Calamity in the Dark Ages
by Colin Powell
A Celtic king dies. He leaves a realm in West Britain without an heir.
The inhabitants of a neighbouring Saxon kingdom see the chance to invade.
This bold undertaking appears straight forward to the invaders...
However, the fixations of intoxicated and audacious men do not always deliver the desired outcome, when up against cold reality.
This gripping novel is based on the real history of Britain back in the Dark Ages of the 6th Century.
In the year 560 A.D., King Ceawlin took the throne of West Saxon Land with the unstinting help of his younger brother, Cutha. Together, they had ruled with a firm hand for seven years, and successfully resisted continuing external threats.
In early September of AD 567, separatist views had become inflamed to such an extent; they were prepared to disregard the commands of King Ceawlin. Dumnonia's king had died, leaving the title to be fought for among the nobility, thus causing the kingdom to break up. Hearing of this, the Gewisse decided to take advantage of the situation by invading.
Three armies were to invade Dumnonia, each led by an overlord chosen from the wealthiest Gewisse chieftains. Each army was made up of small clans led by land-owning sub-chieftains, who virtually owned all the men in their settlements. All would strike out for the west: along the northern coast, Fulcher would lead eight thousand men, while Egbert's seven thousand travelled the southern coast. Taking the mid-country route would be Arfast, with three thousand men.
KINDLE VERSION