Ðeofas we hatað oð vii men. from vii hloð oð xxxv. siððan bið here.

Laws of Ine (688 to 726)

‘Se micla here’

here, mfierd, f (>fyrd)

Baugh 54England in 800

Nordic (Scandinavian, Viking) invasions

• 3 waves:– 787 - 850 early raids, plundering wealthy outlying

monasteries, sacking towns – 850-878 extensive Danish military actions.• 870 overan most of the east and south• 878 Alfred retakes London; Danelaw established.

Nordic (Scandinavian, Viking) invasions

• 3 waves:– 787 - 850 early raids, plundering wealthy outlying

monasteries, sacking towns – 850-878 extensive Danish military actions.

• 870 overan most of the east and south• 878 Alfred retakes London; Danelaw established.

– 991-1066 renewed Norse pressure• 987-1016 Aethelred the Unready, Danegeld• 1016-1042 Canute and his sons• 1042-1066 Edward the Confessor and the French connection• 1066 Harold, Harald, William.

Stan = Folkstone

The Battle of Maldon,10 August 991

The Battle of Maldon,10 August 991

991 Her wæs Gypeswic gehergod, and æfter þon swiðe raðe wæs Brihtnoð ealdorman ofslegen æt Mældune. And on þam geare man gerædde þæt man geald ærest gafol Denescum mannum for ðam miclan brogan þe hi worhton be ðam særiman, þæt wæs ærest [x] ðusend punda. Þæne ræd gerædde ærest Syric arcebisceop.

In this year Ipswich was ravaged, and very soon afterwards ealdorman Brihtnoð was slain at Maldon. In this year it was decided for the first time to pay tribute to the Danes because of the great terror they wrought along the sea coast. On the first occasion it amounted to ten thousand pounds. This course was first adopted on the advice of Bishop Sigeric.

993 Her on ðissum geare com Unlaf mid þrim & hund nigentigon scipum to Stane, & forhergedon þæt on ytan, & for ða ðanon to Sandwic, & swa ðanon to Gipeswic, & þæt eall ofereode, & swa to Mældune; & him þær com togeanes Byrhtnoð ealdorman mid his fyrde, & him wið gefeaht. & hy þone ealdorman þær ofslogon, & wælstowe geweald ahtan. & him man nam syððan frið wið, & hine nam se cing syððan to bisceopes handa. ðurh Sirices lare Cantware biscpes, & Ælfeages Wincæstre biscop.

In this year came Anlaf with ninety-three ships to [Folke]stone, and ravaged outside, and sailed thence to Sandwich, and thence to Ipswich,overruninng all the countryside, and so on to Maldon. Ealdorman Byrhtnoð came to meet him with his levies and fought them, but they slew the ealdorman [10 August] and had possession of the place of slaughter Afterwards peace was made with them and the king stood sponsor for him at the hand of the bishop. This was done on the advice of Sigeric Bishop of Canterbury, and Bishop Ælfheah of Winchester.

892 And þy ilcan geare ofer Eastron ymbe gangdagas oþþe ær atywde se steorra þe man on bocleden het cometa, sum men cweðað on Englisc þæt hit sy faexede steorre, forðam þær stent lang leoma of, hwilum on ane healfe, hwilum on ælce healfe

Garmonsway xxiv

R.K. Gordon 1926

Ipswich

Maldon

SandwichFolkestone

http://www.oldenglishaerobics.net/maldon.php

• Byrhtnoð, ealdorman of Essex, , a powerful lord and a man of imposing appearence, apparently about 65 years old – hár hilderinc

• Many of Bryhtnoð’s men are named.• Justin and Guðmund Steitan sunu

= Jósteinn og Guðmundur Steitasynir ?• Ólafur Tryggvason afterwards King of Norway (995-

1000)• Jósteinn in Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar is Ólaf’s paternal

uncle, who sails to England to look for Ólaf.

• After harrowing in Folkestone and Sandwich, the “Danes” (Dene) (=Norwegians, mostly) sailed in 93 ships up the Panta (now River Blackwater) and encamped on Northey Island.

• Brihtnoð leads his fyrd to confront them• Godric who whiles away his time hawking• As the tide goes out, the Northmen try to

come ashore over the causeway

• The channel narrow enough to shout over:25 Þā stōd on stæðe, stīðlīċe clypode

wīċinga ār, wordum mǣlde; se on bēot ābead brimlīþendra ǣrænde tō þām eorle þǣr hē on ōfre stōd: "Mē sendon tō þē sǣmen snelle,

30 hēton ðē secgan þæt þū mōst sendan raðe bēagas wið ġebeorge; and ēow betere is þæt ġē þisne gārrǣs mid gafole forġyldon þonne wē swā hearde hilde dǣlon.

• Byrhtnoð’s reply:45 "Gehȳrst þū, sǣlida, hwæt þis folc seġeð?

Hī willað ēow tō gafole gāras syllan ǣttrynne ord and ealde swurd ......

Maldon:https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Maldon,+Essex,+United+Kingdom7hl=en7sll=37.0625,-95.6770687sspn=38.690438,67.7636727oq=Maldon+Essex7hnear=Maldon,+Essex,+United+Kingdom7t=m7z=13

Sandwich: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Sandwich,+United+Kingdom7hl=en7ll=51.162122,1.4117437spn=0.959384,2.1176157sll=51.645294,0.7882697sspn=0.949301,2.1176157oq=Sandwich,+United+Kingdom7hnear=Sandwich,+Kent,+United+Kingdom7t=m7z=9

Folkestone:https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Folkestone,+United+Kingdom7hl=en7sll=51.162122,1.4117437sspn=0.959384,2.1176157oq=Folke,+United+Kingdom7hnear=Folkestone,+Kent,+United+Kingdom7t=m7z=13

• The tide goes out. The Vikings try to wade ashore, over the narrow causeway,but Wulfstan, Ælfhere and Maccus hold the ford

Se flōd ūt ġewāt. Þā flotan stōdon ġearowewīċinga fela, wīġes ġeorne. Hēt þā hæleða hlēo healdan þā bricg

75 wigan wīġheardne, se wæs hāten Wulfstān,cāfne mid his cynne; þæt wæs Ċēolan sunuþe ðone forman man mid his francan ofscēatþe þǣr baldlīcost on þā bricge stōp.

Þǣr stōdon mid Wulfstāne wigan unforhte,80 Ælfere and Maccus, mōdiġe twēġen,

þā noldon æt þām forda flēam ġewyrċan,ac hī fæstliċe wið ðā fȳnd weredonþā hwīle þe hī wǣpna wealdan mōston.

Þá hí þæt ongeaton and georne gesawon85 þæt hí þær bricgweardas bitere fundon.

ongunnon lýtegian þa láðe gystas,bædon þæt hí upgang agan moston,ofer þonr ford faran. féþan lædan

• Byrhtnoð decided to allow them to cross:

Ðā se eorl ongan for his ofermōde 90 ālȳfan landes tō fela lāþere ðēode.

Ongan ċeallian þā ofer cald wæter Byrhtelmes bearn (beornas ġehlyston): "Nū ēow is ġerȳmed; gāð riċene tō ūs, guman tō gūþe. God āna wāt

95 hwā þǣre wælstōwe wealdan mōte."

• They cross over the bricg:

96:Wōdon þā wælwulfas (for wætere ne murnon),wīċinga werod west ofer Pantan,ofer scīr wæter scyldas wēgon,lidmen tō lande linde bǣron.

100 Þǣr onġēan gramum ġearowe stōdonByrhtnōð mid beornum; hē mid bordum hētwyrċan þone wīhagan and þæt werod healdanfæste wið fēondum. Þā wæs feohte nēhtīr æt ġetohte. Wæs sēo tīd cumen105 þæt þǣr fǣġe men feallan sceoldon.Þǣr wearð hrēam āhafen. Hremmas wundon,earn ǣses ġeorn. Wæs on eorþan ċyrm.

• Many speeches as the English are hewn down.Byrhtwold maþelode, bord hafenode

310 (se wæs eald ġenēat), æsc ācwehte; hē ful baldlīċe beornas lǣrde: "Hiġe sceal þē heardra, heorte þē cēnre, mōd sceal þē māre þē ūre mæġen lȳtlað. Hēr līð ūre ealdor eall forhēawen

315 gōd on grēote. Ā mæġ gnornian se ðe nū fram þisum wīġplegan wendan þenċeð. Iċ eom frōd fēores; fram iċ ne wille, ac iċ mē be healfe mīnum hlāforde, be swā lēofan men licgan þenċe."

• dryht, drótt (*druhtiz) друж наи́ (друг)– Also hired (Norse hirð)

• Tacitus . Germania Bk 1, beginning of chap. 14:When they go into battle, it is a disgrace for

the chief to be surpassed in valour, a disgrace for his followers not to equal the valour of the chief. And it is an infamy and a reproach for life to have survived the chief, and returned from the field. To defend, to protect him, to ascribe one's own brave deeds to his renown, is the height of loyalty. The chief fights for victory; his vassals fight for their chief.

Comitatus

Cum ventum in aciem, turpe principi virtute vinci, turpe comitatui, virtutem principis non adaequare. Jam vero infame in omnem vitam ac probrosum, superstitem principi suo ex acie recessisse. Illum defendere, tueri, sua quoque fortia facta gloriae ejus assignare, praecipuum sacramentum est. Principes pro victoria pugnant; comites pro principe.

Comitatus