Nova Anglia, The Forgotten Anglo-Saxon Enclave In Ukraine
Tucked away in the outer regions of the Byzantine empire was a pocket of towns with a series of unusual names that have puzzled academic and armchair historians alike, for among the most unexpected of the oddities that dot the antiquated maps of medieval cartographers concerning the Black Sea region, is the surprise inclusion of a town called ‘Londinia’ resting strangely in the north-eastern Crimea. To many, these are merely the remnants of a medieval Anglo-Saxon colony established by a band of English fugitives, who forsook their motherland after being defeated by William the Conqueror and his Norman armies at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. A rip-roaring tale of adventure mostly found within the pages of an obscure Icelandic saga and a dusty French manuscript, this unbelievable story has actually been authenticated by many other historical sources, which attest to an Anglo-Saxon presence in what is now referred to as Ukraine.
The Battle of Hastings
In 1066 following the death of King Edward the Confessor, England was plunged into a succession crisis as three rival claimants, namely the Norwegian warlord Harold Hardrada, the French warrior-baron William of Normandy, and the English king Harold Godwin battled for mastery over the kingdom.
Facing a dual invasion, Harold Godwin first fought against Harold Hardrada, who alleged that the predecessor to Edward the Confessor, King Harthacnut, had pledged him the English throne. Encountering each other at the River Derwent just east of York on September 25 1066, Harold successfully vanquished the Scandinavian marauder with a daring surprise attack at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. With Harold’s own brother Tostig slain, the victory would come at some cost, not least because it also gave William of Normandy enough time to establish a secure base of operations in the south of the country.
