William was not surprised by Hubert's answer, in the last glory days of the Vikings, two years earlier Cnut the Great had established a vast North Sea Empire, which included Norway, Denmark and England, with a population of more than six million people, and its area was the largest among many European countries at the time, and the North Sea Empire, which combined the three military powers, surpassed France and was second only to the Holy Roman Empire. Burning Library

Although after the death of Canute the Great in 1035, his North Sea Empire fell apart, England, Denmark, and Norway were succeeded by his three sons, Harald I, Cnut II, and Swain II, respectively.

The three of them have always had a bad relationship with each other over the issue of their respective succession to the throne, and they have also been at war with each other.

But all three monarchs were descendants of the Cnutlin family, and they would unite against the outside world whenever other countries and families invaded.

The combined power of the three nations was unstoppable by anyone, so under the shock of the remnants of Canute the Great, no one dared to hit the attention of England.

Of course, the Normans, who were of the same origin as the Vikings, did covet England for a long time, and during the reign of William's grandfather, Canute the Great took William's aunt Emma as his queen in order to dispel the Norman invasion of England**.

Even William's father, Duke Robert, had the idea of conquering England, but because he died young, on a pilgrimage, the conquest of England was not prepared for it.

William, who was well acquainted with this history, knew that within five years, England, Denmark, and Norway would all fall from the hands of the Cnutlin family, and the hegemony of Cnut the Great's Nordic empire would cease to exist.

William's cousin, Prince Edward of Essex, 35, will succeed in 1042 as King Edward the Confessor.

"Don't worry too much, I don't see England as a near-term target," William waved his hand to reassure Sir Hubert, shook his head slightly, and said:

For the time being, Norse rule in England was secure, but the Cnutlins were not without their worries.

The first is that the three kings of the Cnutlin dynasty, King Harald I of England, King Canute the Strong of Denmark, and King Swain II of Norway have no legitimate heirs, and the three are each other's heirs, which will inevitably lead to a succession war.

If there was a chance that these kings would die during this period, the North Sea Empire established by Canute the Great would fall apart, and the Cnutlin dynasty would be extinct.

Second, both the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway have a large number of tribes that do not obey the royal power, they dominate the political affairs of the kingdom, control most of the military power, and even determine the ownership of the throne.

If the kings of the Cnutlin dynasty could not settle and submit to their own tribal powers, the two countries would never be able to concentrate on their external expansion.

Finally, the Kingdom of England, although the country was also a feudal feudal country, the Council of the Magi formed by the local princes and nobles had great influence, and it could also determine the affairs of the kingdom and the succession to the throne.

Because of this system, England was never able to gather all the forces in the country, and it could send less than 20,000 troops in each battle.

It will not be difficult for us to defeat the king's army of England, but it will be difficult to suppress the powerful noble lords of England. Not only does this require great military might, but it also requires a reason and an excuse for them to choose to obey my rule and swear allegiance to me.

Perhaps at some point in the future, I will claim the throne of England. ”

"But, but—" Baron Hubert still thought that England was still too strong to be targeted, but when he wanted to speak out against it, he could not find a reason, because after listening to William's explanation, he only felt that William's words were reasonable, and it seemed that it was not so difficult to take England.

"Hubert, do you remember my two cousins, Prince Alfred and Prince Edward of the Wessex family?" William asked with a smile.

"Yes, I remember leaving Normandy two years ago when the Normandy rebellion was raging, and being invited by their mother to the Kingdom of England. Do you have any plans for them? Baron Hubert asked, puzzled.

"Ever since their two princes left Normandy for England, they have been assassinated by an evil earl, the eldest prince of whom Alfred died in 1036 last year." William shook his head and sighed.

"What's going on? His Royal Highness William, when they left, they were all safe. Baron Hubert asked.

William patiently recounted to Baron Hubert: "When Prince Alfred and Queen Emma, Prince Edward's mother, invited them to England to deal with Earl, Earl of Wessex, the most powerful local nobleman in the Kingdom of England. Godwin.

However, Queen Emma's attempt was discovered by the Earl Godwin, who struck first against Prince Alfred, who had arrived in England first.

Earl Godwin deceived Alfred by pretending to be his ally, and then blinded him by piercing his eyes, thus disqualifying Prince Alfred from the throne. Prince Alfred died after being handed over to King Harald I by Count Godwin.

Later, Prince Edward, who came to the Kingdom of England, was shocked by the cruelty of the Earl of Godwin, and fled England in a hurry and came to Normandy to ask me for help, but at that time the Duchy of Normandy was full of rebellion, and I had no power to provide any help to Prince Edward, so Edward then came to the Duchy of Flanders and asked Baldwin V, Duke of Flanders, for help.

Strange to say, whether it is the exiled prince of the Kingdom of England or the exiled heir of other countries and princes, he will take in and help, as if he is afraid of chaos, like a-stirring stick. ”

This Wessex Earl. The Earl of Godwin was the future King of England, Harold. Godwin's father, one of William's destined opponents.