Whenever writing or reading a military history, there can be a temptation to take sides and root for one combatant or another,

in a similar way as when watching a sports competition, even more so when you have a close affinity

to one of the sides. So as an Englishman, it is difficult to avoid a tendency to see the Battle

of Hastings, the most famous event in our medieval history

from any other than the English perspective. However, as with all battles in this podcast series,

my intention is to give a satellite's eye view of events, to give an equal perspective from all

sides, sources allowing.

Welcome to a history of Europe, Key Battles, the Battle of Hastings of 1066, part one of two.

In an earlier podcast, I told the story of early Britain and the Battle of Brunnen

Burr.

In this great battle of 937, King Atholstan of Wessex defeated an alliance of Vikings, Scots and

smaller British kingdoms and established England as the most powerful kingdom of the Isles.

Indeed, since the reign of Athelstern's grandfather, King Alfred the Great, England had developed into one of the best, organised and richest states in Europe.

The future after Alfred can go in one of four directions. Firstly, the Anglo-Saxons

could continue in power. Alternatively, they could be invaded by one of their three foes, either

the Norwegians or Danes or a young state just across a channel called Normandy.

All made serious bids for control, and this is the story of how the Normans, who must have

seemed like unlikely contenders in the beginning, came out on top, in the most famous battle

on English soil, the Battle of Hastings.

In spite of the victory at Brunnenberg, there would be further waves of attacks from Scandinavia in the following century. The relative peace survived only as long as Athelstan lived.

On his death in October 939, the northern region of Northumbria and its capital

York immediately rebelled. It was physically separated from southern England by the River Humber River,

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