The Viking Wars of Alfred the Great's Britain - full documentary

the 9th century the

viking

age in england as most of

britain

fell to the ferocious sea raiders of scandinavia the kingdom of the west saxons under

alfred

the

great

would resist in the 870s the

viking

s intensified their efforts and Alfred's dominion seemed doomed to finally fall in 878 at the Battle of Eddington. The West Saxons faced annihilation. King Alfred led his troops in a last, desperate stand. The outcome of this battle would determine the future not only of the kingdom of the west saxons but of all england at his birth

alfred

the

great

was not expected to be king born in 849 at wantage in berkshire youngest son of king afterwolf of the west saxons he had four older brothers and a sister years later alfred's biographer would say who had been the favorite son although this could be later embellishment young alfred grew up at the royal court cared for and educated by his parents and guardians as a child he accompanied his royal father and mother on their travels throughout the kingdom there were no teachers available at the time to instruct him in Latin or liberal art, a fact which Alfred would later complain about and seek to remedy by establishing his own schools, but as a child he loved poetry and memorized many songs of the old Anglo-Saxon heroes.

Alfred's biographer claims relates an incident that reflected Alfred's lifelong love of learning one. One day, Alfred's mother gave her children a beautiful book of English poetry and promised to give it to whoever she could memorize it first. Alfred immediately fell in love with the book, immediately took it to his teacher and, with his help, quickly compromised the contents. In his memory, he then recited the poetry before her mother, at which time she proudly presented the precious book to her son. One of the first momentous experiences for Alfred was his childhood trip to Rome. King Atawolf sent young Alfred to the eternal city in 853 so that he could benefit.

From the intellectual and spiritual resources of the papal court, Alfred traveled to Rome again in 855, this time with his recently widowed father along the way. Alfred and his father stopped at the Frankish court of Charles the Bald, where they were warmly received. Alfredo's childhood trips to Rome. and the Frankish kingdom allowed him to enjoy the scholarship and culture of these important courts years later Alfred would remember these experiences as he established educational institutions in his own kingdom calling upon ignorant men from the continent to help him Alfred's father died in 858 several Alfred's older brothers took the throne in quick succession, but it was during the reign of Athelrod, Athelwolf's fourth son, that the kingdom of Wessex faced a fundamental threat from the Vikings in 865.

A Known Viking Host by Christian chroniclers how the great pagan army arrived in England. This was the largest and most disciplined Danish force yet based on the Anglo-Saxons led by two brothers, Alton and Ivar, believed to be sons of Ragnar Lodbrook. This invasion would shake the very foundations of 9th century England, dramatically altering the political situation in just over a century. decade the grand army wintered in east anglia extracting horse tribute from king edmund of east anglia in 866 the danes moved north with the intention of capturing york northumbria was in a state of civil war two royal brothers osprey and ayla they were distracted fighting each other and did not recognize the danish threat the vikings captured the ancient roman fort of york too late ospred and ayla attempted to counterattack but were both killed the inhabitants of northern umbria were forced to submit and pay homage tragically the great library and the monastic school of york were lost in the words of historian max adams a foreign army now sat among the ruins of york plundering the hinterland and meting out justice by right of arms now equipped with horses the viking army was divided into mounted and naval contingents and led to mercia in 867 they besieged and captured nottingham over the last few decades the neighboring The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex had developed an increasingly close alliance.

Now King Bergrid of Mercia asked Athelrid Alfred and his West Saxons for help against the Viking advance. The Anglo-Saxons besieged the Vikings at Nottingham, but failed to starve them into submission. The parties negotiated a truce. Aphelron and Bergrid strengthened their bond by arranging a marriage alliance. Alfred was going to open aus with mercy and a noblewoman of royal descent. Wessex joined forces with Murcia and in 868 their coalition marched to confront the Vikings at Nottingham. No major compromise occurred. but the Vikings hesitated to confront this large, if not superior, force, eventually the Vikings retreated to York, where they would remain for a year.

Finally, in 869, the Vikings attacked the coast of East Anglia. King Edmund and his eastern angles marched to confront them. In November the Vikings defeated and killed him and invaded the region they destroyed all the monasteries in the surrounding area massacring many monks in 871 the Vikings established a base in Redding erecting a defensive ramp from here they launched an attack against the king of Wessex Atherwood and his Brother Alfred led his forces to attack the fort, but were repulsed with heavy losses. Feeling confident after this victory, the Viking army marched out of Redding under Halfton and was met face to face by a chieftain named Bagsy, ready to strike the decisive blow in the open field.

The Anglo-Saxon host Aphelrod divided his army into two contingents, commanding one wing while his brother Alfred commanded the other. The Vikings were also arranged in two formations, one under Halfton and the other under Bagsec, which would result in a brutal shield clash that would last for hours. walls one of the pivotal engagements of the period the battle of ashdown the life of king alfredo de astor describes the encounter the vikings had taken the highest position first and the christians were deploying their battle line from a lower position there grew a thorn tree quite small and lonely around which the enemy armies clashed violently with loud shouts from all, one side acting unfairly and the other side willing to fight for the lives of their loved ones and the country when both sides had been fighting back and forth another with determination and ferocity for quite a long time the Vikings by divine Judgment could no longer resist the attack of the Christians and when a large part of their forces had fallen they undertook an ignominious flight, one of the two Viking kings and five earls were killed in that place and many thousands on the Viking side were killed there.

Also, or rather, throughout the wide expanse of Ashdown scattered everywhere, the Christians followed them until nightfall, cutting them off on all sides. Bagsick was killed in the confrontation along with many of his top men. Halfton managed to retreat. Athelrid and Alfred at first believed. They decisively defeated the conquerors of Northumbria and East Anglia, but the victory brought only temporary relief. Two weeks later, the Viking army had reformed and in another engagement drove the West Saxons from the field. The fighting would continue and 871 would become known as the year. Of the nine battles, the exact outcome of this intense period of campaigning is unknown, except that the situation remained largely unchanged with the Vikings dominating the northeast and the kingdoms of Merced and Wessex on the defensive.

The Vikings were willing to travel fast and far and attack. Deep in enemy territory the Anglo-Saxons were in a dangerous and long-running war, it was in the midst of all this uncertainty and trial that the West Saxons lost their king at Easter Applewood was dead from battle wounds, so it happened an unlikely situation, Alfred, the youngest son. King Athawaf was about to take the throne of Wessex, he could hardly have been crowned under more difficult circumstances. From the moment he became king of the West Saxons, Alfred the Great faced the deadly threat of the Vikings, but Alfred had considerable experience as the commander fought alongside his brother, the late King Athelrid.

In addition, Alfred was plagued throughout his life by a medical illness described by the king's biographer and friend Bishop, who today states that historians believe this. It could have been Crohn's disease, a chronic disease that can go into remission for a long time. periods but it is terribly painful during outbreaks despite this ailment alfred was a very active and obedient ruler the condition did not prevent him from having children joanna armand estimates that the first son of alfred and his first-born daughter ethelflood was born around this time in approximately 870 .alfred the great was crowned during a period of deep turmoil for the english of the time it must have seemed like the end of days the vikings had destroyed all but two of the anglo-saxon kingdoms of

britain

the kings had been martyred the houses of god.

The monasteries had been stripped of their wealth. The prosperous trade of the 8th century had collapsed. Learning was at a low point. Alfred would later complain that there were hardly any illiterate priests south of the River Humber a month after Alfred the Great took over. throne in 871 he faced two Viking armies on the battlefield near Wilton the Viking coalition was formidable, in fact their ranks were multiplied by the presence of the great summer army in this confrontation the Anglo-Saxons were defeated and Alfred concluded that he could not removing the immediate threat to his kingdom without buying for invaders this was an old but never permanent solution to viking attacks, it often only invited further hostility and increasingly alfred was unable to maintain this financially ruinous policy one's own properties of the king could not produce the Danish guild and so it had to arise from the people of Wessex and the properties of the church.

The following year the great pagan army took steps to consolidate its gains under the command of the Viking chiefs at halfton they moved a Murcia Here the Vikings established their base at Repton during the winter of 873.74 Northumbria and East Anglia were already under their control in the past Wessex had brought aid to Mercia, but this time the Mercians were not powerless to defeat the Danes. King Bergrid and his wife were deposed and went into exile. Bergrid fled to Rome, where he died the following year. His wife, King Alfred's own sister. she ended her days in a nunnery never again would an independent king rule Mercia instead the Danes established their own puppet ruler the following year the divided Danish host helped and marched north to consolidate power in Northumbria the Anglo-Saxon chronicle simply states that Halfton He divided up the lands of the Northumbrians and they proceeded to plow and support themselves.

This passage has sparked much debate. Did the Vikings confiscate land from locals or purchase property from native lords with the treasure now weighing on their coffers? Whatever the case, it is clear that Halfton's company was established. In York as a permanent home here the land was fertile and opposition did not exist this was an ideal place for these Danish adventurers to settle and put down roots. The place names of the region today indicate the mixing of the Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon languages ​​as the Ancient raiders became cultivators of the land. There was also interaction between peoples, including cooperation and trade.

The Vikings were intermarrying with the local population and were not just warriors arriving from the Scandinavian homeland. There is evidence that the Danes also brought their women with them. another sign that the vikings were settling down as farmers and no longer acting as mere raiders while the summer host under guthrum remained in murcia they established a base in cambridge during the year guthrum's ambitions were now focused on the last unconquered territory in England Wessex at age 76 Guthrum's army entered the kingdom, they evaded Alfred's army by taking Wareh and Dorset. At first Alfred besieged the enemy in his fortress.

He was forced to retreat when he learned of a large Viking fleet sailing along the Wessex coast with the intention of reinforcing Guthrum once again to the king. He had to negotiate, Guthrum swore to leave Wessex and gave hostages as collateral this time, however, Alfred wanted a stronger guarantee. Guthrum agreed to take the oath on a sacred ring. This was a solemn practice among the Vikings and the ring used on this occasion has been identified as a Thor ring, a large gold band worn on the chieftain's arm used by the Danes themselves in exchanging oaths, however, the effort of alfred's appeal to viking piety proved futile, guthrum did not keep his vow perhaps the viking leader was adopting odin's advice from the sayings of the tall one, if there is a man whom you do not trust but from whom you want nothing more than the well, speak to him fairly but think falsely, Guthrum and his menthey murdered their western sacks and hostages and then slipped away at night to exeter the The fleet mentioned above was destroyed at this time by a storm off the coast of Swannage, resulting in the loss of about 120 ships, a hard blow to Guthrum's efforts after the storm.

Alfred and his forces camped before King Exeter refused to attack the city to dislodge it. The invaders, but the Saxons were well positioned and Guthrum was unable to resupply his army once again. The two sides reached an agreement after terrorizing Wessex for over a year. Guthrum finally withdrew in August 877. Meanwhile, discontent was brewing among the West Saxons, many were frustrated. With Alfred's handling of the Viking threat, the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to the Pope complaining about the king's practice of paying off the Danes. Recently, some historians have suggested that high-ranking members of the West Saxon nobility may even have attempted to depose Alfred.

This may be why the kingdom was so woe

full

y unprepared when Guthrum attacked again. The king was celebrating Christmas at Chippenham when the Danes arrived and began wreaking havoc. The Vikings had executed the maneuver brilliantly, achieving total surprise. And if in fact the Alfred's regime was collapsing and a coup d'état was in progress. This would have left the king and his inner circle even more vulnerable. The surprise of the attack, together possibly with the revolt of the West Saxon nobility, left Alfred no choice. But to retreat to the forest with his family and his personal retinue of warriors and followers, Alfred made the difficult journey through the woods. of Somerset, he and his companions were forced to live off what they could forage and hunt during the bitter winter months they experienced as The Asser fugitives describe the virtual chaos of this period through force of arms.

The Vikings forced many Saxons to sail abroad through poverty and fear and almost all the inhabitants of that region submitted to their authority. Alfred was determined to recover from this defeat after Easter. In 878 he established a fortress in Athens in the middle of the Somerset Marshes, from here he sent out intelligence gathering missions trying to awaken the spirits of his people and discover who would join his call against the enemy. He also sent bands of warriors to execute blows and blows. He carried out raids against the Vikings who were not numerous enough to control the entire territory in May 878, with spring turning the world green again.

Alfred set out from Athens and rode to Egbert Stone, east of Selwood, in a large expanse of forest, here the king met. those county forces on whose support he could still rely aster describes the relief of the West Saxons at seeing their king desperation had become widespread in Wessex, but now here was Alfred alive and rallying his men to counterattack his sound of intelligence and his assembled army. Alfred now acted decisively The king marched with his men Guthrum an excellent commander in his own right He was well aware of Alfred's movements The Viking leader prepared his own forces to meet the West Saxon counteroffensive It was Guthrum who selected the site of the attack Battle positioning his forces on the top of a hill surrounded by ditches this would force alfred to fight uphill and also prevent the vikings from being outflanked the west saxons now reached eddington in wiltshire here they encountered guthrum and his viking army began the battle joanna Armin writes that despite television depictions, the Saxons and Vikings used similar weapons and equipment.

Large rounded shields with metal protrusions were held on the front to form a hope

full

y impenetrable wall. Swords were high-status weapons that only belonged to the very rich. Most men would have used a long spear to stab over the shield wall in an effort to penetrate the enemy ranks. When the shield walls met, both sides would have slashed and stabbed each other trying to exploit the gaps in the opponent's formation. The statement describes the confrontation when at dawn the next morning, Alfred moved his forces and arrived at a location. named eddington and fighting fiercely with a compact shield wall against the entire Viking army, he resolutely persevered for a long time and finally gained victory through the will of God, destroyed the Vikings with great slaughter and pursued those who fled to the fortress, hacking them.

Down Max Adams writes that Alfred's advantages lay in his command of an army defending his homeland and in the tactical superiority of Anglo-Saxon open-field warfare against a naval assault force perfected in the art of raiding. Alfred pursued the defeated Danes all the way to their stronghold at Chippenham the West Saxons seized the enemy's cattle and prepared for a siege after a fortnight the Vikings capitulated Guthrum surrendered completely under Alfred's terms the Vikings gave Alfred hostages gave none the invaders also promised to evacuate wessex immediately the terms were sealed three weeks Later, near Athens, when Guthrum and his leaders submitted to baptism as Christians, certainly from the perspective of the West Saxons, the ceremony was a powerful symbol of Christian triumph over Danish paganism.

This was a dramatic turning point on land that the Vikings had never done before. made such a capitulation Alfred's triumph at Eddington achieved nothing less than the salvation of his kingdom he had been on the verge of losing everything but this victory restored his position without a doubt Alfred understood that the Viking offensive had as its objective nothing less than the total conquest of Wessex He knew his only option was to fight and win a complete victory. The actual course of the battle remains obscure to historians, but certainly Alfred and his men rose to the occasion.

It is possible that the West Saxons had the numerical advantage over the army. from guthrum as the viking forces appear to have been smaller than during previous attacks after the decisive west saxon victory at eddington the viking army withdrew from chippenham the following year they returned to east anglia where they settled and divided up the land. This marks the final stage in the establishment. Under Danish law the Viking-ruled territories of England were no longer content to simply extract tribute from local populations, the Danes now attempted to impose their own political rule. The total subjugation of England proved impossible, so they limited themselves to consolidating their rule in the eastern and northern parts.

The distinctly Danish political structures would leave a lasting if subtle influence in these regions, meanwhile, Alfred's victory at Eddington marks the beginning of a period of respite for the kingdom of Wessex that would last throughout the 1980s. Alfred took full advantage of this situation. and recognized that his kingdom had not been prepared for the ravages of the Danes, he immediately implemented programs of military, cultural and civil reform that transformed and strengthened Wessex. This period demonstrated that Alfred was not only a capable commander but a truly wise and creative ruler. His innovations would not only strengthen his people against future Viking aggression but elevate the intellectual and spiritual life of the West Saxons Alfred defeated the Vikings at Eddington but the battle had been a close affair the West Saxons had almost lost everything these events caused much reflection on alfred the king recognized that his people had not been prepared for the viking attack now alfred was determined to correct this problem he set out to strengthen his people not only militarily but also culturally, intellectually and spiritually alfred understood that it had been too easy for the Viking forces penetrated and devastated Saxon territory therefore the king established a network of fortresses called boros to inhibit invasion.

Bishop's friend and biographer Asser Alfred tells us that the king himself was closely involved in several construction projects, many of Alfred's subjects expressed doubts at the immensity of these construction campaigns, but the king insisted on them and eventually backed out. With his, future events would reveal the brilliance of Alfred's network of districts. The building sites were strategically selected, protecting the main routes to and within the kingdom. The forts were distributed in such a way that most people lived no more than 20 miles from a defended position the Saxons employed great thought and planning to determine what type of donkey would be placed at a particular location in some cases Roman or Iron Age forts were modified or improved while some districts were completely new constructions which Most notable were Alfred's fortified cities again some of these were built around earlier Roman sites, the streets were laid out in a grid to ensure ease of movement within the city during an attack.

Alfred also reorganized the West Saxon army to maximize the effectiveness of his fortresses, as the chronicle says that the king had divided his army. in two, so that always half of his men were at home and half off duty, except for those men who were tagaris and the districts. Alfred's practical defensive reforms are admirable, but he sought to strengthen his kingdom to a deeper level during the period of the Viking invasions. He had refused to remedy the lack of scholars in Wessex. Alfred sought scholars abroad from Mercia. He obtained knowledgeable ecclesiastics. He also sent messengers to the Carolingian Empire, attracting the services of learned monks such as Gremble to Flanders and John the German Asser, whose writings are today our source. most important in the life of king alfred was a welsh monk from saint davids abbey.

Asser became a close friend of the king and became Bishop of Sherborne after having gathered a circle of intellectuals at his court Alfred implemented his literary revival Grimble of Flanders John the German Asser the Welsh and the Mercians all came from different regions and They brought with them a variety of intellectual traditions They contributed their own manuscripts and set to work to replenish the libraries of England Alfred himself enjoyed long discussions with his scholars He read aloud to him explaining various philosophical points The king was curious and asked questions and he dedicated himself to the study of Latin.

It is noteworthy that Alfred set the example by personally studying books that he hoped would edify his subjects. Astor says that in 887 the king himself had gained mastery of Latin and began translating books again, we can admire the dedication Alfred's personality to the intellectual disciplines, for a king busy with political affairs it must have been a challenge to fit in academic pursuits, and yet we know that Alfred loved poetry from childhood and clearly enjoyed promoting it. Alfred's own education not only translated several classical Latin texts but left his own notes and commentaries. Because of this, we understand Alfred on a personal level much better than any other ruler of medieval England.

A key work for Alfred was the book of pastoral care of Pope Gregory the Great was intended to instruct a bishop in the proper discharge of his function. Alfred clearly believed that the work was also deeply important to kings and he created his own translation of the book and composed an introduction that gives insight into the aims and ideals of it. It seems to me better that we too should make into the language that we can all understand certain books which it is very necessary for all men to know so that all the free-born young men who are now in England and who have the means to devote themselves to it may be They dedicated themselves to learning until such time as they could correctly read the English writings.

In addition to pastoral care, Alfred was personally responsible for the translations and commentaries of three other books, Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, the Soliloquies of Saint Augustine, and the First 50 psalms, all of these books had personal importance to Alfred and he drew inspiration from them as a ruler. Scholars at Alfred's court prepared translations of other works that the king considered crucial. The dialogues of Saint Gregory. Stories against the pagans. Biorosius and accounts. Ecclesiastical history. Other English prose writings and translations of the period are also associated with Alfred's reforms. Alfred considered St. Gregory's pastoral care to be the cornerstone of his literary renaissance, as this book urged bishops not only to seek wisdom in themselves but also to encourage learning in the faithful.

The king had the book distributed to all his bishops. Saint Gregory insists that learning is of primary importance to those in authority. Alfred agreed and emphasized that earls and nobles should devote themselves to the study of wisdom. HePastoral care describes how trials and tribulations strengthen and instill virtue in a leader and this surely resonated with Alfred, who had faced grave dangers. In the Viking Wars, Alfred also appreciated the saints' insistence that leaders resist worldly distractions and temptations, always preferring the rigors of duty. The comfort of Boethius's philosophy held a place of personal importance to Alfred, a sixth-century Roman nobleman who faced imprisonment at the end of his life. and Execution Boethius's work wrestles with issues of injustice and unhappiness and the role of divine providence in the fate of men.

Although the book was not written from a Christian perspective, its themes resonate with Alfred's own vision of the role of God. In the universe Alfred's translation reveals a mind that had carefully reflected on the questions raised by the text The King's commentary reformulates Boethius' philosophical problems in terms of his own struggles and trials as a ruler St. Augustine's soliloquies provided Alfred with a springboard for his own reflections on the human soul in his preface Alfred compares his intellectual project to that of a builder who makes many trips to the forest to select wood for his construction projects, so does Alfred make many trips to the church fathers at those he calls Augustine Gregory and Jerome to select the materials to build an eternal home for the soul in In addition to his own works and the work of his circle of scholars, Alfredo established an actual school as an integral part of his efforts, not just his own children were educated here, but also the children of the nobility and even the children of men of lower birth.

Alfred hoped to ensure that the future leaders of his kingdom would be well-educated men. Alfred's reforms laid the foundation for a flowering of learning and religious life in the 10th century, when his heirs would triumph over the Vikings and Anglo-Saxon culture would flourish, but Alfred's own struggles with the Vikings had not ended in the years that followed. , the value of his military and educational reforms would be tested when Viking attacks on England resumed. It is the highest virtue and has within it four other virtues, one is caution, the second is moderation, the third is courage, and the fourth is justice.

Wisdom makes those who love it wise and honorable and temperate and patient and just and fills them with all good. to those who love it quality this is from the translation of alfredo the great of the consolation of philosophy by boethius the eighties were years of great activity for alfredo but also years of reflection and study the king spent this period reinforcing the military defenses of his kingdom In addition to reading and translating the works of thinkers such as Boethius Alfred, they sought to instill wisdom not only in themselves but also in their subjects. He knew that his people needed to be strong not only in body but also in mind and spirit.

Alfred also spent this period strengthening ties with his neighboring Mercia. The Crown of Wessex had deep ties to the Mercians Alfred was married to a Mercian lady Ellsworth and brought with her many relatives and clergy from his homeland. Historians have long noted that in the 80s and 890s, in particular, Alfred's court was filled with Mercians. It was around this time that Athelron, lord of the Mercians, became a fixture at the court of Wessex. He joined the king in numerous military campaigns. The two rulers became well acquainted both on the warpath and in the chamber of the Council Alfred arranged for his eldest daughter, Ethelfled, to marry the brave young lord of Mercia when the flood came.

She left for Murcia in 886 to begin her life as a married woman. She already knew her husband Athelrid well and was confident that there was a unity of purpose between him and her father and her brother Edward would carry on Alfred's dynasty when they were children. They were educated in the rich literary traditions of the Anglo-Saxons, the heroic poetry that had excited Alfred as a young man, would also have been instilled in the young athlete and Edward, this instilled in them a sense of the majesty of their own royal line. The bishop affirms that he tells us about the legendary life of Alfredo.

Ancestry that even included ancient Scandinavian Germanic gods such as Odin's youngest sons Alfred and other young Anglo-Saxons would benefit from an even more extensive education with the establishment of Alfred's royal school. Here scholars taught classical Latin texts intended to edify the young Anglo-Saxons with great wisdom Despite these enlightened pursuits, the Saxon dominions remained beset by violence even after 878 Viking raids continued to be a problem for Alfred's kingdom, although on a largely small scale, Guthrum, the Danish king of east anglia, had been a quiet neighbor since his defeat at eddington, content to comply. for his treaty with Alfred, but in 890 Guthrum died and this created an opportunity for other, more ambitious adventurers.

The Vikings who had been active on the continent since 879 suffered a major defeat at the Battle of the River Dial in 891, a famine the following year drove them back. To return to the coast of Flanders, from there they attacked England, landing on the coast and attempting to penetrate a sparsely defended, densely forested area known as the Great Wood. The Anglo-Saxon chronicle recounts this attack in 892. In this year, the great Viking army ascended the Lyman estuary with 250 ships. This estuary is in east Kent, at the eastern end of the great forest. The forest from east to west is 120 miles long or more and 30 miles wide.

The river comes out of that forest. The boats went up the river to the forest four miles from the outer part of the estuary and there they attacked a fortification located in the swampy area, inside some commoners were present and it was only half built and shortly after Palestine ascended the Thames estuary with 80 ships and made a fortification for him at Milton and the other Viking army made one at Appledore. This passage captures the brilliance of Viking strategy. Two separate naval forces penetrated the kingdom by river in a remote, heavily forested location, overcoming slight local resistance and establishing two. separate bases, the army, as the chronicler noted, was under the leadership of Hastine, a charismatic Norse adventurer who would replace Guthrum as King Alfred's archenemy.

Hastein's backstory has all the hallmarks of a Viking legend who had previously raided Spain and North Africa and had even attempted an attack on Rome now that he had his sights set on Wessex. The chronicle describes how Alfred handled the sudden assault. and then King Alfred gathered his army and advanced to camp between the two Viking armies at a point where he had the best access to both the forest fortress at Appledore and the river fortress at Milton so that he could reach either of them if they decided to Go to any open field. The Vikings then set out through the forest in small groups and riding companies along any side that was not defended by the English army. and they were also pursued by other troops almost every day, whether day or night, both from the English army and also from the boroughs.

Alfred's intention was to prevent the Danes from freely invading his entire kingdom or escaping from their forts, he sent his own raiding parties to harass both Viking armies and intercept their communications. Now we can see the benefits of Alfred's burl system. No Danish army could move as he wished. Wherever they went, they faced strong local forces and the cities were well defended. Easy looting. He could barely be found after a few months. Alfred began negotiations with Hastine accompanied by Lord Athelrod. The king met with the Viking leader and the two parties agreed on terms. Hastein swore to abandon the kingdom and offered hostages.

Two of these hostages were Hastine's own sons. they were both baptized with alfred and atherid acting as their godparents the chronicle even tells us that alfred paid the vikings a large amount of money it seems incredible that eddington's victor would return to the old and hated practice of paying daneguild and yet this seems be exactly what happened When evaluating this moment in Alfred's career we must consider the dangerous situation he faced His victory at Eddington had been a done deal and in fact he had almost lost his kingdom Now for the first time in years two powerful Viking forces were In door of his house, Alfred was surely nervous at the prospect of another existential crisis for Wessex, perhaps he decided to try to find an easy solution and see if he could turn Hastine into another Guthrum after 878.

Guthrum's rule in East Anglia had been mainly stabilizing for Wessex by having Guthrum's son baptized the king perhaps he hoped to recreate such a favorable situation, as it turned out that Alfred would be disappointed. Hastein crossed the Thames and settled with his army at Benfleet in Essex and once resumed the plunder of Alfred's lands at Easter 893. The other largest Viking army. At Appledore they set out on their ships to join Hasstein at Essex Alfred was preparing to set out against the enemy when the worst possible news arrived In the weeks after Easter a third Viking army consisting of Danes from Northumbria and East Anglia landed at Exeter Alfred set out to face this new invasion while his son, Prince Edward, marched to face the Vikings of Appledore, although he was only about 20 years old, Edward was expected to lead the troops in the field, the old man's chronicle recounts the battle that followed and after Easter of that year.

The Viking army that had arrived from parts of Gallis broke camp and, following the hiding places of a certain vast forest commonly called the great forest, they reached the west of England and devastated the surrounding provinces. These matters were communicated to Prince Edward, King Alfred's son, who had been campaigning throughout southern England, but was later joined by the Western English. The clash took place in Farnam with the dense crowds shouting threats, without delay the youths attacked with weapons and were duly released. With the arrival of the prince, the Viking leader was wounded and the Saxons drove the filthy multitudes of his followers across the River Thames to the north, so the young Edward won his first battle, the Saxons recovered a large amount of loot and the Vikings fled to the thorny island here, Edward.

They besieged the enemy in his camp, however, Edward encountered a serious problem. The docks under his command were running low on supplies and, nearing the end of their terms of service, grumbled at the prospect of a prolonged siege. Many of these men were to return to their garrison assignments in various districts the situation was saved by the arrival of Lord Athelrin with a Mercian army from London Edward and Athelwood opened negotiations and the Vikings agreed to abandon the atheroid area Now he further demonstrated his capabilities by leading a combined force of Mercians and West Saxons surprised Hastine at his base at Benfleet.

The chronicle provides a memorable account of this battle. Then the English arrived and put the Viking army to flight, assaulted the fortification and seized everything inside in the form of goods, women and children as well. They brought everything to London and then broke or burned all the ships and took Stein's two sons and his wife to the king's fortress. Hastein was destroyed at Benfleet but managed to escape with most of his men. His remarkable talent made him a lasting thorn in the side of the Anglo-Saxons. Hastines established a new fortified camp at Shuberi and then dashed across England towards the Welsh borders to establish a camp at Buddington in the Welsh hills.

This was an extraordinary journey through hostile areas. territory in which the Vikings managed to avoid detection by sacks and garrisons, a testament to the mobility and effectiveness of the Normans. Additionally, this placed Hastein in close proximity to the East Northumbrian Anglian Viking army facing King Alfred at Exeter, but when Hastein began plundering whales in East Northumbria. The Anglian invaders suddenly abandoned their position and returned home. Alfredo's operations had been effective. The Vikings simply realized that they would not be able to make any progress with the royal army in the field. This event eased the pressures on the Anglo-Saxons, now Lord Athelrt organized for a In the decisive attack on Hastine he was joined by two important sacks of the West and the elders Apple Somerset and Athalam of Wiltshire, as well as important Welsh contingents.

Mercia and Wales had often been at odds, but fear of the Vikings now united them in a firm alliance for weeks. The Anglo-Welsh coalition besieged Hastein's Vikings at Buddington, unable to send out gathering parties, the Danes quickly began to starve and were forced to eat their horses. Hastein decided to try to cross the river, which resulted in a battlebloody, casualties were high on both sides. Danish losses were greater, ultimately the Anglo-Saxons and their Welsh allies were victorious. Characteristically, Hastein and many of his men managed to escape, but this was the end of the Viking leader's legendary career.

His forces retreated to East Anglia and from there, Hastine disappears from history. I can't be sure of his fate, but it's possible that he simply retreated. He was probably in his 50s and a wealthy man after a lifetime of raids in France and the Mediterranean, so when the year 893 came to an end, Alfred the Great and his allies. He had defeated a dangerous opponent, although not without months of hard fighting, this demonstrated the effectiveness of Alfred's military reforms. The Saxons had been unable to prevent the Vikings from penetrating their territory, but Alfred's fort system had seriously hampered the Viking movement and drastically reduced opportunities to plunder the villagers.

They found refuge in the fortified boras and the local dykes effectively harassed and pursued Danish raiding parties away from the lucrative expeditions of the past. The Vikings found this war exhausting, leaving them with little more than battle wounds to show for their troubles. Alfred was now an old man. and took a less active role in the campaign his Mercian athlete son-in-law provided crucial leadership in some of the most difficult fights and King Edward's son and heir also proved his worth the West Saxons cooperated smoothly with the Mercians and the Welsh too and multiple Christian armies moved to where they were needed during the crisis, at the same time that the situation revealed limitations in the Anglo-Saxon military establishment.

Prince Edward almost saw his victory at Farnam collapse in defeat when his troops threatened to disperse because they had almost completed their tour of duty and were running out of supplies, one could also question the continued tendency to negotiate with the Viking forces and, recognizing the shortcomings of Alfred's armies, we must also take into account the remarkable competence of his opponents, these Vikings were not disorganized raiders. but highly efficient, swift and elusive invasion units, the Danes continued to make good use of the waterways, often evading Saxon counteroffensives. Palestine himself was the type of daring commander who inspired the best in his men and was a persistent irritant to Alfred and his followers.

Alfred the Great's last Viking archenemy had disappeared, but much of his army still remained in East Anglia in late 894. These Vikings established a new fortress north of London on the River Lee. They were well positioned to attack Murcia in 895 at the head of his army. Sick, an agent, Alfred the Great, set out for London once again determined to oppose the Viking invaders. Worried that the Danes might disrupt the harvest, the king built land and walls. On both banks of the river a double township blocking the enemy's path. The Vikings understood what the king intended and were hesitant to risk a pitched battle with a superior Anglo-Saxon force.

Meanwhile, Alfred's trusted friend and councilor Athelnuth had established goodwill. relations with the danish king of york gunfrith, so the viking army could expect little help from northumbria recognizing the futility. Due to their situation, the Viking army eventually disbanded and left the Anglo-Saxon kingdom in 896. Again Alfred's preparations in the 1980s had borne fruit. His new fort system made the kingdom unattractive to Hastein's remaining army. In the same year 896 the king's ships collided with a force of Viking pirates off the coast of Wessex, after a bloody battle two of the Danish ships were captured. Gone were the days when Alfred was willing to be lenient, he quickly ordered the crew to be hanged, Alfred finally had peace after 896, the king faced no more Vikings. attacks during his reign in his last remaining years alfred continued to promote learning among his people he also devoted time to his own intellectual pursuits focusing on his translations of the psalms after so many harrowing years that the king could be satisfied that his days had been completed In Wessex and Mercia he safely defended his people strengthened both physically and spiritually despite all this war that King Alfred received.

Some peaceful Danish visitors Ottar of Norway, a dedicated Viking traitor, visited Alfred's court at that time. Audar described himself as coming from the far north of all those who lived in the north. Robert Ferguson says we could see Audaar sitting and surrounded by one or more of the curious scribes at Alfred's cosmopolitan court in Winchester. A learned courtier tilts his chin forward in one hand, a pen in the other, and asks the Norwegian who has traveled. much, it is clear that Alfred's courtiers found Audar's tales of distant lands quite useful and interesting. Alfred himself used information from Adar to complement his translation of Orosius's history of the world, Robert Ferguson adds that the homely tale of our gifts of life in the far north of norway contrasts markedly with the violence associated with the scandinavian lands during the viking age and his talk of domesticated reindeer and 20 pigs is a world away from odin human sacrifices blood eagles and raven banners alfred Scribes asked Audar about his economic situation in his home country and recorded his response that he was a very rich man by the standards they used to judge wealth, that is, endearing at the time of his visit to the king he had 600 domesticated deer. unsold.

They called these animals reindeer and six of them are decoy deer. These are very valuable among the Sami because they used them to catch wild reindeer. He was one of the most powerful. men in his country, however, he did not own more than 20 cows, 20 sheep and 20 pigs and the little land that he plowed he plowed with a horse, but his wealth consists mainly of the tax that the Sami pay them, this tax takes The shape hides feathers, whale bones and ropes made of whale skin and seal skin. This account seems to indicate that Audar failed to convince his hosts to share his vision of his wealth;

However, Adar's visit to King Alfred's court reminds us that the Viking world was all raiders and warriors and that friendly exchanges between Anglo-Saxons and Danes were not uncommon. Finally, in the last year of the 9th century, Alfred the Great died at the age of 50 or 51. The Anglo-Saxon chronicle records that he was king of all England. people except the part that was under Danish rule and then his son Edward succeeded to the kingdom the king's councilor then leaves a moving dedication alfred passed from the world king of the Saxons a man full of vigorous justice and war learned in speech above all schooled in divine learning because he had translated an unknown number of books from Latin rhetorical speech into his own language in such a varied and rich manner that his book of Boethius would awaken tearful emotions not only in those who were familiar with it, but even in those who heard it through first time. the king died on the seventh day before halloween his body lies peacefully in winchester now readers say oh christ our redeemer save his soul alfred the great's reputation would only grow over time having taken his kingdom from one point from near destruction to strength and rebirth he has often been praised as the crucial founding figure in English history after his death his actions would bear even richer fruit upon the firm foundations of his reforms his heirs his son Edward the eldest his daughter the lady ethelfly and her grandson athelston would realize a triumphant anglo-saxon england militarily artistically and religiously