Timeline
Timeline
Embedded Files
Scrolling Backward Through Time:
Where History Meets the Tabletop
Scrolling Backward Through Time:
Where History Meets the Tabletop
History is not a static painting gathering dust in a gallery; it is a living, breathing chain of choices, conflicts, and turning points.
History is not a static painting gathering dust in a gallery; it is a living, breathing chain of choices, conflicts, and turning points.
Here we want to flip the script. Instead of looking forward, we invite you to scroll backward—descending from the thunderous clash of the "present" all the way back to the cosmic omen of the comet.
Why start so far back? Because pushing dice across a green felt mat is fun, but knowing why those miniature men are fighting transforms a game into an experience.
Wargaming without history is just moving printed paper (or painted lead or plastic). But wargaming with history? That is time travel!
As you scroll down this page and journey backward through the decades of Anglo-Saxon politics, Viking ambitions, and Norman intrigue, you aren't just reading dates—you are walking the path that led right to our tabletop.
Understand the history, feel the friction of the past, and you will find that every mini you deploy on our 5-Meter battlefield carries the weight of a true historical legacy.
Scroll down. The past is waiting.
Scroll down. The past is waiting.
A Journey Back in Time
A Journey Back in Time
11 October MMXXVI: Present
11 October MMXXVI: Present
The Herald streaks across the English sky, a harbinger of the upheaval to come.
The Herald streaks across the English sky, a harbinger of the upheaval to come.
The Norman lines are set: Archers draw their bows, Spearmen stand in formation, and Knights hold their impatient, neighing destriers. Opposite them, the Anglo-Saxon-Danish shield wall is locked in a grip of iron. Upon the ridge, the air shudders with the roar of 'UT UT UT!' as axes are raised to break the storm. The time for talk is over.
HASTINGS960 is about to commence.
HASTINGS960 is about to commence.
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September 1066 AD
September 1066 AD
The Winds of Change
The Winds of Change
Just days after Harold's victory, William’s fleet finally catches a favourable wind and lands at Pevensey in East Sussex.
25 September - Stamford Bridge
25 September - Stamford Bridge
Harold Godwineson defeats the Norwegian invasion, killing his brother Tostig and Harald 'Hardrada' at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
20 September - Fulford Gate
20 September - Fulford Gate
The Battle of Fulford (also called the Battle of Fulford Gate) was fought on September 20, 1066. It took place just south of York, England, resulting in a victory for the Viking invaders led by Harald Hardrada and Tostig Godwinson against the English northern earls Edwin and Morcar.
Early September - Hardrada Lands in England
Early September - Hardrada Lands in England
Hardrada's massive fleet of over 300 ships arrived at the River Tyne around September 10, where he joined forces with Tostig before sailing down to the Humber and disembarking in Yorkshire by September 18.
January 1066 AD
January 1066 AD
Assembling of an Army
Assembling of an Army
In late January 1066, William having proven his absolute mastery of war at home, turned his gaze across the Channel, ready to claim the ultimate prize: the throne of England. He began the monumental task of assembling his invasion fleet, laying the groundwork for the crossing that would shift history forever.
Harold Rex Anglorum
Harold Rex Anglorum
Harold Godwine is hastily crowned King of England.
The Dead King
The Dead King
Edward the Confessor dies childless.
The Witan elects Harold Godwineson, but his claim is immediately challenged by William of Normandy
and Harald Hardrada King of Norway.
1065-1043 AD
1065-1043 AD
Power Struggle: the Exile and Return of the Godwines
Power Struggle: the Exile and Return of the Godwines
The brief exile of the Godwinesons in 1051, followed by their triumphant, supported return to London, marks the moment they become the de facto power behind the English throne.
William Warrior Duke
William Warrior Duke
In the years leading up to 1066, he faced down continuous rebellions, hostile barons, and powerful foreign foes—including the Kings of France and Anjou—outwitting and outmaneuvering every adversary who stood in his way. Against all odds, this hardened survivor did not merely defend his duchy; he systematically dismantled his rivals with ruthless political cunning and unmatched tactical brilliance.
The House of Godwine vs. The King
The House of Godwine vs. The King
The Godwinesons consolidate near-total control over England’s earldoms (Wessex, East Anglia, Northumbria). The tension between Edward’s desire for autonomy and the Godwinsons’ dominance defines the era. Eventually the family is Exiled and stripped of all their posessions.
1042 AD
1042 AD
The Restoration of the House of Wessex
The Restoration of the House of Wessex
Edward the Confessor Ascends:
Edward returns from exile in Normandy. He is a "stranger king," unfamiliar with English politics and heavily reliant on the power of the Godwine family to stabilise his throne.
Death of Harthacnut
Death of Harthacnut
King Harthacnut died suddenly on June 8, 1042, while attending a wedding feast in Lambeth, leaving no direct heir.
1035-1017 AD
1035-1017 AD
Death & Succession
Death & Succession
Cnut died at Shaftesbury in Dorset and was buried at the Old Minster in Winchester. His vast northern empire quickly fractured as succession disputes erupted among his sons.
Consolidation of Power
Consolidation of Power
Cnut consolidated his rule by dividing England into four major earldoms (Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia, and Northumbria).
He also married Emma of Normandy, the widow of the previous Anglo-Saxon King Æthelred, to legitimize his claim and isolate his rivals.
William King - 1027 AD
William King - 1027 AD
A New Ruler is born
A New Ruler is born
William of Normandy, the Bastard, the Conqueror was born in late 1027 or 1028 in the town of Falaise, in the Duchy of Normandy. He was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy and a woman named Herleva.
Harold Rex - 1022 AD
Harold Rex - 1022 AD
A New Champion is born
A New Champion is born
Harold Godwine was born in Wessex around 1020 to 1022. Son of Godwine, Earl of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir.
Exact birth records from that time do not exist, so historians estimate his birth year based on the events of his life and family history.
1016 AD
1016 AD
Conquest of England
Conquest of England
Following the death of King Æthelred the Unready, Cnut and the English King Edmund Ironside fought a brutal series of battles, culminating in Cnut's victory at the Battle of Ashingdon. They agreed to divide the kingdom, but Edmund's death months later left Cnut as the undisputed King of England.
The Reign of Cnut the Great
The Reign of Cnut the Great
England is integrated into a North Sea Empire. During this time, the rise of the Godwineson family begins as Godwine earns Cnut’s favor through loyalty and skill in battle.
1015 -978 AD
1015 -978 AD
The Reign of Ethelred II "The Unready"
The Reign of Ethelred II "The Unready"
The Struggle Begins: Ethelred’s reign is defined by a lack of counsel ("un-raed") and the relentless return of Viking raiders.
980 AD The Danish Shadow
980 AD The Danish Shadow
The Vikings return and this time they are hell bent for full conquest. The policy of paying Danegeld to buy peace proves disastrous, setting the stage for decades of Danish influence in English politics.
954 AD
954 AD
Vikings Driven Out
Vikings Driven Out
Scandinavian rule ends as the last Viking king of York is driven out.
911-887 AD
911-887 AD
Rollo Invades Normandy
Rollo Invades Normandy
Rollo did not seize Normandy in a single sudden invasion; rather, his record shows he led a band of Vikings raiding the Seine Valley through the late 9th and early 10th centuries.
His conquest was formalized in 911 AD when he signed the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte with King Charles the Simple, securing the region that became Normandy.
886-878 AD
886-878 AD
Danelaw Established
Danelaw Established
The Danelaw was established through treaties between King Alfred the Great of Wessex and the Viking leader Guthrum.
This followed Alfred's victory at the Battle of Edington, setting boundaries that gave Scandinavian settlers rule over northern and eastern England
793 AD
793 AD
A New Threat
A New Threat
First Important Viking Raid, June 8, 793 AD, at the Lindisfarne Monastery off the northeast coast of Northumberland.
450 AD
450 AD
Anglo-Saxon Arrival
Anglo-Saxon Arrival
The date of the Legendary arrival of Hengist & Horsa in England. Hengist and Horsa were legendary figures in early English history, said to have been leaders of the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain in the 5th century.
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4.56 Billion Years Ago
4.56 Billion Years Ago
A New Herald is born
A New Herald is born
It originated as a primordial remnant in the icy outskirts of the early solar system, freezing together from interstellar dust and ices in the original solar nebula.
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