7. Defining the End: 1066, Harold Hardrada, and the Battle of Largs Eleanor Barraclough Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age The ending of the Viking Age is explored through political shifts. The year 1066 AD is conventionally used as t

Season 1, Episode 29,   Oct 27, 01:10 AM

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7. Defining the End: 1066, Harold Hardrada, and the Battle of Largs

Eleanor Barraclough

Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age

The ending of the Viking Age is explored through political shifts. The year 1066 AD is conventionally used as the endpoint, marking the death of Harold Hardrada, King of Norway, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Hardrada, a larger-than-life figure who had served the Byzantine emperor, based his English claim on Cnut's North Sea Empire. William of Normandy, who triumphed shortly thereafter, was of culturally assimilated Norse descent—Norman means Northmen. However, 1066 is Anglocentric. A later marker is the 1263 Battle of Largs, where conflict between King Hákon of Norway and King Alexander III of Scotland over the Western Isles ended with Hákon's death. This effectively ended Norway's political control in the region, although Norse culture persisted.
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