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Category Archives: Vikings

The Quest: VIKINGS

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Patricia

On a recent visit to County Wicklow, Ireland, I checked into a B&B just a few miles from where the History Channel’s VIKING series is filming at Lough Tay. I was hoping that I might catch a glimpse of Ragnar … Read More →

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The Last Kingdom, Episode 8: The Battle of Edington

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Patricia

878 A.D. In the seventh week after Easter King Alfred rode to Ecbryht’s Stone…All those of Somerset came to meet him, and those of Wiltshire and Hampshire…they were glad of his coming. ..He went from that camp…to Edington, and there … Read More →

Posted in Anglo-Saxons, History, Review, The Last Kingdom, UK, Vikings | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Last Kingdom, Episode Five: Uhtred vs Ubba

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Patricia

Alternate Title: UHTRED vs UBBA, ODDA 1, ODDA2, ALFRED, LEOFRIC, MILDRITH, OSWALD…oh heck. UHTRED vs EVERYBODY Episode 5 begins with shipwreck and concludes with a very different kind of wreck. In between, our hero Uhtred covers a lot of ground … Read More →

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The Last Kingdom, Episode 4: The Peace is Over

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Patricia

With Episode Four we have reached the half-way point of this season. A new woman has entered Uhtred’s life. Those of us who have read Cornwell’s novels have learned to not get too attached to Uhtred’s women. They come and … Read More →

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The Last Kingdom, Episode 3: The New King of Wessex

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Patricia

Despite the fact that the main character of Bernard Cornwell’s books is our hero Uhtred, it is Alfred who is the focal character of this episode. Everything and everyone revolves around him, and actor David Dawson does a spectacular job … Read More →

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The Last Kingdom, Episode 2

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Patricia

At the beginning of this episode of The Last Kingdom, as scenes from the previous episode flash across the television screen and the voice of Uhtred summarizes his early life, he says, “Destiny is all.” This phrase appears in every … Read More →

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Review: The Ceremony of Innocence, a play written in 1968 by Ronald Ribman

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Patricia

It is Christmas Eve in the year 1013. The king of England, Ethelred, has retired to a cell in a monastery on the Isle of Wight. He is mournful, despairing, and self-exiled from his court and kingdom due to remorse … Read More →

Posted in Anglo-Saxons, Art, History, Research, Review, Theatre, UK, Vikings | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

5 May 1010: The Battle of Ringmere

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Patricia

On 5 May in the year 1010, a great battle was fought between the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes at a place in East Anglia called Ringmere. In the fall of 2012, as part of the research for my novel The … Read More →

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Vikings 3, Episode X: THE DEAD

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Patricia

I cannot possibly write a review of this episode without including spoilers. So, if you do not want to know how Season 3 of The Vikings ends, please leave the room now. Are they gone? Right. In this episode King … Read More →

Posted in History, History Vikings Review, Review, Vikings | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Æthelred II – the Haunted King

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Patricia

On 23 April 1016, King Æthelred II died in London. He was about 50 years old, and he’d ruled England for 38 years. At his death he’d not yet been given the byname, Unræd, (ill-counseled, a play on the Old … Read More →

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