Did you know England is almost exactly 1,000 years old? Not only that, but can you believe English people have been around for even longer? It's true: even before England had been invented, English people lived in several smaller countries all over the island of Britain. The Saxon King Alfred the Great is famous for trying to bring these countries together even though this caused many clashes with their greatest enemies, the Vikings. Eventually, Alfred's children did unite the English countries. But it was a Viking called Cnut the Great who decided to stick all these countries together and make a new one called England, where people from all over the world could live side-by-side. AUTHOR: Chip Colquhoun is a professional storyteller who has written, directed and performed in a number of heritage projects, including history trails and celebrations of key historical events. He has received five grants from the Arts Council to write family productions, one of which was nominated for the British Awards for Storytelling Excellence 2012 and the most recent of which is for a production marking the millennial of King Cnut's accession. He is currently Communications Officer for the joint strategy of the Society for Storytelling and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee of ICOMOS UK. SELLING POINTS: . 2016 marked 1,000 years since Cnut's accession. He was given the title 'King of England' in the following years. . This book accompanies a touring performance of King Cnut's story. . King Cnut was the first king to unite England and not have it fall apart after! . The author is a professional storyteller who will be creating related events across the country. . Input from Saxon and Viking specialists. . Highlights how racial tensions of the 10th and 11th centuries were overcome (currently of special interest to schools with multicultural pupils). 30 b/w illustrations