The North Sea EmpireThe Last Days of the Vikings

Kristina Ekero Eriksson, Bo Eriksson

How raiding and pillaging became dominance and rule, leading to the rise and fall of an empire

When Canute was crowned King of England in 1016, he became one of Europe’s most powerful rulers. He had annexed England, Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden and married Emma of Normandy, he had conquered kingdoms and forged an empire.

The path to the throne was the result of alliances and betrayals between the most famous figures of the Viking Age: Olof the Scotsman, Sigrid the Great, Erik the Wise, Olav the Holy, Sweyn Forkbeard and Harald Bluetooth. But as Canute emerged victorious, he caused two worlds to collide: the Viking rulers had plunder and tribute as traditional sources of income – while the English in a medieval way raised taxes, customs and fees. A clash of religion: the Vikings in the Great Heathen Army saw themselves as Odin’s warriors, while Alfred the Great’s Christian army consisted of men who viewed the Vikings as God’s punishment for their sins. But these new alliances came at a price: the fall of the Viking dynasty.

The North Sea Empire: The Last Days of the Vikings is a major new work of non-fiction and a vivid portrayal of the destructive and bloody leap between the Vikings and the Middle Ages – a transformative period when the map of power in Europe was redrawn and modern Christian society began.