Who were the Vikings, Normans and Anglo-Saxons, what was the Battle of Hastings about and who won?
A NEW drama-documentary series, 1066: A Year to Conquer England, is coming soon to BBC Two.
The show will explore the political intrigues and family betrayals that led to war.
But who were the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans and what led to the Battle of Hastings?
Here's what you need to know.
Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
The Anglo-Saxons are a people who inhabited Great Britain from the 5th century.
They came from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia and stemmed from three powerful tribes - the Angles, Saxons and Jutes.
The Anglo-Saxons began to invade Britain while the Romans were still in control.
The country of ‘England’ did not come into existence for hundreds of years after the Anglo-Saxons first arrived.
Instead, conquered areas were carved into seven major kingdoms - Northumbria, East Anglia, Essex, Sussex, Kent, Wessex and Mercia.
Each nation was independent and although they shared similar languages, religions and cultures they were fiercely loyal to their own kings and often went to war.
The conquered area slowly became known as England (from Angle-land).
The period in which they ruled is often referred to as “The Dark Ages” - mainly because written sources for the early years of Saxon invasion are scarce.
Who were the Vikings?
The Vikings originated from the three countries of Scandinavia - Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
The name 'Viking' comes from the Old Norse language and means “a pirate raid”.
The Vikings were known for raiding and trading from their homelands across wide areas of northern, central and Eastern Europe, during the late 8th to late 11th centuries – this has now become known as “The Viking Age”.
The Vikings carried out many raids on Anglo-Saxon Britain – the first recorded raid was in 793.
The Vikings continued to make regular raids around the coasts of England, looting capturing people as slaves.
Gradually, the raiders began to settle and stay in British land they had seized – mainly in the east and north of England.
In 866, the Vikings captured modern York (Viking name: Jorvik) and turned it into their capital.
The Viking raiding did not stop - different bands of Viking made regular raiding voyages around the coasts of Britain a few hundred years after this.
Who were the Normans?
The Normans that invaded England in 1066 came from Normandy in France.
However, Normans were originally Vikings from Scandinavia.
At the beginning of the tenth century, French King Charles the Simple had given some land in the North of France to a Viking chief named Rollo in the hope that this would stop the Vikings from attacking France.
The land became known as Northmannia – meaning the land of the Northmen – which was later shortened to Normandy.
The Viking settlers intermarried with the French and by the year 1000, they were no longer Viking pagans, but French speaking Christians.
A group of Normans conquered land in Italy in 1030 and by 1099 they had taken over most of Southern Italy – where they showed remarkable ability when it came to governing.
What was the Battle of Hastings about and who won?
The Battle of Hastings marks the last time mainland Britain was invaded by a foreign power and saw the Normans sweep to victory over the old Anglo-Saxons.
The event, in many ways marked the creation of the England and Britain we know today, with our Queen able to trace her lineage back to William the Conqueror.
The world famous clash occurred on October 14 1066 when the invading Norman army from France attacked the Anglo-Saxon forces that had ruled England for centuries.
The rival forces came together just seven miles northwest of the coastal town of Hastings near to the modern day town of Battle, in East Sussex.
King Harold Godwinson of Wessex had taken the English throne after Edward the Confessor died leaving no children.
William, Duke of Normandy, also known as William the Bastard, also claimed the crown and landed at Pevensey in Sussex on September 28.
Sixteen days later the opposing armies would fight for the English crown in a battle that would change the course of history.
Around 6,000 men are thought to have lost their lives in the battle.
1066: A Year to Conquer England starts February 28, BBC Two, 9pm.
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