menu_book Chapter 3

Part I. Section II. In the year of our Lord's Incarnation 856, which was the eighth after Alfred's birth, the second year of King Charles III, and the eighteenth year of the reign of Ethel Wolf, King of the West Saxons, Humbert, Bishop of the East Angles, anointed with oil and consecrated as King the glorious Edmund, with much rejoicing and great honor, in the royal town called

Bourva, in which at that time was the royal seat, in the fifteenth year of his age, on a Friday, the twenty-fourth moon, being Christmas Day. In the year of our Lord's Incarnation, 860, which was the twelfth of King Alfred's age, died Ethelbald, King of the West Saxons, and was buried at Sherbourne. His brother, Ethelbert, as was fitting, joined Kent, Surrey, and Sussex also to his dominion. In his days a large army of pagans came up from the sea,

and attacked and destroyed the city of Winchester. As they were returning laden with booty to their ships, Osric, Earl of Hampshire with his men, and Earl Ethelwolf with the men of Berkshire, confronted them bravely. A severe battle took place, and the pagans were slain on every side, and, finding themselves unable to resist, took to flight like women, and the Christians obtained a triumph. Ethelbert governed his kingdom five years in peace with the love and respect of his subjects,

who felt deep sorrow when he went the way of all flesh. His body was honorably interred at Sherbourne by the side of his brothers. In the year of our Lord's Incarnation, 864, the pagans wintered in the Isle of Thanet, and made a firm treaty with the men of Kent, who promised them money for adhering to their covenant. But the pagans, like cunning foxes, burst from their camp by night, and setting at naught their

engagements, and spurning at the promised money, which they knew was less than they could get by plunder, they ravaged all the eastern coast of Kent. In the year of our Lord's incarnation, 866, which was the eighteenth of King Alfred, Æthelred, brother of Æthelbert, king of the West Saxons, undertook the government of the kingdom for five years. And the same year, a large fleet of pagans came to Britain from the Danube, and wintered in the kingdom of the Eastern Saxons, which is called

in Saxon, East Anglia. And there they became principally an army of cavalry. But, to speak in nautical phrase, I will no longer commit my vessel to the power of the waves and of its sails, or, keeping off from land, steer my roundabout course through so many calamities of wars and series of years, but will return to that which first prompted me to this task. that is to say i think it right in this place briefly to relate as much as has come to my knowledge about the character of my revered lord alfred king of the anglo-saxons during the years that he was an infant and a boy

he was loved by his father and mother and even by all the people above all his brothers and was educated altogether at the court of the king as he advanced through the years of infancy and youth his form appeared more comely than that of his brothers in look in speech and in manners he was more graceful than they his noble nature implanted in him from his cradle a love of wisdom above all things but with shame be it spoken by the unworthy neglect of his parents and nurses he remained illiterate even till he was twelve years old or more but he listened with serious attention to the saxon poems which he often heard recited and easily retained them in his docile memory he was a zealous practiser of hunting in all its branches and hunted with great assiduity and success for skill and good fortune in this art as in all others are among the gifts of god as we also have often witnessed on a certain day therefore his mother was showing him and his brother a saxon book of poetry which she held in her hand and said

whichever of you shall soonest learn this volume shall have it for his own note his mother we must understand this epithet as denoting his mother-in-law judith rather than his own mother who was dead in a d eight hundred fifty six when alfred was not yet seven years old when his father brought judith from france alfred was thirteen years old and of note stimulated by these words or rather by the divine inspiration and allured by the beautifully illuminated letter at the beginning of the volume he spoke before all his brothers who though his seniors in age were not so in grace and answered will you really give that book to one of us that is to say to him who can first understand and repeat it to you at this his mother smiled with satisfaction and confirmed what she had before said upon which the boy took the book out of her hand and went to his master to read it and in due time brought it to his mother and recited it

after this he learned the daily course that is the celebration of the hours and afterwards certain psalms and several prayers contained in a certain book which he kept day and night in his bosom as we ourselves have seen and carried about with him to assist his prayers amid all the bustle and busyness of this present life but sad to say he could not gratify his most ardent wish to learn the liberal arts because as he said there were no good readers at that time in all the kingdom of the west saxons this he confessed with many lamentations and sighs to have been one of his greatest difficulties and impediments in this life namely, that when he was young and had the capacity for learning, he could not find teachers. But when he was more advanced in life, he was harassed by so many diseases unknown to all the physicians of this island,

as well as by internal and external anxieties of sovereignty, and by continual invasions of the pagans, and had his teachers and writers also so much disturbed that there was no time for reading. but yet among the impediments of this present life from infancy up to the present time and as i believe even until his death he continued to feel the same insatiable desire of knowledge and still aspires after it in the year of our lord's incarnation eight hundred sixty seven which was the nineteenth of the life of the aforesaid king alfred the army of pagans before mentioned removed from the east angles to the city of york which is situated on the north bank of the river humber at that time a violent discord arose by the instigation of the devil among the inhabitants of northumberland as always is used to happen among a people who have incurred the wrath of god

for the northumbrians at that time as we have said had expelled their lawful king osbert and appointed a certain tyrant named aella not of royal birth over the affairs of the kingdom but when the pagans approached by divine providence and the union of the nobles for the common good that discord was a little appeased and osbert and aella uniting their resources and assembling an army marched to york the pagans fled at their approach and attempted to defend themselves within the walls of the city the christians perceiving their flight and the terror they were in determined to destroy the walls of the town which they succeeded in doing for that city was not surrounded at that time with firm or strong walls and when the christians had made a breach as they had purposed and many of them had entered into the town the pagans urged by despair and necessity made a fierce sally upon them slew them routed them and cut them down on all sides both within and without the walls

in that battle fell almost all the northumbrian warriors with both the kings and a multitude of nobles the remainder who escaped made peace with the pagans in the same year alstan bishop of the church of sherborne went the way of all flesh after he had honourably ruled his see four years and he was buried at sherborne in the year of our lord's incarnation eight hundred sixty eight which was the twentieth of king alfred's life there was a severe famine then the aforesaid revered king alfred but at that time occupying a subordinate station asked and obtained in marriage a noble mercian lady daughter of athelred surnamed musel earl of the gaini note musil this nobleman occurs as a witness musil dux to many mercian charters dated from a d eight hundred fourteen to eight hundred sixty six the gaini inhabitants of gainsborough the

the mother of this lady was named edburga of the royal line of mercia whom we have often seen with our own eyes a few years before her death she was a venerable lady and after the decease of her husband she remained many years a widow even till her own death in the same year the above-named army of pagans leaving northumberland invaded mercia and advanced to nottingham which is called in the british tongue tingo co boc but in latin the house of caves and they wintered there that same year immediately on their approach boerred king of mercia and all the nobles of that nation sent messengers to ethelred king of the west saxons and his brother alfred suppliantly entreating them to come and aid them in fighting against the aforesaid army their request was easily obtained for the brothers as soon as promised assembled an immense army from all parts of their dominions and entering mercia came to nottingham all eager for battle and when the pagans defended by the castle refused to fight and the christians were unable to destroy the wall peace was made between the mercians and pagans and the two brothers ethelred and alfred returned home with their troops

in the year of our lord's incarnation eight hundred sixty nine which was the twenty-first of king alfred's life there was a great famine and mortality of men and a pestilence among the cattle and the aforesaid army of the pagans galloping back to northumberland went to york and there passed the winter in the year of our lord's incarnation eight hundred seventy which was the twenty-second of king alfred's life the above-named army of pagans passed through marcia into east anglia and wintered at thetford in the same year edmund king of the east angles fought most fiercely against them but lamentable to say the pagans triumphed edmund was slain in the battle and the enemy reduced all that country to subjection in the same year caolnoth archbishop of canterbury went the way of all flesh and was buried peaceably in his own city in the year of our lord's incarnation eight hundred seventy one which was the twenty third of king alfred's life the pagan army of hateful memory left the east angles and entering the kingdom of the west saxons came to the royal city called reading

situated on the south bank of the thames in the district called berkshire and there on the third day after their arrival their earls with great part of the army scoured the country for plunder while the others made a rampart between the rivers thames and kennet on the right side of the same royal city they were encountered by ethel wolf earl of berkshire with his men at a place called englefield both sides fought bravely and made long resistance englefield green is about four miles from windsor at length one of the pagan earls was slain and the greater part of the army destroyed upon which the rest saved themselves by flight and the christians gained the victory four days afterwards ethelred king of the west saxons and his brother alfred united their forces and marched to reading where on their arrival they cut to pieces the pagans whom they found outside the fortifications but the pagans nevertheless sallied out from the gates and a long and fierce engagement ensued at last grief to say the christians fled the pagans obtained the victory and the aforesaid earl ethelwolf was among the slain

roused by this calamity the christians in shame and indignation within four days assembled all their forces and again encountered the pagan army at a place called ashdune which means hill of the ash Note. Aston in Berkshire. End of note. The pagans had divided themselves into two bodies, and began to prepare defences, for they had two kings and many earls. So they gave the middle part of the army to the two kings, and the other part to all their earls, which the Christians perceiving, divided their army also into two troops, and also began to construct defences.

But Alfred, as we have been told by those who were present, and would not tell an untruth, marched up promptly with his men to give them battle. For King Æthelred remained a long time in his tent in prayer, hearing the Mass, and said that he would not leave it till the priest had done, or abandon the divine protection for that of men.

And he did so too, which afterwards availed him much with the Almighty, as we shall declare more fully in the sequel. Now, the Christians had determined that King Æthelred, with his men, should attack the two pagan kings, but that his brother Alfred, with his troops, should take the chance of war against the two earls.

Things being so arranged, the king remained a long time in prayer, and the pagans came up rapidly to fight. Then Alfred, though possessing a subordinate authority, could no longer support the troops of the enemy, unless he retreated or charged upon them without waiting for his brother. At length he bravely led his troops against the hostile army, as they had before arranged,

but without awaiting his brother's arrival, for he relied in the divine councils, and forming his men into a dense phalanx, marched on at once to meet the foe. But here I must inform those who are ignorant of the fact that the field of battle was not equally advantageous to both parties. The pagans occupied the higher ground, and the Christians came up from below. There was also a single thorn tree of strutted growth, but we have ourselves never seen it.

Around this tree, the opposing armies came together with loud shouts from all sides, the one party to pursue their wicked course, the other to fight for their lives, their dearest ties in their country. And when both armies had fought long and bravely, at last the pagans by the divine judgment were no longer able to bear the attacks of the Christians, and, having lost a great part of their army, took to a disgraceful flight. one of their two kings and five earls were there slain together with many thousand pagans who fell on all sides covering with their bodies the whole plain of ashtun

there fell in that battle king bagsack earl sidrack the elder and earl sidrack the younger earl osborne earl frayne and earl harold and the whole pagan army pursued its flight not only until night but until the next day even until they reached the stronghold from which they had sallied the christians followed slaying all they could reach until it became dark after fourteen days had elapsed king ethelred with his brother alfred again joined their forces and marched to bassing to fight with the pagans the enemy came together from all quarters and after a long contest gained the victory after this battle another army came from beyond the sea and joined them the same year after easter the aforesaid king ethelred having bravely honourably and with good repute governed his kingdom five years through much tribulation went the way of all flesh and was buried in winborn minster where he awaits the coming of the lord and the first resurrection with the just

the same year the aforesaid alfred who had been up to that time only of secondary rank whilst his brothers were alive now by god's permission undertook the government of the whole kingdom amid the acclamations of all the people and if he had chosen he might have done so before whilst his brother above-named was still alive for in wisdom and other qualities he surpassed all his brothers and moreover was warlike and victorious in all his wars and when he had reigned one month almost against his will for he did not think he could alone sustain the multitude and ferocity of the pagans though even during his brother's lives he had borne the woes of many he fought a battle with a few men and on very unequal terms against all the army of the pagans at a hill called wilton on the south bank of the river wylie from which river the whole of that district is named and after a long and fierce engagement the pagans seeing the danger they were in and no longer able to bear the attack of their enemies turned their backs and fled but oh shame to say they deceived their two audacious pursuers and again rallying gained the victory

let no one be surprised that the christians had but a small number of men for the saxons had been worn out by eight battles in one year against the pagans of whom they had slain one king nine dukes and innumerable troops of soldiers besides endless skirmishes both by night and by day in which the oft-named alfred and all his chieftains with their men and several of his ministers were engaged without rest or cessation against the pagans how many thousand pagans fell in these numberless skirmishes god alone knows over and above those who were slain in the eight battles above mentioned In the same year, the Saxons made peace with the pagans, on condition that they should take their departure, and they did so. In the year of our Lord's Incarnation, 872, the twenty-fourth of King Alfred's life, the above-named army of pagans went to London, and there wintered.

The Mercians made peace with them. in the year of our lord's incarnation eight hundred seventy three the twenty fifth of king alfred the above-named army leaving london went into the country of the northumbrians and there wintered in the district of lindsey and the mercians again made treaty with them end of part one section two