DANELAW YEARS - 2: NJORD'S SILVERY PATH, Danes take over Anglian kingdoms ... The diversion becomes a prize

The Romans first felt the impact of the population surge in the lands they occupied when in 100 BC the Cimbri and Teutons pressed southward into Gaul. These tribes were believed to have begun their migration from the Jutland peninisula, but what came next sent shock-waves through the smug Romans' world.

The Ostrogoths and Visigoths smashed their way into the eastern regions of their empire. Having begun their southward movement from overcrowded Gotland and southern Scandinavia through the eastern fringes beyond the Romans' area of influence, they had settled near the Caspian Sea and were pushed gradually westward by another, more warlike migratory tribe from the Mongol Empire.

When the western Roman empire disintegrated and the Franks took up the baton as 'civilisers', the Norse threat had still to be fully appreciated

The Carolingian dynasty was fulfilled in Charlemagne (Charles the Great) and in its northward spread threatened the kingdom of the Danes in Godred's time (8th C).

A stand might have been made. after all, with its more centralised rule Denmark showed in the building of the Danevirke that it was ready for an attack from the south. But with the manpower at Charlemagne's disposal the stand may not have lasted long enough and the Danes would have been over-run - end of kingdom. There were many more Franks than Danes. The pieces of the kingdom worth taking would have been greedily snatched up by their neighbours to north and east.

Frankish Royal Annals tell of Godred's kingdom stretching to the Vestfold in Norway as well as Skaane and Halland (now S.W. Sweden). The author would have us believe it was in Britain too. Danish rule in Norway was well established at this time, and it may have been through Godred's prompting that the West Norse raids began around this time on Britain's isolated outposts of Christianity such as iona and Lindisfarne. Nevertheless a later native-born king Harald 'Harfagri' (Fairhair) would rule a more concerted state of Norway in the 9th Century.



When the West Norse first raided on the coasts of north-western Europe in the 8th Century their leaders were neither kings nor jarls but hersir. At the outset of the 8th Century the hersir were landowners of independent means, chieftains perhaps. In these times they were better equipped than those they led, yet by the 10th Century the hersir came under the yoke of a more centralised form of kingship. Their weaponry and standing were more of the standing of a king's retainer, like the Danish huscarl.

A monk wrote of the first attack, on a shire reeve who was doing his king Beorhtric's bidding by trying to find out their business. He was slain on the forestrand,

"Those were the first ships of Danish men which came to the lands of the West Saxons".

(They were in fact from Hordaland in south-western Norway but let that pass for now. Early writingd were made by Churchmen not known for historical accuracy. They can be useful in pinpointing the dates and targets of raids. This first attack was on the king's reeve when asked for their origins in assessing taxation on any goods sold on Wessex's shores. The raids that followed on Lindisfarne and iona were targeted. Raids on the North Sea coasts of the Frankish Empire byto remind the Franks that they were not out of reach (or forgotten). By the mid-830's no trading centre was safe.

Timescale:

789 King Beorhtric's shire reeve (forerunner of sheriff) was killed by the West Norse;

792 Offa of Mercia sets up defences in Kent and Mercia to ward off attacks by pagan seafarers;

793 Lindisfarne (off the coast of Northumbria near Bamburgh) raided;

795 iona (off the coast of Mull) raided;

799 Norse raiders at the mouth of the Loire (St. Nazaire);

810 Danes attack Frisia;

820 Further Danish raids on Carolingian trade centres;

830-850 Raids on Frankia and Kent;

835 Norsemen in the West Country beaten off by King Ecgberht of Wessex;

c850 King Harald 'Harfagr' (lit. Hair-fair, or Fairhair) born;

865 Danegeld paid by Kentish folk;

866 York (Eoferwic, Jorvik) falls to Danes under Halfdan Ragnarsson;

870 Harald 'Harfagri' sole king of West Norse;

872 Battle of Hafrsfjord;

877 Mercia succumbs to Danes;

878 First treaty agreed between Aelfred and Guthrum;

879 East Anglia falls, King Eadmund 'martyred' by Danes under Ivar 'the Boneless' and Ubbi (the Danes executed him for deserting his own army at Hoxne in Suffolk to claim sanctuary in a church at Hellesdon near Norwich);

886 Treaty of Wedmore between Aelfred and Guthrum, self-styled king of East Anglia - dividing Wessex's influence south and west of Watling Street (Roman road: London-Chester) from East Mercia subseq. known as Danelaw, East Anglia and Northumbria south of the Tees [isolating Anglian Bernicia - Northumbria north of the Tees];

895/905 Icelandic warrior poet born;

930-937 Wessex regains control of S.E. England and Midlands under Aethelstan;

934 Eirik Haraldsson, 'Blood-axe' killed in ambush on Stainmore Common (old boundary of County Durham-Cumberland-Yorkshire);

937 Battle of 'Brunanburh' between Aethelstan's Wessex and Mercian army and Hiberno-Norse-Welsh alliance won through deception by Aethelstan - first instance of military intelligence being used against an overwhelming foe;

940-54 Viking kingdom of York (Jorvik) carved out of Deira - Yorkshire;

979 Aethelred II, 'Unraed', comes to throne of fledgling kingdom of England;

980 Renewed Danish attacks on kingdom of England;

991 Battle of Maldon between East Saxon fyrd led by Aethelred's kinsman, and Norsemen under Olaf Tryggvason - Byrhtnoth slain after day-long conflict;

991-1015 Escalating amounts of Danegeld to Danes under Svein Haralddson 'Tveskaegg' ('Forkbeard') to avenge Danish deaths in England after St Brice's Day Massacre [13th November 1002] in which his sister was killed amongst others - activity of Thorkell 'Havi' ('the Tall') - Svein controls Danelaw England; Svein dies suddenly at Gainsborough;

1016-1035 Reign of Knut Sveinsson, 'Knut the Great' over empire that stretches from S.W. Sweden in Scandinavia to parts of British Isles, Norse Atlantic territories (Greenland, Iceland and Faeroe Islands and all of England via Denmark;

1035-42 Reign of Harold Knutsson, 'Harefoot' - first as 'viceroy' on behalf of Harthaknut, his half brother by Emma, then in his own right;

1042 Harthaknut claims throne and invites his half brother Eadward [through Emma] to share kingdom - H. dies after choking fit at wedding feast in Lambeth fiven by Osgod 'Clapa';

1043-1066 Eadward becomes sole ruler, weds Earl Godwin's daughter Eadgytha, stage-manages Earl Godwin's banishment in 1051-1052 but reinstates him and his sons after constitutional crisis, dies without heir;

1066 January-October reign of Harold Godwinson, former Earl of Wessex, defeats Norse army under Harald Sigurdsson and Tostig Godwinson at Stamford Bridge near York after defeat of Earl Morkere's army five days earlier on 20th September, Norman duke William's landing on south coast draws Harold prematurely to take on invaders. Harold G. defeated 14th October;

1069 Jarl Osbeorn lands in Humber with large Danish fleet to help English against Normans - bought off by William;

1070-1071 Rebellion in East Anglia led by Hereward, Danish fleet led by King Svein Estrithsson and disgraced Jarl Osbeorn lands to help rebels, Peterborough sacked, Danes bought off by William again and leave, William besieges Ely over winter, Hereward and friends leave into exile after Ely monk betrays them - earls Morkere and Waltheof captured, Morkere imprisoned, (Waltheof pardoned and later implicated in plot 'Revolt of the Earls' against William and executed at Winchester);

1085 Knut Sveinsson plans new invasion of England to pursue claim to crown, William institutes 'Demesde Book' or Book of the Domain (Domesday), Knut Sveinsson murdered in Odense Cathedral and invasion called off in 1086;

1087 William dies after abdominal injury sustained during burning of Mantes, eldest (legitimate) son William 'Rufus' succeeds;'

1100 William 'Rufus' slain in hunting 'accident' in New Forest, Hampshire - Walter Tyrell's 'stray arrow' claims king and his younger brother Henry 'Beauclerc' succeeds to throne - died 1st December, 1135, ten years after Eadgar 'the aetheling', the last West Saxon heir of the Cerdicingas [the West Saxon line].

Next - 3: Aethelred to Eadward