There was a man named Thórarin, who live in Sunnudalur; he was old and nearly blind. He had been a fierce viking in his youth, and in his old age he was […]
Shame and Masculinity in Medieval Iceland – The Tale of Thorstein Staff-Struck
Art, Allegory, and the Authorship of the Bayeux Tapestry
Depicting the Norman Conquest of England, its causes, justifications, and political context, the Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most immediately recognisable, and most complex sources of European history. Importantly, granted the […]
A Case of Clerical Fraud – King Æthelstan and Malmesbury Abbey
The Norman Conquest changed the character of the English church. Anglo-Saxon clergy were ousted, churches and cathedrals began to be built on a much larger scale, the king wielded direct influence over […]
A Traitor’s Banquet – The Blood Feast of Roskilde
In 1146 Denmark descended into chaos and civil war upon the abdication of King Erik III (r. 1137 – 1146). He was the first Danish King to abdicate and, with no legitimate […]
Creating a Saint – King Edmund the Martyr & the Great Viking Army
Riddled with spears, clinging to his faith, King Edmund of East Anglia was beheaded on 20 November 869 at the orders of Ivar Ragnarsson ‘the Boneless.’ Or at least that is what […]
The Battle of Winwæd and the Rise & Fall of Pagan Mercia
The Battle of [the] Winwæd in 655 is a little known and sparsely recorded battle, yet one of critical importance to the social, political and religious evolution of the various English and […]
Cnut the Great, the Conquest of England, and the Puzzle of London
In 1016, the young Danish prince who was to become Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway, laid siege to the city of London as part of the campaign that […]
The Battle of Auberoche: French Tactical Ignorance and an Outnumbered Victory
The power and efficacy of the longbow as a significant weapon of medieval warfare is evidenced most aptly in the infamous battles of the Hundred Years’ War; Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt being […]
The King Lives! Scandinavian Legends of Hastings and Svolder
Tradition (and most chroniclers) tell us that on 14 October 1066, the Anglo-Saxon army saw their King, Harold Godwinson, killed on the field of battle. It was a moment upon which the […]
Blood Eagles, Fatal Walks, and Hung Meat – Assessing Viking Torture
An act of torture is rarely an act of finality in feud cultures – the family of the tortured man, whether he survives or not, will rarely allow such a deed to […]
When Justice Cost an Arm & a Leg – The Mutilated Body in Medieval Anglo-Scandinavian Law
The breaking of a body is a powerful act. In the medieval world, it was a matter of life or death. A mutilated body marked out its victim for social censure and, […]
Kingship in the Viking Age – Icelandic Sagas, English Kingship, & Warrior Poets
The Germanic king or lord as the dispenser of treasure, the ‘giver of rings,’ is a familiar image. The reason it is familiar is that it permeates that famous epic poem, Beowulf. […]
Shrouded in Rumour – The Lost Childhood of King Æthelstan
It is frequently claimed that the Anglo-Saxon King Æthelstan was the illegitimate son of King Edward the Elder and an unnamed concubine (or even a shepherdess). This persistent rumour has become a […]
Wicked Queens and Martyred Kings – the 794 Beheading of S. Æthelberht of East Anglia
Murdered (or executed) by Offa of Mercia in 794, the passio of King Æthelberht of East Anglia is an obscure tale that has so many twists and turns in its narrative transmission […]
Danish Invasion, Viking Violence, and Cnut’s Mutilation of Hostages at Sandwich
By 1028, Cnut the Great had brought England, Denmark, and Norway into a vast North Sea hegemony under his kingship. It was an unrivalled achievement that granted Cnut the political clout to […]
The Postgrad Chronicles 