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Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire, England on 25 September 1066 CE saw an army led by English king Harold II (r. Jan-Oct 1066 CE) defeat an invading force led by Harald Hardrada, king of Norway (r. 1046-1066 CE). Hardrada, aided...
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The Jelling Stones
10th-century runestones at Jelling, Denmark. The smaller stone was erected by Harald Bluetooth’s father Gorm in honour of his wife Thyra before 958. The larger stone honours Harald's parents and proclaims his achievements: "Harald the king...
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Vikings
The Vikings were originally diverse Scandinavian seafarers from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark (though other nationalities were later involved) whose raids and subsequent settlements significantly impacted the cultures of Europe and were felt...
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Jesus Christ Depicted on Jelling Stone
Jelling tones raised by King Harold Bluetooth (r. 958-985 CE) in memory of his deceased parents. As a Christian convert, Bluetooth was responsible for Denmark’s adoption of the new religion, thus he had one side of the larger stone depict...
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Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings in south-east England on 14 October 1066 saw the defeat of the Anglo-Saxon king Harold II (r. Jan-Oct 1066) by the invading Norman army led by William, Duke of Normandy (reigned from 1035). After a day of heavy fighting...
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Hedeby
Hedeby (Old Norse: Heiðabýr; German: Haithabu) was an important stronghold in Viking Age Denmark from the 8th-11th centuries CE and, along with Birka in present-day Sweden, it was the most important Viking trading center in Europe. During...
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Medieval Icelandic Government
Early medieval Icelandic government, or Viking Iceland, has been termed an incipient form of democracy or democratic parliamentarism, however, the system was actually nothing like its European counterparts, be they medieval or contemporary...
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Viking Ship Construction - A Step-by-step Visual Guide
In this gallery of 30 illustrations, we present the stages and techniques required to build the type of Viking ship Harald Hardrada, the future Norwegian king (reign 1046-1066), would likely have used to enter Constantinople in 1034. No physical...
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The Danish Conquest of England
The Danish conquest of England was not a singular event, but a series of large Viking invasions of England between 1013 and 1016, which eventually overthrew the native English dynasty. As a result, four kings from the House of Denmark ruled...
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William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror (c. 1027-1087), also known as William, Duke of Normandy, led the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 when he defeated and killed his rival Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Crowned King William I of England...