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

the 9th century the viking age in england while most of britain fell to the fierce sea raiders from scandinavia the kingdom of the west saxons under alfred the great would resist in the 870s the vikings intensified their efforts and alfred's domain seemed doomed to fall finally in 878 at the battle of eddington the west saxons were facing annihilation king alfred led his troops in a desperate last stand the outcome of this battle would determine the future of not only the kingdom of the west saxons but of all england [Music] at his birth alfred the great was not expected to be king he was 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 claim he'd been the favorite child although this might be a later embellishment young alfred grew up at the royal court cared for and educated by his parents and his tutors as a boy he accompanied his royal father and mother as they traveled throughout their kingdom no teachers were available at the time to instruct him in latin or the liberal arts a fact about which alfred would later complain and seek to remedy by establishing his own schools but as a boy he loved poetry and memorized many songs of the old anglo-saxon heroes alfred's biographer asser recounts an incident that reflected alfred's lifelong love of learning one day alfred's mother presented her sons with a beautiful book of english poetry and promised to give it to whichever of them could memorize it first alfred was immediately enamored with the book he took it at once to his teacher and with his help quickly committed the contents to memory he then recited the poetry before his mother at which point she proudly presented the prized book to her son a momentous early experience for alfred was his boyhood trip to rome king atawolf sent the young alfred to the eternal city in 853 so that he might benefit from the intellectual and spiritual resources of the papal court alfred traveled again to rome in 855 this time with his newly widowed father on the way alfred and his father stopped at the frankish court of charles the bald where they were warmly received alfred's childhood trips to rome and the frankish kingdom allowed him to relish in the scholarship and culture of these important courts years later alfred would recall these experiences as he established educational institutions in his own kingdom calling on unlearned men from the continent to help him alfred's father died in 858 several of alfred's older brothers held the throne in quick succession but it was during the reign of athelwolf's fourth son athelrod that the kingdom of wessex faced a pivotal threat from the vikings in 865 a viking host known to the christian chroniclers as the great heathen army arrived in england this was the largest and most disciplined danish force yet based by the anglo-saxons led by two brothers alton and ivar believed to be sons of ragnar lodbrook this invasion would shake the very foundation of 9th century england dramatically altering the political situation in little over a decade the great army wintered in east anglia extracting tribute of horses from the east anglian king edmund in 866 the danes moved northward intent on capturing york northumbria was in a state of civil war two royal brothers osprey and ayla were distracted battling each other and did not recognize the danish threat the vikings captured the ancient roman fort of york too late ospred and ayla tried to fight back but both were killed the north umbrians were compelled to submit and provide tribute tragically york's great library and monastic school were lost in the words of historian max adams a foreign army now sat within york's crumbling ruins plundering the hinterland and dispensing justice by right of arms now equipped with horses the viking army divided into mounted and naval contingents and drove into mercia in 867 they besieged and captured nottingham over recent decades the neighboring anglo-saxon kingdoms of mercia and wessex had developed an increasingly close alliance now king bergrid of mercia asked athelrid alfred and their west saxons for help against the viking advance the anglo-saxons besieged the vikings at nottingham but failed to starve them into submission the two sides negotiated a truce aphelron and bergrid strengthened their bond by organizing a marriage alliance alfred was to whet auswith a mercy and noblewoman of royal descent wessex joined forces with murcia and in 868 their coalition marched out to confront the vikings at nottingham no major engagement took place but the vikings did hesitate to confront this large if not superior force ultimately the vikings withdrew to york where they would remain for a year finally in 869 the vikings struck out down the coast of east anglia king edmund and his east angles marched out to face them in november the vikings defeated and killed him and overran the region they destroyed every monastery in the vicinity slaughtering many monks by 871 the vikings established a base at redding raising up a defensive ramper from here they launched an attack on wessex king atherwood and his brother alfred led their forces out to attack the fort but they were repulsed with heavy losses feeling confident after this victory the viking army marched out of redding under halfton and a chieftain called bagsy ready to strike the decisive blow in open country they came face to face with the anglo-saxon host aphelrod divided his army into two contingents commanding one wing himself while his brother alfred commanded the other the vikings were also arrayed in two formations one under halfton the other under bagsec this would result in an hours-long and brutal clash of shield walls one of the pivotal engagements of the period the battle of ashdown astor's life of king alfred describes the encounter the vikings had taken the higher position first and the christians were deploying their battle line from a lower position a rather small and solitary thorn tree grew there around which the opposing armies clashed violently with loud shouting from all one side acting wrongfully and the other side set to fight for life loved ones and country when both sides had been fighting to and fro resolutely and ferociously for quite a long time the vikings by divine judgment were unable to withstand the christians onslaught any longer and when a great part of their forces had fallen they took to ignominious flight one of the two viking kings and five earls were cut down in that place and many thousands on the viking side were slain there too or rather over the whole broad expanse of ashdown scattered everywhere far and wide the christians followed them until nightfall cutting them down on all sides bagsick was killed in the engagement along with many of his leading men halfton managed to retreat athelrid and alfred at first believed they decisively defeated the conquerors of northumbria and east anglia but the victory only brought 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 come to be known as the year of the nine battles the exact outcome of this intensive period of campaigning is unknown except that the situation remained mostly unchanged with the vikings dominating the northeast and the kingdoms of mercy and wessex on the defensive the vikings were willing to travel fast and far and to strike deep into enemy territory the anglo-saxons were in a perilous and long-term war it was amid all this uncertainty and trial that the west saxons lost their king by easter applewood was dead of battle wounds thus an unlikely situation came to pass alfred youngest son of king athawaf was about to take the throne of wessex he could hardly have been crowned under more trying circumstances from the moment he became king of the west saxons alfred the great was confronted with the mortal threat of the vikings but alfred had considerable experience as a commander having fought alongside his brother the late king athelrid in addition alfred was plagued throughout his life by a medical infirmity described by the king's friend and biographer bishop asser today historians believe this may have been crohn's disease a chronic illness that can go into remission for long periods but is terribly painful during flare-ups despite this ailment alfred was a very active and dutiful ruler [Music] the condition did not prevent him from fathering children joanna armand estimates that alfred's first child and firstborn daughter ethelflood was born around this time in roughly 870. alfred the great was crowned during a period of profound turmoil to 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 kings had been martyred houses of god had been despoiled monasteries left in ruins the thriving trade of the 8th century had broken down learning was at a low point alfred would later complain that south of the river humber there was scarcely illiterate priest left a month after alfred the great took the throne in 871 he faced two viking armies on the battlefield near wilton the viking coalition was formidable indeed its ranks multiplied by the presence of the great summer army in this engagement the anglo-saxons were defeated and alfred concluded that he could not eliminate the immediate threat to his kingdom without buying off the invaders this was an old but never permanent solution to viking attacks it often only invited further hostility and increasingly alfred was not capable of maintaining this financially ruinous policy the king's own estates could not produce the dane guild and so it had to be raised from the people of wessex and from church estates the following year the great heathen army took steps to consolidate their gains under the viking chiefs in halfton they moved into murcia here the vikings set up base in 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 not this time the mercians were powerless to overcome 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 finished 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 danish host divided helped and marched north to consolidate power in northumbria the anglo-saxon chronicle simply states halfton shared out the lands of the northumbrians and they proceeded to plow and support themselves this passage has invited much debate did the vikings seize land from the locals or did they purchase estates from native lords with the treasure now weighing down their coffers whatever the case it's clear that halfton's company settled in york as a permanent home here the land was fertile and opposition non-existent this was an ideal place for these danish adventurers to settle in and put down roots place names of the region today indicate the mixing of scandinavian and anglo-saxon language as the former raiders became cultivators of the land there was also an interaction of peoples even cooperation and trade vikings were marrying into the local population and it was not just warriors arriving from the scandinavian homeland there is evidence that the danes were bringing their women with them as well another sign that the vikings were settling in as farmers and no longer acting as mere raiders [Music] meanwhile the summer host under guthrum remained in murcia they established a base at cambridge for the year guthrum's ambitions were now focused on the final unconquered territory in england wessex in age 76 guthrum's army entered the kingdom they evaded alfred's army seizing wareh and dorset at first alfred besieged the enemy in their stronghold he was forced to withdraw when he learned of a large viking fleet cruising along the coast of wessex intent on reinforcing guthrum once again the king had to negotiate guthrum swore to leave wessex and gave hostages as assurance this time however alfred wanted a stronger guarantee guthrum agreed to swear the oath on a holy ring this was a solemn practice among the vikings and the ring used on this occasion has been identified as a ring of thor a large gold band worn on the chieftain's arm used by the danes themselves in the exchanging of oaths nevertheless alfred's effort at appealing to viking piety proved useless guthrum did not keep to his vow perhaps the viking leader was adopting the advice of odin from the sayings of the high one if there's a man whom you don't trust but from whom you want nothing but good speak fairly to him but think falsely [Music] guthrum and his men murdered their west sacks and hostages then slipped away by night to exeter the fleet mentioned earlier was at this time destroyed in a storm off the coast of swannage this resulted in the loss of some 120 ships a serious blow to guthrum's efforts following the storm alfred and his forces encamped before exeter the king refused to attack the town to dislodge the invaders but the saxons were well positioned and guthrum was unable to resupply his army once again the two sides came to terms having terrorized wessex for more than 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 menace the archbishop of canterbury wrote to the pope complaining of the king's practice of paying off the danes recently some historians have suggested that high-ranking members of the west saxon nobility may have even tried to depose alfred this may be why the kingdom was so woefully unprepared when guthrum attacked again the king was celebrating christmas at chippenham when the danes arrived and began spreading havoc the vikings had executed the maneuver brilliantly achieving total surprise and if in fact alfred's regime was collapsing and a coup was in progress this would have left the king and his inner circle all the more vulnerable the surprise of the attack along possibly with the revolt of the west saxon nobility left alfred no option but to retreat into 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 reduced to living off what they could forage and hunt throughout the bitter winter months they lived as fugitives asser describes the virtual chaos of this period by strength of arms the vikings forced many saxons to sail overseas through both poverty and fear and very nearly all the inhabitants of that region submitted to their authority alfred was determined to bounce back from this defeat after easter 878 he established a fortress at athene amidst the somerset marshes from here he dispatched intelligence gathering missions trying to rouse the spirits of his people and to discover who would rally to his call against the enemy he also sent bands of warriors to execute hit-and-run raids on the vikings who weren't numerous enough to control the whole of the territory in may 878 with spring turning the world green again alfred departed athene and rode to egbert stone east of selwood in a great expanse of woodland here the king met with those shire forces on whose support he could still rely aster describes the relief of the west saxons at the sight of their king despair had been widespread in wessex but now here was alfred alive and rallying his men to fight back his intelligence sound and his army assembled alfred now acted decisively the king marched out with his men guthrum an excellent commander in his own right was well aware of alfred's movements the viking leader prepared his own forces to deal with the west saxon counter-offensive it was guthrum who selected the site of the battle positioning his forces on a hilltop surrounded by ditches this would oblige alfred to fight uphill and also would prevent the vikings from being outflanked the west saxons now arrived at eddington in wiltshire here they met guthrum and his viking army battle began joanna armin writes that despite television portrayals saxons and vikings used similar weapons and equipment large rounded shields with metal bosses were held in front to form a hopefully impenetrable wall swords were high status weapons owned only by the very wealthy most men would have used a long spear stabbing with it over the shield wall in an effort to penetrate enemy ranks as the shield walls met both sides would have hacked and stabbed at one another trying to exploit gaps in the opponent's formation asser describes the engagement when the next morning dawn alfred moved his forces and came to a place called eddington and fighting fiercely with a compact shield wall against the entire viking army he persevered resolutely for a long time at length he gained the victory through god's will he destroyed the vikings with great slaughter and pursued those who fled as far as the stronghold hacking them down max adams writes that alfred's advantages lay in his command of an army defending its homeland and in the tactical superiority anglo-saxon open field warfare against a marine assault force honed to perfection in the art of raiding alfred pursued the defeated danes all the way to their fortress at chippenham the west saxon seized the enemy's livestock and settled in for a siege after a fortnight the vikings capitulated guthrum surrendered entirely on alfred's terms the vikings gave hostages alfred gave none the invaders also promised to evacuate wessex immediately the terms were sealed three weeks later near athony when guthrum and his leading men submitted to baptism as christians no doubt from the perspective of the west saxons the ceremony was a powerful symbol of christian triumph over danish heathenism this was a dramatic turning point asshore tells us that never before had the vikings made such a capitulation alfred's triumph at eddington achieved nothing less than the salvation of his kingdom he'd been on the verge of losing everything but this victory restored his position no doubt alfred understood that the viking offensive was aimed at nothing less than the total conquest of wessex he knew that 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's possible that the west saxons had the numerical advantage over guthrum's army as the viking forces appear to have been fewer 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 shared out the land this marks the final stage in the establishment of the dane law the viking ruled territories of england no longer content to simply extract tribute from the local populations the danes now tried to enforce their own political rule total subjugation of england proved impossible so they continented themselves to consolidating their hold of eastern and northern portions distinctly danish political structures would leave a lasting if subtle influence in these regions [Music] meanwhile alfred's victory at eddington marks the beginning of a period of respite for the kingdom of wessex which would last throughout the 80s alfred took full advantage of this situation he recognized that his kingdom had not been prepared for the ravages of the danes at once he implemented programs of military cultural and civil reform that transformed and strengthened wessex this period proved that alfred was not only a capable commander but a truly wise and creative ruler his innovations would not only fortify his people against future viking aggression but elevate the intellectual and spiritual lives of the west saxons [Music] alfred defeated the vikings at eddington but the battle had been a close run affair the west saxons had nearly lost everything these events prompted much reflection in alfred the king recognized that his people had been unprepared for the viking onslaught now alfred was determined to correct this problem he set out to strengthen his people not only militarily but culturally intellectually and spiritually alfred understood that it had been far too easy for viking forces to penetrate and ravage saxon territory the king therefore established a network of fortresses called boros to inhibit invasion bishop asser alfred's friend and biographer tells us that the king himself was closely involved in various construction projects many of alfred's subjects expressed doubts at the immensity of these building campaigns but the king insisted on them and ultimately had his way future events would reveal the brilliance of alfred's network of boroughs the building sites were strategically selected guarding the main routes into 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 in determining what sort of burra would be placed in a particular location in some cases roman or iron age forts were modified or enhanced while some boroughs were entirely new constructions most remarkable were alfred's fortified towns again some of these were built around earlier roman sites streets were laid out in a grid to ensure ease of movement within the town during an attack alfred also reorganized the west saxon army to maximize the effectiveness of his fortresses as the chronicle states the king had divided his army in two so that always half its men were at home half out on service except for those men who were tagaris and the boroughs alfred's practical defensive reforms are admirable but he sought to strengthen his kingdom on a deeper level during the period of viking invasions latin literacy had declined to remedy the lack of scholars in wessex alfred sought learned men from abroad from mercia he secured churchmen of learning he also dispatched 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 most important source for the life of king alfred was a welsh monk from the abbey of saint davids asser came to be a close friend of the king and became bishop of sherborne having gathered a circle of intellectuals at his court alfred implemented his literary revival grimble of flanders john the german asser the welshman and the mercians all came from differing regions and brought with them a variety of intellectual traditions they contributed manuscripts of their own and set to work refilling the libraries of england alfred himself enjoyed long discussions with his scholars they read aloud to him explaining various philosophical points the king was curious and deciduous asking questions and dedicating himself to the study of latin it's noteworthy that alfred led by example personally studying books he hoped would edify his subjects astor says that by 887 the king himself had gained proficiency in latin and began translating books again we can admire alfred's personal dedication to intellectual disciplines for a king busy with political matters it must have been challenging to fit in scholarly pursuits and yet we know that alfred loved poetry from childhood he clearly took joy in furthering his own education alfred not only translated several classic latin texts he left behind his own notes and commentary because of this we understand alfred on a personal level far better than any other ruler from medieval england [Music] a key work for alfred was the book of pastoral care by pope gregory the great meant to instruct a bishop in the proper fulfillment of his role alfred clearly believed that the work was deeply important for kings as well he created his own translation of the book and composed an introduction that provides insight into his goals and ideals therefore it seems better to me that we too should turn into the language that we can all understand certain books which are most necessary for all men to know so that all the freeborn young men now in england who have the means to apply themselves to it may be set to learning until the time that they can read english writings properly in addition to pastoral care alfred was personally responsible for translations and commentaries on three other books boethius's consolation of philosophy saint augustine soliloquies and the first 50 psalms all these books had a personal importance to alfred and he drew inspiration from them as a ruler scholars at alfred's court prepared translations of other works the king considered crucial saint gregory's dialogues histories against the pagans biorosius and beads ecclesiastical history other english prose writings and translations from the period are also associated with alfred's reforms alfred viewed saint gregory's pastoral care to be the cornerstone of his literary revival for this book urged bishops to not only pursue wisdom in themselves but to foster learning in the faithful as well the king had the book distributed to all his bishops saint gregory insists that learning is of primary importance for those in authority alfred agreed and stressed that earls and noblemen should dedicate themselves to the study of wisdom pastoral care describes how trials and tribulations strengthen and instill virtue in a leader and this surely resonated with alfred who'd faced grave dangers in the viking wars alfred also cherished the saints insistence that leaders must resist worldly distractions and temptations preferring always the rigors of duty boethius's consolation of philosophy held a place of personal importance for alfred a 6th century noble roman who at the end of his life faced imprisonment and execution boethius's work wrestles with issues of injustice and unhappiness and the role of divine providence in the fortunes of men although the book was not written from a christian perspective its themes resonated with alfred's own view of god's role in the universe alfred's translation reveals a mind that had thoroughly pondered the questions posed by the text the king's commentary recasts boethius's philosophical problems in terms of his own struggles and trials as a ruler the soliloquies of saint augustine provided alfred a springboard for his own reflections on the human soul in his preface alfred compares his intellectual project to that of a builder making many trips to the forest to select timber for his building projects so too alfred makes many trips to the church fathers he names augustine gregory and jerome to select the materials for constructing an eternal home for the soul in addition to his own works and the work of his circle of scholars alfred established a royal school as an integral part of his efforts not only were his own children educated here but the children of the nobility and even the sons of lesser-born men the study of important books from the classical world was emphasized as well as english literacy by this alfred hoped to ensure that the future leaders of his kingdom were well-educated men alfred's reforms laid the groundwork for a blossoming 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 weren't over in the coming years the value of his military and educational reforms would be put to the test when viking attacks on england resumed wisdom is the highest virtue and it has within it four other virtues one is caution the second moderation the third courage and the fourth justice wisdom renders those who love it wise and honorable and temperate and patient and just and it fills him who loves it with every good quality this is from alfred the great's translation of the consolation of philosophy by boethius the eight eighties were years of great activity for alfred but also years of reflection and study the king spent this period bolstering the military defenses of his kingdom as well as reading and translating the works of thinkers like boethius alfred sought to instill wisdom not only in himself but in his subjects as well he knew that his people needed to be strong not only in body but in mind and spirit alfred also spent this period strengthening bonds with his neighbor mercia the crown of wessex had deep ties to the mercians alfred was married to a mercian lady ellsworth and she brought with her many family members and clerics from her homeland historians have long noted that the 80s and 890s particularly saw alfred's court filled with mercians it was at this time that athelron lord of the mercians became a fixture at the court of wessex joining the king on numerous military campaigns the two rulers got to know one another well both on the war path and in the council chamber alfred arranged for his eldest daughter ethelfled to marry the valiant young lord of mercia by the time athoflood set off for murcia in 886 to begin her life as a married woman she was already well acquainted with her husband athelrid and confident that unity of purpose existed between him and her father and her brother edward would carry forward alfred's dynasty as children they were educated in the rich literary traditions of the anglo-saxons the heroic poetry that had thrilled alfred as a youngster would have also been inculcated in the young athlete and edward this instilled in them a sense of the majesty of their own royal line bishop assert tells us of alfred's legendary ancestry which even included ancient germanic scandinavian gods like odin alfred's younger children and other anglo-saxon youngsters would benefit from an even more extensive education with the establishment of alfred's royal school here scholars taught classical latin texts meant to edify young anglo-saxons with high wisdom despite these enlightened pursuits saxon domains remained harried by violence even after 878 viking raids still continued to be a problem for alfred's kingdom though on a mostly small scale guthrum the danish king of east anglia had been a quiet neighbor since his defeat at eddington content to abide by his treaty with alfred but in 890 guthrum died and this created an opening for other more ambitious adventurers 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 to return to the coast of flanders from there they struck at england landing on the coast and attempting to penetrate a sparsely defended thickly forested area known as the great wood the anglo-saxon chronicle recounts this attack of 892. in this year the great viking army came up the estuary of the lyman with 250 ships this estuary is in eastern kent at the east end of the great wood the wood from east to west is 120 miles long or longer and 30 miles wide the river flows out of that forest they rode their ships up the river as far as the forest four miles from the outer part of the estuary and there they attacked a fortification located in the marshland a few commoners were present inside and it was only half made and shortly afterwards palestine came up the thames estuary with 80 ships and made a fortification for himself at milton and the other viking army made one at appledore this passage captures the brilliance of the viking strategy two separate naval forces penetrated the kingdom by river at a remote heavily forested location overcoming light 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 arch opponent hastein's backstory has all the makings of a viking legend he'd previously raided in spain and north africa and even attempted an attack on rome now he had his sights set on wessex the chronicle describes how alfred handled the sudden assault and then king alfred assembled his army and advanced so the encamped between the two viking armies at a point where he had the best access both to the forest stronghold at appledore and the river stronghold at milton so that he could reach either one if they chose to make for any open country then the vikings set out afterwards through the forest in small bands and riding companies along whatever side was undefended by the english army and they were also pursued by other troops almost every day either by day or by night both from the english army and also from the boroughs alfred's intention was to prevent the danes from freely raiding throughout his kingdom or from breaking out of their forts he dispatched his own raiding parties to harass both viking armies and to intercept their communications we can see now the benefits of alfred's burl system neither danish army could move about as it wished everywhere they went they were confronted by strong local forces and the towns were well defended easy plunder was scarcely to be found after a few months alfred opened negotiations with hastine accompanied by lord athelrod the king met with the viking leader and the two parties agreed to terms hastein swore to depart the kingdom and offered hostages two of these hostages were hastine's own sons both were baptized with alfred and atherid acting as their godfathers the chronicle even tells us that alfred paid the vikings quote a good deal of money it seems unbelievable that the victor of eddington would return to the hated old practice of paying daneguild and yet this appears to be exactly what happened in assessing this moment in alfred's career we should consider the dangerous situation he was facing his victory at eddington had been a close run affair and indeed he'd nearly lost his kingdom now for the first time in years two powerful viking forces were on his doorstep alfred was surely nervous about the prospect of another existential crisis for wessex perhaps he decided to try for an easy solution and see if he could convert hastine to another guthrum post 878 guthrum's rule in east anglia had been mostly stabilizing for wessex by having guthrum's son baptized the king may have hoped to recreate such a favorable situation as it turned out alfred would be disappointed hastein crossed the thames settled with his army at benfleet in essex and it once resumed pillaging alfred's lands at easter of 893 the other larger viking army at appledore set off in 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 composed of danes from northumbria and east anglia landed at exeter alfred set off to meet this new invasion while his son prince edward marched to confront the appledore vikings although he was only about 20 years old edward was expected to lead troops in the field the chronicle of elder man afterward recounts the battle that followed and after easter of that year the viking army which had arrived from gallis parts broke camp and by following the hiding places of a certain vast forest which is commonly called the great wood they got as far as western england and devastated the provinces thereabout these matters were made known to prince edward the son of king alfred he had been conducting a campaign throughout the southern parts of england but afterward he was joined by the western english the engagement took place at farnam with the dense throngs shrieking with threats without delay the young men attacked with weapons they were duly liberated by the prince's arrival the viking leader was wounded and the saxons drove the filthy crowds of his supporters across the river thames to northern parts thus young edward won his first battle the saxons recovered a great deal of booty and the vikings fled to thorny island here edward besieged the enemy in their campsite however edward ran into a serious problem the levees under his command were running short of provisions and nearing the end of their terms of service they grumbled at the prospect of a long siege many of these men were due to return to their garrison assignments at various boroughs 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 depart the area atheroid now further demonstrated his capabilities leading a combined force of mercians and west saxons he surprised hastine at his base of benfleet the chronicle provides a memorable account of this battle then the english arrived and put the viking army to flight and stormed the fortification and seized everything that was inside in the way of goods women and children as well and they brought everything to london and then they either broke up or burned all the ships and has stein's two sons and his wife were brought to the king hastein's fortress was destroyed at benfleet but he managed to slip away with most of his men this was the norseman's most remarkable talent making him an enduring thorn in the side of the anglo-saxons hastines established a new fortified camp at shuberi then he made a dash across england for the welsh borders to establish camp at buddington in the welsh hills this was a remarkable trek across hostile territory in which the vikings managed to avoid detection by sacks and garrisons a testament to the mobility and effectiveness of the norsemen also this placed hastein very near to the northumbrian east anglian viking army confronting king alfred at exeter but as hastein began pillaging whales the northumbrian east anglian invaders suddenly abandoned their position and returned home alfred's operations had been effective the vikings simply realized that they would not be able to make any headway with the royal army in the field [Music] this development eased pressures on the anglo-saxons now lord athelrt organized for a decisive strike against hastine he was joined by two important west sacks and elder men apple somerset and athalam of wiltshire as well as substantial welsh contingents mercia and wales had often been at odds but fear of the vikings brought them together now in a firm alliance for weeks the anglo-welsh coalition besieged hastein's vikings at buddington unable to dispatch foraging parties the danes quickly began to starve and were reduced to eating their horses hastein decided to attempt to break out across the river this resulted in a bloody battle casualties were high on both sides danish losses were higher 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 into east anglia and from there hastine disappears from history we can't be sure of his fate but it's possible that he simply retired by now he was probably in his 50s and a wealthy man after a lifetime of raiding across france and the mediterranean thus as 893 drew to a close alfred the great and his allies had defeated a dangerous opponent though 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 system of forts had seriously hindered viking movement and dramatically reduced opportunities for plunder villagers found refuge in the fortified boras and local levees effectively harassed and pursued danish raiding parties far from the lucrative expeditions of the past the vikings found this war to be grueling leaving them with little but battle wounds to show for their trouble by now alfred was an old man and took a less active role in the campaigning his son-in-law athlete of mercia provided crucial leadership in some of the most difficult fighting and the king's son and heir edward also proved his worth the west saxons cooperated smoothly with the mercians and the welsh as well and multiple christian armies moved to where they were needed throughout the crisis at the same time the situation revealed limitations in the anglo-saxon military establishment prince edward nearly saw his victory at farnam collapse into defeat when his troops threatened to disperse because they had nearly completed their period of service and were running low on provisions one also might question the continued tendency to negotiate with viking forces and acknowledging the shortcomings of alfred's armies we must also take into account the remarkable competence of their opponents these vikings were no disorganized plunderers but highly efficient swift and elusive invasion units the danes continued to make good use of the waterways often evading saxon counter offensives palestine himself was the sort of daring commander to inspire the best in his men and to be a persistent irritant to alfred and his followers hastine alfred the great's final viking arch enemy was gone but much of his army still remained in east anglia late in 894 these vikings set up a new fortress north of london on the river lee they were well positioned to raid into murcia in 895 at the head of his army ailing an agent alfred the great set out for london once again intent on opposing viking invaders concerned that the danes might disrupt the harvest the king constructed earth and ramparts on both banks of the river a double borough blocking the enemy's path forward the vikings understood what the king intended and they were hesitant to risk pitched battle with a superior anglo-saxon force meanwhile alfred's trusted friend and alderman athelnuth had established good relations with the danish king of york gunfrith so the viking army could expect little help from northumbria recognizing the futility of their situation the viking army at last disbanded and departed the anglo-saxon kingdom in 896. again alfred's preparations in the 80s had paid off his new system of forts made the kingdom unattractive to hastein's remnant army the same year 896 the king's ships clashed with a force of viking pirates off the coast of wessex after a bloody battle two of the danish vessels were captured gone were the days when alfred was willing to be lenient he promptly ordered the crew hanged finally alfred had peace after 896 the king faced no further viking attacks during his reign in his last remaining years alfred continued to promote learning among his people he also spent time on his own intellectual pursuits focusing on his translations of the psalms after so many harrowing years the king could be satisfied he completed his days with wessex and mercia securely defended his people strengthened both physically and spiritually despite all this warfare king alfred received some peaceful danish visitors ottar of norway a dedicated viking traitor visited alfred's court around this time audar described himself as hailing from the furthest north of any who lived in the north robert ferguson says we might see audaar seated and ringed around by one or more of the curious scribes at alfred's cosmopolitan winchester court a learned courtier leans forward chin in one hand quill pen in the other and questions the well-traveled norwegian it's clear that alfred's courtiers found audar's accounts of distant lands quite useful and interesting alfred himself used information from adar to supplement his translation of orosius's history of the world robert ferguson adds the homely account on our gifts of life in the far north of norway is in striking contrast to the violence otherwise associated with the scandinavian homelands during the viking age and his talk of tame reindeer and 20 pigs is a world away from odin human sacrifices blood eagles and raven banners alfred scribes asked audar about his economic status in his home country and recorded his reply he was a very wealthy man by the standards they used to judge wealth that is to say endear at the time of his visit to the king he had 600 unsold tame deer they called these animals reindeer and six of them are decoy deer these are very valuable among the sami for they used them to trap the wild reindeer he was one of the most powerful men in his country yet he owned no more than 20 cows 20 sheep and 20 swine and the little bit of earth he plowed he plowed with a horse but their wealth consists mainly in the tax paid to them by the sami this tax takes the form of hides feathers whale bone and rope made of whale skin and seal skin this account seems to indicate that audar wasn't exactly successful in convincing his hosts to share his view of wealth nevertheless adar's visit to king alfred's court reminds us that the viking world wasn't all raiders and warriors and that friendly exchanges between anglo-saxon and dane weren't uncommon finally in the last year of the 9th century alfred the great died aged 50 or 51. the anglo-saxon chronicle records he was king over the whole english people except for that part which was under danish rule and then his son edward succeeded to the kingdom the king's alderman afterward leaves a moving dedication alfred passed from the world king of the saxons a man replete with justice vigorous and warfare learned in speech above all instructed in divine learning for he had translated unknown numbers of books from rhetorical latin speech into his own language so variously and so richly that his book of boethius would arouse tearful emotions not only in those familiar with it but even in those hearing it for the first time the king died on the seventh day before the feast of all saints his body lies at peace in winchester now readers say o christ our redeemer save his soul alfred the great's reputation would only grow with time having taken his kingdom from a point of near destruction to strength and rebirth he has often been praised as the crucial founding figure in the history of england after his death his actions would bear even richer fruit upon the firm foundations of his reforms his heirs his son edward the elder his daughter the lady ethelfly and his grandson athelston would bring to fruition an anglo-saxon england triumphant militarily artistically and religiously

Channel: Real Crusades History

Views: 537,311

Keywords: alfred the great, alfred the great documentary, alfred the great history, alfred the great viking, viking history, viking england, viking england documentary, anglo saxons vs vikings, anglo saxons documentary, anglo saxon england, medieval england, battle of edington, king alfred, king alfred speech, king alfred vikings, king alfred the great, guthrum vikings, guthrum, guthrum death, battle of ashdown, viking battle, viking battle scene, viking war, viking documentary

Id: W4RFrL95A68

Length: 52min 13sec (3133 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 05 2021