Clay Lane

The Copy Book

A Library of History and Literature in English

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235

A Gallant Attempt for the Crown

Only months after kidnapping the Duke of Ormond, Irish radical Thomas Blood was at it again, this time attempting to steal the Crown Jewels.

236

Three Criminal Types

Karl Philipp Moritz described three kinds of criminal in Georgian England, from the gentlemanly cutpurse to the deadly footpad.

237

Fatal Counsel

King Edmund Ironside’s courageous defence of his crown against the invading Danes was undermined by treachery at home.

238

The Battle of Assandun

The invading Danes fought so fiercely that Edmund Ironside, the young English king, threw all caution to the wind.

239

The Duel of the Kings

Edmund Ironside, King of England, and Cnut the Great, King of Denmark, fought hand-to-hand for one of European history’s richest purses.

240

The Murder of Edmund Ironside

Edric’s treason handed the crown of England to Cnut the Great, but Cnut was not so poor a judge of character as to believe that a traitor could be trusted.