The Chronicle Of The Ostmen

It is 869 and Ard Mhacha remains the principal meeting place of the ancients. Within a land controlled by clan lords the monks tell its people how to act and what to learn, Mael MacConaill a privilaged young noble disregards the messages of God's path for him. When the monastery is raided by Ostmen, everything changes. Experience the survival of a young Irish hostage to a warlord. Mael is propelled into the chaos surrounding the Danish invasion of the British kingdoms. While the battle for the last Saxon kingdom ensues, Mael becomes an outsider in a pagan culture within a foreign country. Now as he learns to rely on his resourcefulness in a brutal chaotic realm, Mael finds his way through a clash of religious traditions in the battle for the last Saxon kingdom, which is brought to a teetering threshold of existence by the onslaught of pagan forces.

A kingdom faces foreign invasion to emerge as the country that defined a modern nation The Saxon kingdoms of Britain saw their land immersed in the ‘dark age’ of assault from the men from the east, the Ostmen. Only one kingdom was spared the occupation of the Danish warlords and their men hungry for a new land. Crisis forces us to look to leaders. One who shows us a vision for life and our place in a land. A person considerate to all people, able to provide justice and protection, a leader gives hope to the community. The Chronicle of the Ostmen: Book Two continues the clash of peoples, a conflict of cultures, a contest of religions, written by Mael MacConaill who sees the rituals and beliefs that nurtured the people to survive, grow and succeed.

"My aim in it has been to convey a juster and less prejudiced notion than prevails at present respecting the Danish and Norwegian conquests." -Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae, An Account of the Danes and the Norwegians (1852) An Account of the Danes and the Norwegians in England, Scotland and Ireland (1852) by Jens Warsaae, was based on his research into the Scandinavian invasions of the European mainland. During the 10th century, the European mainland was invaded by Norse settlers from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, who intermarried with native tribes and came to be known as "Normans." While their influence on the history of France was significant, it was even stronger in England, which the Normans conquered in the 11th century. Warsaae's book, commissioned by the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries, was his attempt to revise the impressions that the 19th century British had of the effects of the Norman conquests on England. This replica of the original text is accompanied by numerous woodcuts.

What did medieval authors know about their world? Were they parochial and focused on just their monastery, town, or kingdom? Or were they aware of the broader medieval Europe that modern historians write about? This collection brings the focus back to medieval authors to see how they described their world. While we see that each author certainly had their own biases, the vast majority of them did not view the world as constrained to their small piece of it. Instead, they talked about the wider world, and often they had informants or textual sources that informed them about the world, even if they did not visit it themselves. This volume shows that they also used similar ideas to create space and identity – whether talking about the desert, the holy land, or food practices in their texts. By examining medieval authors and their own perceptions of their world, this collection offers a framework for discussions of medieval Europe in the twenty-first century.