Wulf the Saxon: A Story of the Norman Conquest

by G.A. Henty Author

Wulf and his loyal friend Osgood experience many adventures across both England and France, protecting the King of England from plots upon his life, among other things. The book's chief focus is on William the Conqueror's conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings. The last days of Saxon England and the conquest of King Harold and his army by William of Normandy provide the colorful backdrop for one of Henty's most popular volumes. Harold had ruled England for less than a year when Norse invaders threatened from two directions at once. The Saxon king hurried north and crushed the Norwegian forces at Stamford bridge but suffered heavy losses himself. He then conducted a forced march of more than 300 miles to take on one of the finest armies in Europe led by the ablest captain of the age. The weakened Saxon forces were crushed at the Battle of Hastings, bringing Norman rule to England in the last successful invasion of that nation in history by a foreign power. The hero is a young thane who wins the favor of Earl Harold and joins his retinue. When Harold becomes king, Wulf assists in the Welsh Wars and fights at Stamford Bridge against the Norsemen. In the mighty struggle at Hastings, Wulf stands with his king and fights valiantly to the end as Harold's thanes die around him and he is killed, allegedly from an arrow through the eye. Because of previous dealings with the new King William, Wulf is able to keep his estates and does his part to amalgamate the Normans by marrying a noble's daughter.