Nineteen Days in Autumn: A New History of 1066

This new history unveils the drama that unfolded over the nineteen days between the Battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings in the Autumn of 1066.

On 5 January 1066, Edward the Confessor's death plunged England into a succession crisis that would indelibly change the nation forever. Mere hours after Edward’s remains had been laid to rest, his brother-in-law Harold II seized power, inciting the wrath of two formidable challengers: King Haraldr of Norway and Edward’s ambitious cousin, William, Duke of Normandy.

In this startling new history, Erin Goeres unveils the intense drama that unfolded over the tumultuous nineteen days between the Battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings in the Autumn of 1066, which led to the deaths of two monarchs, ending a centuries-long Anglo-Scandinavian rule.

Drawing on sources from England, Normandy, and Scandinavia, Goeres uncovers the complex histories, real-life characters, and human motivations that formed the tapestry of those days. We meet the women at the heart of the fray, such as William's enigmatic wife, Matilda of Flanders, the alleged lover of Harold of England, and the "driving force" behind her husband's invasion. She brings to life the regular people who were swept up in events beyond their control, such as the farmer who was beheaded for an unwillingness to give his jacket to a Norwegian invader.

Nineteen Days in Autumn is a gripping tale of three nations entwined, the devastating consequences of their unravelling, and the subsequent memorialization of this saga, which has given rise to the nationalistic myths of today.