farmers challenged the odds and repelled the almighty men of the Fjords.