This is the calm before the storm and the perfect place to start setting out the positions of the main players. I begin with the arrival in York of Coenred's brother huscarls, in particular Sigbert and Hereric. The opening scene introduces all of the warriors, Thrydwulf is a peasant who has made good through his martial prowess. Aethelmaer, Hengist, and Alfrid are younger men, the sons of lords, but true huscarls all the same. I enjoyed writing the banter between the elder and younger men, which continues into the following novels.
vikings
The War Wolf – Let’s Read and Discuss 07
So why did King Hardrada of Norway invade England? This chapter gave me an opportunity to examine why the most famous Viking of his day risked everything to go to war against the Anglo-Saxons. In 1066 Harald Hardrada was entering the autumn of his life. He had worked hard to become rich and powerful and, most of all, the king of his people.
The War Wolf – Let’s Read and Discuss 06
This chapter really falls into two halves. First, we see Mildryth in a domestic setting with her friend, Branda. I doubt that anyone would be surprised to know that Anglo-Saxon people enjoyed talking about what other people were up to; it is a very human activity enjoyed the world over. Although Mildryth is theign-worthy she … Continue reading The War Wolf – Let’s Read and Discuss 06
The War Wolf – Let’s Read and Discuss 03
In 1066, King Harold of England faced two enemies, Duke Guillaume of Normandy and King Hardrada of Norway. Both had only weak claims to the English crown but it appears that Harold underestimated Hardrada and, coincidentally, the thirst for vengeance of his own brother, Tostig Godwinson. King Harold spent the summer watching the movements of … Continue reading The War Wolf – Let’s Read and Discuss 03
Coenred and Mildryth
Where do characters come from? I wrote quite extensively about how Artemisia Montessori developed from a very simple idea into the protagonist of my most recent novel, The Devil Within Us. Not all of my characters appeared that way, however. When I was researching The War Wolf I had no idea that there were three … Continue reading Coenred and Mildryth
The Sorrow Song Trilogy
Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 2 – My version of the Battle of Stamford Bridge
Continuing on from the Battle of Fulford Gate I approached writing about the Battle of Stamford Bridge in exactly the same way. I had received many positive comments regarding how I had gone about describing the action. It seems that I had hit on a successful technique for describing both the action from the point … Continue reading Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 2 – My version of the Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place only five days after the Battle of Fulford Gate. The Viking army, under King Harald Hardrada of Norway had won what appeared to be a decisive victory, destroying the Saxon’s Army of the North. Its leaders, the brothers Eorl Edwin of Mercia and Eorl Morcar of Northumbria had … Continue reading The Battle of Stamford Bridge
Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction – My version of the Battle of Fulford Gate
The fact is that most historical records are not complete. The veracity of what does remain can often be questioned. Although I did a lot of research for The War wolf it was with relatively few different sources. 1066 belongs to the period that used to be called the Dark Ages, a reference to the … Continue reading Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction – My version of the Battle of Fulford Gate
The Battle of Fulford Gate
Writing about an actual historical event in a piece of fiction is challenging, especially if, as the writer, you are keen on being authentic and accurate. I most certainly was. I undertook a lot of research into both the actual battle, how it was fought, the weapons and armour, why it happened, and what the … Continue reading The Battle of Fulford Gate
Peter C Whitaker 