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The enemy was approaching. The army was ready. Then its commander started vomiting.
According to a medieval chronicler, the sickness was an act. His soldiers scattered, and the Vikings marched on to burn and plunder. For King Æthelred, known to history as “the Unready,” it was yet another disaster and further reason to wonder whom he could trust.
Decades of raids, costly payments for peace, and bitter rivalries had strained the kingdom of England. Now the Danish prince Cnut was coming for its crown. When Æthelred died in 1016, his son Edmund Ironside took up the fight to defend his homeland. But courage on the battlefield could only achieve so much when powerful men were changing sides.
Among them was Eadric, Edmund's own brother-in-law, and one of medieval England’s most notorious turncoats. His choices helped shape the struggle and earned him a lasting reputation for betrayal.
Behind the battles lay private bargains, broken loyalties, and men deciding whether to defend a king or secure their own future.
Join us at Good Cheer Brewing to uncover the human drama behind Cnut’s conquest of England. Who betrayed whom? What did they stand to gain? And how much should we trust the writers who named the villains?
Grab a pint. Meet the suspects. Discover how a kingdom fell.
Tuesday, November 17, 6:30pm
The talk is free, but you can reserve a seat by pre-purchasing a drink (tax and tip included).
NEW BEER ALTERT! This talk will also be the launch event for a new beer - a special batch of our Viking-era Råøl, aged for six months in freshly dumped Scotch whisky barrels. It’s a a meeting of flavours inspired by the intertwined histories of Scandinavia and the British Isles.
The enemy was approaching. The army was ready. Then its commander started vomiting.
According to a medieval chronicler, the sickness was an act. His soldiers scattered, and the Vikings marched on to burn and plunder. For King Æthelred, known to history as “the Unready,” it was yet another disaster and further reason to wonder whom he could trust.
Decades of raids, costly payments for peace, and bitter rivalries had strained the kingdom of England. Now the Danish prince Cnut was coming for its crown. When Æthelred died in 1016, his son Edmund Ironside took up the fight to defend his homeland. But courage on the battlefield could only achieve so much when powerful men were changing sides.
Among them was Eadric, Edmund's own brother-in-law, and one of medieval England’s most notorious turncoats. His choices helped shape the struggle and earned him a lasting reputation for betrayal.
Behind the battles lay private bargains, broken loyalties, and men deciding whether to defend a king or secure their own future.
Join us at Good Cheer Brewing to uncover the human drama behind Cnut’s conquest of England. Who betrayed whom? What did they stand to gain? And how much should we trust the writers who named the villains?
Grab a pint. Meet the suspects. Discover how a kingdom fell.
Tuesday, November 17, 6:30pm
The talk is free, but you can reserve a seat by pre-purchasing a drink (tax and tip included).
NEW BEER ALTERT! This talk will also be the launch event for a new beer - a special batch of our Viking-era Råøl, aged for six months in freshly dumped Scotch whisky barrels. It’s a a meeting of flavours inspired by the intertwined histories of Scandinavia and the British Isles.