DANISH INVASION
Life was hard and cruel in the north. western corner of Europe, the country rocky and desolate; only in the narrow valleys could the Norsemen grow crops, and in the dense woods hunt wild animals . It was no country for the weak; even in the "season of plenty" there was barely enough corn and meat, and in the "season of want" many perished and everyone knew the meaning of hunger. Yet the Norsemen were a hard and high-spirited race, and so they wandered, sometimes founding settlements, more often plundering and pillaging and returning to their own land.
It was not only want which drove
the Northmen, but the love of adventure, as they rowed their open, un-decked ships across the sea. The ships might
carry 100 men, yet they drew so little water that they could be navigated up shallow rivers, and this added to
the terror of the inhabitants.
France, Germany (That is the three states of the Verdun partition; many years would pass before France and Germany
would become nations.) and even Spain suffered from their raids, and in the churches men prayed "From the
fusion of the Northmen, good Lord deliver us."
Some of the Northmen followed the coast of Norway as far as the White Sea; others reached the Orkneys and Shetlands and settled there as sheep-farmers; others bolder still sailed beyond the Farces until they sighted "Snowland" (now Iceland) and (c. 860) founded a settlement there. It was hard to gain a living in this cold and rocky land, but to the Norsemen difficulties existed only to be overcome. One of the settlers, in punishment for a crime he had committed, was exiled from Iceland, and sailed still farther west till he found a yet more desolate coast. The exile, Eric the Red, named the new country "Greenland" (in the hope that a "good name" would attract future settlers).
The Saxons and Jutes and Angles, who had settled in Britain several centuries earlier, became themselves a prey to the "sea-wolves" from Scandinavia, and fled inland as soon as they caught sight of the long ships of the Northmen.
The Danes raided England throughout the reign of king Ethelwulf, in 856 they wintered for the first time on English soil. The throne was then taken up by four brothers, Ethelbald, Ethelbert, Ethelred, and King Alfred (871-901). Who could do no more than divide his kingdom with the invaders. (By the Treaty of Wedmore, 878.)
The portion below is an account of the period from the last years of Ethelwulf to the accession of Alfred
[From an Old English Chronicle]
 |
An. DCCC.LV. (DCCC.LVI). In this year heathen men first
took up their quarters over winter in Sheppey. And in tine same year king Æthelwulf chartered the tenth part of his land over all his kingdom, for the glory of God and his own eternal salvation and in the same year went to Rome with great pomp, and dwelt there twelve months, and then returned home and Charles, king of the Franks, then gave him his daughter for queen ; and after that he came to his people, and they were rejoiced thereat and two years after he came from France he died, and his body lies at Winchester, and he reigned eighteen years and a half. And then Aethelwulfs two sons succeeded to the kingdom ; Æthelbald to the kingdom of the West Saxons, and Æthelbryht to the kingdom of the Kentish people, and to the kingdom of the East Saxons, and to Surrey, and to the kingdom of the South Saxons. |
An. DCCC.LX. (DCCC.LXI). In this year king Æthelbald died, and his body lies at Sherborne; and Aethelbryht
succeeded to all the kingdom of his brother ; and he held it in good harmony and in great tranquillity. And in
his day there came a great naval force to land, and took Winchester by storm. And the ealdorman Osric with the
Hampshire men, and the ealdorman Aethehwulf with those of Berkshire, fought against the army and put them to flight
and held possession of the battle place. And Aethelbryht reigned five years, and his body lies at Sherborne.
An. DCCC.LXV. (DCCC.LXVI). In this year a heathen army took up their quarters in Thanet and made peace with the
people of Kent, and the people of Kent promised them money for the peace; and, during the peace and the promise
of money, the army stole itself away by night, amid ravaged all Kent eastward.
An. DCCC.LXVI. (DCCC.LXVII). In this year Æthered (Ethelred), Æthelbryht's brother, succeeded to the
kingdom of the West Saxons. And in the same year came a great heathen army to time land of the Angle race, and
took winter quarters among the East Angles, and were there horsed; and they (the East Angles) made peace with them
An. DCCC.LXVII. (DCCC.LXVIII). In this year the army went from the East Angles, over the mouth of the Humber, to
York and Northumbria; and there was great dissension of the people betwixt themselves; and they had cast out their
king, Osbryht, and received a king, Aella, not of royal blood; and late in the year they came to the resolution
that they would fight against the army; and yet they gathered a large force, and sought the army at York, and stormed
the city, and some got within, and there was an immense slaughter made of the Northumbrians, some within, some
without; and both kings were slain; and the remainder made peace with the army. And in the same year bishop Ealhstan
died; and he had the bishopric of Sherborne fifty winters; and his body lies there in the town.
An. DCCC.LXVIII. (DCCC.LXIX). in this year the same army went into Mercia to Nottingham, and there took up winter
quarters. And Burhred, king of the Mercians, and his witan, prayed Aethered, king of the West Saxons, and Aelfred
his brother, that they would aid them that they might fight against the army. And they then went with a force of
West Saxons, in Mercia, as far as Nottingham, and there found the army in the works, and there besieged them. But
there was no hard battle there; and the Mercians made peace with the army.
An. DCCC.LXX. (DCCC.LXXL). In this year the army rode over Mercia into East Anglia, and took winter quarters at
Thetford; and in that whiter king Eadmund fought against them, and the Danes gained the victory, and slew the king,
and subdued all the land, and destroyed all the monasteries which they came to. The names of the chiefs who slew
the king were Ingvar and Ubba. At that same time they came to Medeshamstede, burned and broke, slew the abbot and
the monks, and all that they found there; then made that which was erst full rich, that it was reduced to nothing.
And in the same year died archbishop Ceolnoth at Rome. And Aethered, bishop of Wiltshire, was chosen archbishop
of Canterbury.
An. DCCC.LXXI. (DCCCLXXII). In this year the army came to Reading in Wessex, and three nights after, two jarls
rode up, when the ealdorman Æthelwulf met them at Inglefield, and there fought against them, and gained the
victory, and one of them was slain, whose name was Sidroc. Four nights after this king Æthered and Ælfred
his brother led a large force to Reading, and fought against the army, and there was great slaughter made on each
side; and the ealdorman Aethelwulf was slain, and the Danes took possession of the battle place. And four nights
after, king Aethered and Ælfred his brother fought with all the army at Ashdown; and they were in two divisions;
in one were Bagsecg (Bagsceg) and Halfdan, the heathen kings, and in the other were the jarls; and then king Æthered
(Ethered) fought with the king's division, and there was the king Bagsecg slain; and Ælfred his brother fought
against the jarls' division, and there were the elder jarl Sidroc slain, and the younger jarl Sidroc, and Asbiorn
jarl, and Fraena jarl, and Harald jarl, and both divisions put to flight, and many thousands slain; and they were
fighting until night. And fourteen nights after, king Æthered and Ælfred his brother fought against
the army at Basing, and there the Danes gained the victory. And two months after, king Æthered maid Ælfred
(Alfred) his brother fought against the army at Merton; and they were in two divisions, and they put both to flight,
and far in the day were victorious; and there was great slaughter on each side, but the Danes held possession of
the battle place; and there were bishop Heahmund slain and many good men. And after this fight there came a great
summer force to Reading. And the Easter after, king Æthered died; and he reigned five years, and his body
lies in Wimborne monastery.
