Part IV
uthrum died in 891 and the pact between him and Alfred was considered null
and void. In 882, the starving Norse men turned their attention to England
again. Another massed invasion up the Thames estuary by the disenchanted
European invaders culminated in another defeat for them. This time, the
preparations made by Alfred, with his fortified towns and large ships which
he had built combined with his reorganization of the fyrd were too much
for them. He had taken a leaf out of the Vikings book and played them at
their own game. This was the last battle Alfred was to be involved in.
It was now the turn of his son, Edward to take control. The battles continued
off and on until about 896. Alfred died in 899.
n 904 Guthrum was replaced by his official successor Guthrum II. He reinstated
the treaty signed by his predecessor. The old Vikings settled down and
resumed farming and inbreeding with the existing population. In 910 dissatisfaction
with their lot provided a vehicle to break the treaty. Mercia was the location.
Edward defeated the Vikings and pushed them back at the battle of Tettenhall.
Edward had a sister named Athefleda who married the ealdorman of Mercia.
On his death, she became overlord, which was unheard of at that time. She,
known as Lady of the Mercians, joined with her brother to force the Vikings
out of Mercia and back to East Anglia and Northumbria by using well thought
out tactics. Wessex and Mercia now fought as one. Working as a team they
pushed into East Anglia, fortifying any towns that they captured along
the way. Guthrum II died in Bedfordshire in a battle at Tempsford in 917.
Aethelfleda advanced as far as York to accept their surrender. Unfortunately
she died very soon afterwards. Edward therefore, was claimed the king of
the whole of England below the river Humber. He was now considered all
powerful. He continued into Northumbria, creating fortified towns as he
went. The end of the Viking age should have been nigh. He reigned until
his death in 924.
ethelstan, son of Edward, and grandson of Alfred followed on where his
elders left off. In 926, due to internal strife in Northumbria and his
fear of an uprising he invaded them. He had already been declared king
of all England and was paid homage by the Welsh. Over the years, the inexorable
expansion of the Saxon king led to an alliance being formed between the
disaffected and defeated. These were Constantine II of the Scots, Olaf
the Dublin Viking and possibly others. It culminated in the battle of Brunanburgh
in 937. The alliance was resoundingly beaten. The exact location is unknown
but it is thought to have been near Rotherham in northern England. Aethelstan
died in 939. Following on from Aethelstan was Edmund I. Half brother of
Aethelstan, he reigned in the same vein for the next six years. He invaded
and defeated Strathclyde. When he died in 946 the kingship passed to his
brother Edred. Edred was responsible for expelling Eric Bloodaxe, the new
Viking king from Northumbria, thus uniting the whole of England. The struggle
was near to completion. England had been reclaimed. By 955 and the death
of Edred, Edwy or Edwig followed Edred but did not have popular support
of the whole country, being only in favour in the south, especially Kent.
On his death in 959, Edgar, who followed, had the luxury of a country at
peace again. Much of the administration and laws of England were developed
during Edgar's reign.
dgar died in 975 without having to fight any major battle. He was replaced
by Edward, later known as the Martyr. In 978 he was assassinated on behalf
of his younger half brother, Aethelred II who became better known as the
Aethelred the Unready. It was unfortunate for him to be king at this time,
because in 980 the Viking raids started up again. Within ten years of Aethelred
II becoming king the whole country lost almost everything it had gained
since Alfred's days.
.
he Vikings ran amok. Even so there was one battle that has survived if
not slightly corrupted in the telling. It concerns a battle that took place
in August 991 in Essex at a place known as Maldon. The ealdorman by the
name of Byrhtnoth, when hearing of an imminent attack of the Norse men,
rallied his militia and moved to meet them. As usual, the Vikings tended
to like islands wherever they may be as they were defensible. In this case
they had settled on a small island in the Blackwater Estuary. When the
Vikings saw the Approach of Byrhtnoth and his men, they prepared for battle,
only to be stopped by Byrhtnoth blocking the causeway bridge. Many words
were exchanged. The Vikings begged to be allowed to fight on a level playing
field. Byrhtnoth must have had a sense of fair play because that is exactly
what he did. Unfortunately his men saw it differently and ran away leaving
himself and some trusty thanes to fight to the death, which is exactly
what they did.
©
copyright Glen Ray Crack - Battle - East Sussex - United Kingdom
.
Submitted
10th January 1998
.
1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001
©
copyright Glen Ray Crack - Battle - East Sussex - United Kingdom
.
Submitted
10th January 1998
.
1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001