sbrothy said:
We’re talking viking age aren’t we? He was the supposedly timid king who nevertheless had some tactical acumen?
Early middle ages. The Vikings may have done small raids in the 6th and 7th centuries, but larger raids began with the attack on the monestary of Lindesfarne in 793.
In 793, a Viking raid on Lindisfarne caused consternation throughout the Christian west, and is often taken as the beginning of the Viking Age.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindisfarne#Viking_raid_on_the_monastery_(793)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Lindisfarne
This was during the reign of
Beorhtric (786-802 CE)
| Kingdom of the West Saxons | | |
| Cerdicing dynasty | | |
| 685 to 688 | Cædwalla | Perhaps descendant of Ceawlin. Usurper; abdicated, possibly of British origin. |
| 688 to 726 | Ine | Descendant of Ceawlin. Abdicated |
| 726 to 740 | Æthelheard | Perhaps brother-in-law of Ine. |
| 740 to 756 | Cuthred | Relative, possibly brother, of Æthelheard. |
| 756 to 757 | Sigeberht | Distant relative of Cuthred. Deposed (and killed?) by Cynewulf |
| 757 to 786 | Cynewulf | Assassinated by Cyneheard, who was the brother of Sigeberht. Direct descendant of Cerdic. |
| 786 to 802 | Beorhtric | Possible direct descendant of Cerdic. Son-in-law of Offa of Mercia. |
| 802 to 839 | Ecgberht | Descendant of Ine's brother. |
| 839 to 858 | Æthelwulf | Son of Ecgberht. |
| 858 to 860 | Æthelbald | Son of Æthelwulf. |
| 860 to 865 | Æthelberht | Son of Æthelwulf. |
| 865 to 871 | Æthelred I | Son of Æthelwulf. |
| 871 to 886 | Alfred the Great | Son of Æthelwulf. The only English monarch to be given the epithet "the Great". |
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monarchs_of_Wessex#List
The Viking raids became more frequent and escalated into full-scale invasions, most notably the arrival of the "Great Heathen Army" in 865 (large Danish force landed on the Isle of Thanet), which led to the conquest and settlement of large areas, creating the
Danelaw.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_activity_in_the_British_Isles
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/the-history-of-vikings-in-england/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danelaw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Alfred_and_Guthrum
Prior to the Viking invasion,
Anglo-Saxon England was divided into 7 regions between the sixth and eighth centuries into
petty kingdoms, conventionally the seven kingdoms of
East Anglia,
Essex,
Kent,
Mercia,
Northumbria,
Sussex, and
Wessex, and the group was designated as The
Heptarchy. During that period, Northumbria fragmented into three parts as a consequence of a internal conflicts (i.e. civil war) and Mercia also experienced internal conflicts, which weakened the kingdom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptarchy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumbria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wessex
Purportedly, the invasion was inspired by revenge for the death of Ragnar in 864 CE at the hand of Ælla II of Northumbria. According to the Norse Sagas, "Ælla captured the
legendary Swedish-Danish Viking king
Ragnar Lodbrok and put him to death in a
pit of snakes. The historical invasion of Northumbria by the
Great Heathen Army in 866 occurred in retaliation for Ragnar's execution, according to
Ragnarssona þáttr (
The Tale of Ragnar's Sons). While Norse sources claim that Ragnar's sons tortured Ælla to death by the method of the
blood eagle, Anglo-Saxon accounts maintain that he died in
battle at York on 21 March 867."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ælla_of_Northumbria
There was
Ælla (Aelli) who was king of Deira 559/560 to 589.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monarchs_of_Northumbria
Æthelstan was a grandson of Alfred and son of Edward the Elder.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_monarchs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great
After ascending the throne, Alfred spent several years fighting
Viking invasions. He won a decisive victory in the
Battle of Edington in 878 and made an agreement with the Vikings, dividing England between Anglo-Saxon territory and the Viking-ruled
Danelaw, which consisted of
Scandinavian York, the north-east Midlands, and East Anglia. Alfred also oversaw the conversion of Viking leader
Guthrum to Christianity. He defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, becoming the dominant ruler in England. Alfred began styling himself as "King of the Anglo-Saxons" after reoccupying London from the Vikings. Details of his life are described in a work by 9th-century Welsh scholar and bishop
Asser.
I listened to a biography of Alfred a couple of days ago. I believe it was the latter of the following two videos, but both are interesting.
The Story of Alfred the Great | The Saviour of England
Alfred the Great - Saviour of the Saxons Documentary
As for
Æthelstan, he fought a decisive battle in 937 against a Viking/Celtic/Scott alliance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brunanburh
The
Battle of Brunanburh was fought in 937 between
Æthelstan, King of
England, and an alliance of
Olaf Guthfrithson, King of
Dublin;
Constantine II, King of
Scotland; and
Owain, King of
Strathclyde. The battle is sometimes cited as the point of origin for
English national identity:
The history is of personal interest as my ancestry originates from the affected areas.
Asser, who died c. 909, "was a Welsh
monk from
St David's,
Dyfed, who became
Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by
Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join the circle of learned men whom Alfred was recruiting for his court."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asser
In 893, Asser wrote a biography of Alfred, called the
Life of King Alfred. The manuscript survived to modern times in only one copy, which was part of the
Cotton library. That copy was destroyed in a fire in 1731, but transcriptions that had been made earlier, together with material from Asser's work which was included by other early writers, have made it possible to reconstruct the work.