That would be 1066. Since I started teaching it, I knew there were two battles – one at Stamford Bridge, between Harold Godwinson (the Saxon, who was crowned king of England, and got beaten by William at Hastings) and Harald Hardrada (king of Norway), in the September. I’ve had this book, by Frank McLynn, for a few years now and never seem to have got around to reading it through. Finally, I have.

It was a good book, overall. I really liked the way he looked at the three main stars, and also a bit at Tostig; I’ve found that really useful, and no doubt I will use it at school. For a gal who isn’t much into military history, I also was able to follow through with what he said about the battles themselves (mostly), so that was something of a success. The main problem, though, was that a few time McLynn made statements and didn’t bother to back it up, or even give a reference. So that was a bit irritating, but overall it is a useful reference book for the period.

Now, to read my bio of William…