England’s history is rife with conflict, especially during the Viking Age. In that era, hairy and scary foreign men raided and raped. Bearded berserkers, while wielding axes to cleave and spears to thrust, ransacked towns then rowed away on their loot-filled longboats before the local lords could mount a defense. Indeed, any army they dispatched..

A saga of brutality and treachery Life was hard in Britain during the Middle Ages. Terrible weather, terrible neighbors, terrible times. The status quo was that of frequent chaos: Vikings raided yearly, and Englishmen died in winter and war. The latter succumbed to the persistent assaults, and the former took the north and east quarters...