CHAPTER VI THE DANISH AND THE NORMAN CONQUESTS, 975-1071 I. THE DANISH CONQUEST Although the attacks of the Northmen upon England had lasted intermittently for nearly two hundred years, they were now renewed, after a half century's interval, with still greater violence. Under the leadership of the kings of Denmark the invaders were far too strong for the English, and the fatal policy of buying them off by the payment of tribute was adopted. Even this was not successful, and after long and destructive contests the English king was forced to go into exile, while the Danish king was accepted by all the people of England, Danish and English alike. These occurrences are well brought out in the entries in the Chronicle for this period. Chronicle A.D. 991. This year was Ipswich ravaged, and after that 48. Extracts very shortly was Brihtnoth the ealdorman slain at Maldon, and from the Angloin that year it was decreed that tribute for the first time Saxon should be given to the Danish men, on account of the great terror which they caused on the seacoast: that was at first ten thousand pounds. This council was first given by Archbishop Sigeric. A.D. 994. In this year came Olaf and Swegen to London on St. Mary's day with ninety-four ships; and then they continued fighting stoutly against the city, and would also have set fire to it. . . . Then the king and his witan decreed that they should be sent to and promised tribute and food, on condition that they should cease from their plundering. Ethelred goes into A.D. 1004. This year Swegen came with his fleet to Norwich and entirely spoiled and burned the town. Then decreed Ulfkytel, with the witan of East Anglia, that it were better that they should purchase peace of the army before they did very much harm to the land; because they had come unawares, and he had not time to gather his forces. . .. ... A.D. 1006. Then became the dread of the army so great that no men could think and discourse how they could be driven out of the land, or this land maintained against them; for they had every shire in Wessex sadly marked by burning and by plundering. Then the king began earnestly with his witan to consider what might seem advisable to them all, so that this land might be saved before it was utterly destroyed. Then the king and his witan decreed on behalf of the whole nation, though it was hateful to them all, that they needs must pay tribute to the army. Then the king sent to the army and directed it to be made known to them that he would that there should be a truce between them. . . A.D. 1007. In this year was the tribute delivered to the army, thirty-six thousand pounds. A.D. 1013. Then departed the king at midwinter into the Isle of Wight, and was there during that season; and after that Duke Richard season he went over the sea to Richard, and was there with of Normandy him till such time as Swegen was dead. . . exile with A.D. 1014. In this year King Swegen ended his days, and all the fleet then chose Cnut for king. A.D. 1017. In this year King Cnut obtained the whole realm of the English race. A.D. 1025. This year King Cnut went from England with fifty ships of English thanes to Norway and drove King Olaf out of the land, and possessed himself of all that land. A.D. 1031. This year King Cnut went to Rome. . The same events as have just been described in the extracts from the Chronicle, that is to say, the return of the Danes, the battle of Maldon, in which Earl Brihtnoth was the leader, the payment of danegeld, the final victory of Swegen and Cnut, and the banishment of Ethelred, are told in greater fullness in several other contemporary records, of which the account that follows is a good specimen. during scribed in the During his reign there came to the kingdom of the Angles 49. The the abominable Danes, who, devastating and burning all things, losses of the English did not spare the men, but boastfully armed themselves with glittering swords, with poisoned arrows, with helmets of bronze; Ethelred's thus they were accustomed to terrify those who saw them. A reign devery severe battle was fought in the west in which our men, Life of St. who are called Devonshire men, resisted bravely, gaining the Oswald victory of a holy triumph and thus acquiring glory. Very many of our men fell, but rather more of theirs. One of our very bravest soldiers, Stremwold by name, was killed, together with some others who chose rather to finish life by a warlike death than to live ignobly. Not many months after this another great battle was fought, to the east of this famous region, in which the renowned leader Brihtnoth with his followers held the chief place in the fight. What man, confiding in his style, can relate how gloriously, how manfully, how bravely, he incited his leaders of war to the line of battle? He himself stood forth a noble in stature, towering above the rest, whose hand Aaron and Hur did not sustain, but great zeal for the Lord was accustomed to support, since he himself was worthy. He struck down many to his right, forgetful of the swanlike whiteness of his hair, since alms and the holy mass supported him. Forgetful likewise of the weakness of his body, he protected himself on the left, inasmuch as prayers and good deeds sustained him. When that splendid leader of the battle saw the enemy fleeing and his own men fighting valiantly and slaying many, he began to fight for his country with all his courage. A great number of the enemy and of our men fell; Brihtnoth was slain and the rest fled. So many of the Danes were wounded that they were scarcely able to equip their ships with men. By far the most of our information concerning the Danish invasions of England comes from English writers. 50. Account by Adam of Bremen The following account of the conquest of England by Cnut comes, however, from Adam of Bremen, a Danish, or at least a North-German, writer of the next century. Swegen, king of the Danes and Norwegians, working to avenge old injuries, as well the death of his brother as his own expulsion, crossed over with a great fleet into England, taking with him his son Cnut, and Olaf the son of Crocaben, of whom we have spoken above. And so after a long time and the fighting of many battles with the English, Swegen deposed the old king Ethelred and held the island under his sway; but for a short time only, for in the third month after he had obtained the victory he was overtaken with death, and succumbed. Cnut, son of the king, having returned with the army to his native country, planned war anew against the English. Olaf, having been chosen to be their prince by the Norwegians, separated himself from the kingdom of the Danes. Then Cnut, troubled by this double contest, entered into a treaty with his half-brother Olaf, the son of Eric, who reigned in Sweden, and supported by the aid he gave, determined to subjugate first England and then Norway. So Cnut, provided with a thousand large vessels, crossed the Britannic Sea, through which, from Denmark to England, an east wind will carry vessels with their sails set, as the sailors report, in three days. This great and dangerous sea has the Orcades on the left side, on the right it reaches Frisia. For three years Cnut attacked Britain. Ethelred, king of the English, besieged at London, died, leaving at the same time his realm and his life. This was a just judgment of God, for after the murder of his brother he had polluted the scepter with blood for thirty-eight years. Thus he expiated his parricide, leaving behind him a little son Edward, born from his wife Emma. The brother of Ethelred, Edmund, a warlike man, for the sake of the victor was removed by poison, and his sons exiled to Russia. Cnut took the kingdom of Ethelred, and his wife, Emma by name, who was sister of the duke of the Normans, Richard. Under Cnut's wise administration the country had a period of peace and order. The king spent part of his time in each of his kingdoms, and after mine years made a journey to Rome, as mentioned in the Chronicle under the year 1031, whence he sent back to England the following letter: CNUT, king of all England, and of Denmark, Norway, and 51. A letter part of Sweden, to Ethelnoth, metropolitan, and Elfric, from Cnut to his people, archbishop of York, and to the bishops and prelates, and to written from the whole nation of the English, both the nobles and the Rome commons, greeting: I notify to you that I have lately taken a journey to Rome, to pray for the forgiveness of my sins, and for the welfare of my dominions, and of the people under my rule. I had long since vowed this journey to God, but I have been hitherto prevented from accomplishing it by the affairs of my kingdom and other causes of impediment. I now return most humble thanks to God Almighty for suffering me in my lifetime to visit the sanctuary of his apostles, Saints Peter and Paul, and all others which I could find either within or without the city of Rome, and there in person reverentially to worship according to my desire. I have performed this chiefly because I have learnt from wise men that St. Peter, the apostle, has received from God great power in binding and in loosing, and carries the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and therefore I esteemed it very profitable to seek his special intercession with the Lord. between Cnut and the Be it known to all of you that, at the celebration of Easter, Interview a great assembly of nobles was present with our lord, Pope John, and Conrad, the Emperor; that is to say, all the princes Emperor of the nations from Mount Garganus to the neighboring sea. Conrad All these received me with honor and presented me with magnificent gifts; but more especially was I honored by the Emperor with various gifts and valuable presents, both in gold and silver vessels, and in palls and very costly robes. I spoke with the Emperor himself, and the lord pope, and the princes who were there, in regard to the wants of my people, English |