Author Description

Norway was never enough! Harald Sigurdsson grew up knowing that his destiny was to be King of Norway. But his ambition went far beyond. After Cnut's death, he fought to win the lands he had held - Norway, Denmark and England. The story leads him from his childhood in rural Norway to his death on the bloody fields at Stamford Bridge. He honed his ambition and his skills fighting in Constantinople and adopted the epithet "Hardrada" - hard ruler, or stern counsellor, which he preferred. Harald was a brave and courageous Viking warrior, but he was ruthlessly ambitious. Nothing - and nobody - would stand in his way. In a period of exile, he fought as a mercenary for Grand Prince Jaroslav of Kiev-Rus. He married Elisiv, the Prince's daughter and she fuelled his ambitions. "Conquest: 1 Harald Hardrada" is a novel, first in the series focusing on the momentous year 1066. It draws on the great Viking Sagas which record his life, offering insights into the man and his times.