The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada: Don Hollway: Osprey Publishing

The Last Viking

The True Story of King Harald Hardrada

The Last Viking

The True Story of King Harald Hardrada

Description

A rich and compelling account of the life of King Harald Hardrada, the man who inspired the hit Netflix show "Vikings: Valhalla".

'The Last Viking reads like the sagas on which it is based. It's Beowulf on steroids, laced with purple prose...This book is great fun. '- Gerard DeGroot, The Times

Harald Sigurdsson burst into history as a teenaged youth in a Viking battle from which he escaped with little more than his life and a thirst for vengeance. But from these humble origins, he became one of Norway's most legendary kings. The Last Viking is a fast-moving narrative account of the life of King Harald Hardrada, as he journeyed across the medieval world, from the frozen wastelands of the North to the glittering towers of Byzantium and the passions of the Holy Land, until his warrior death on the battlefield in England.

Combining Norse sagas, Byzantine accounts, Anglo-Saxon chronicles, and even King Harald's own verse and prose into a single, compelling story, Don Hollway vividly depicts the violence and spectacle of the late Viking era and delves into the dramatic events that brought an end to almost three centuries of Norse conquest and expansion.

Maps
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part One
I. Seven Feet of English Ground
II. Eye of God
III. Exile
IV. Kievan Rus
V. Miklagard

Part Two
VI. Varangian
VII. Command
VIII. Holy Land
IX. Sicily
X. Uprising
XI. The Burner of Bulgars
XII. Reign of Terror
XIII. Revolution
XIV. Blinding
XV. Power
XVI. Lover
XVII. Downfall
XVIII. War
XIX. Escape from Byzantium

Part Three
XX. Prince of the Rus
XXI. Denmark
XXII. Treachery
XXIII. Kings of the North
XXIV. Thunderbolt of the North
XXV. Dragon Ships
XXVI. Hard Ruler
XXVII. The Battle of the Nisa
XXVIII. Sweden
XXIX. England

Part Four
XXX. Stamford Bridge

Epilogue: The Last Viking
A Note on Sources
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published	02 Feb 2023
Format	Paperback
Edition	1st
Extent	368
ISBN	9781472846501
Imprint	Osprey Publishing
Illustrations	8 pages of colour illustrations
Dimensions	198 x 129 mm
Series	General Military
Short code	GNM
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Don Hollway

Don Hollway is an author, illustrator, and histori…

The Last Viking reads like the sagas on which it is based. It's Beowulf on steroids, laced with purple prose...This book is great fun.

Gerard DeGroot, The Times
[Don Hollway's] book is great fun ... I enjoyed very much reading it.

Giles Coren, Times Radio
Riveting! Open this book and be prepared to see it through to the end. Fascinating and thoroughly engaging!

Edward Zapletal, History Magazine
Don Hollway not only knows the history, he also knows how to tell a great story. The Last Viking is a masterful and pulse-pounding narrative that transports the reader into the middle of the action. Hollway weaves together multiple original sources, and he clearly has a deep understanding of the period. He gives us a convincing and detailed story of this fascinating Viking king.

Carl Gnam, Publisher, Military Heritage Magazine
The story pulls you in, and doesn't let go.

Stephen Harding, New York Times bestselling author of 'The Last Battle'
This is a lively and fun retelling of the story of Harald Hardrada, the famous Norwegian king. There is, without doubt, no greater symbol of an 11th-century warrior-adventurer.

Professor Kelly DeVries