Vikings VS Anglo-Saxons

Dan explains the Battle of Brunanburh, an epic clash that decided the fate of the British Isles. On one side, the forces of King Æthelstan, fighting for his vision for a unified England; on the other, a massive ‘anti-Wessex’ coalition of Vikings, Scots and Celts, determined to stop the English project from taking hold. Today, we explore the high-stakes diplomacy that led to this point, hear how this savage battle played out, and dig into its consequences for the modern UK. 0:00 Introduction 1:48 Pre-Viking Britain and Ireland 2:48 The arrival of the Vikings 4:03 The rise of Viking strongholds 5:43 Decades of continuous warfare 7:22 Alfred the Great and the idea of England 9:38 Building the English kingdom 11:14 Mercia, Ethelfled and the expansion of Englishness 13:16 The Vikings return to Dublin and York 14:37 Athelstan takes the throne 18:09 The anti-English alliance forms 21:19 Locating the Battle of Brunanburh on the Wirral 25:25 The landing of the coalition forces 29:11 The armies clash at Brunanburh 32:07 The Old English battle poem 34:38 The aftermath and slaughter on the field 36:47 Egil's saga and feasting with King Athelstan 39:50 How Brunanburh forged the identity of the British Isles Produced by Mariana Des Forges, James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, edited by Matthew Wilson & the channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. You can find more Dan Snow's History Hit on the audio podcast here: https://podfollow.com/dan-snows-history-hit/view Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #DanSnowsHistoryHit #HistoryPodcast #EnglishHistory