http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_Germanic
Ouch, yes, one of those threads based off something someone randomly foudn in wikipedia. But bare with me.
But notice the map.
Mainland Denmark is dominated by people more similar to the Frisians and English than to modern Scandinavians.
So, what if this Jutland (for want of a better name, it doesn't necessarily have to be the Jutes who win out) to come to pass.
'Denmark' sticks to Sjaeland and Skane leaving the west different.
How to get this of course is a nigh on impossible question to answer, its the dark ages afterall, we know very little. I suppose you can do something about Charlemagne not smashing the Saxons or whatever.
Anyway; my main thinking behind this is one of giving the English brothers.
IOTL with the Frisians being nothing the English are quite isolated and cut off. A srange bastard language. Sure we have some stuff in common with Dutch and stole a lot of our vocabulary from French but...we don't have true similar countries in the way the Euros do.
Not only do the Scandinavians have each other but they're also closer to the Germans than we are to anything of note.
So...this is quite a vague and open question here. more philisophical than strictly historical- how would the existence of this Jutland change England? (lets assume it does evolve as per usual).
Of course there's the standard no viking blah blah but lets substitute some Norwegians in there if need be.
What I mean is- would this see England try and tie itself more to the continent? Would it seek to dominate this nation especially?
Of course in earlier medieval times what language you spoke didn't matter too much but...assuming we get through to the modern era with everything still intact, how would the English outlook differ with this clear tie to the continent?
Sorry if this is all a bithard to understand, I'm just verbalising (err...writing) thoughts here....