In 1016, a single betrayal at the Battle of Assandun gave a Viking king the throne of England
A calculated act of desertion during a brutal clash between Viking invaders and English defenders forever altered the British monarchy, allowing King Cnut the Great to unite England under a single Scandinavian crown.
The fate of England was decided on October 18, 1016, through a sting of betrayal rather than pure military might. As the forces of the English King Edmund Ironside clashed with the Danish army of Cnut the Great, an English nobleman named Eadric Streona suddenly pulled his troops from the battlefield. This desertion shattered the English line and led to a crushing defeat for Edmund.
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