Mr. Cornwell –
As an avid reader of the Last Kingdom series (not to mention all the Sharpe’s, all the Starbucks and most of the rest of your work), I thought you might be interested in recent archaeological research in your area. You may have already read it; if so, well that shows how up-to-date you are. If not, I hope you enjoy it because it confirms much of what you have been writing in the Last Kingdom series.
The March/April 2018 edition of Archaeology magazine has an article, “The Viking Great Army,” p. 50, etc. Its key point is that the Vikings, primarily Danes, first invaded the multiple kingdoms to plunder and conquer, but brought back thousands to settle and take land for good. Sounds like your plots to me.
Your devoted reader,
Robert Perry