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King Alfred saved "England"

24th June 2008, 8:25 pm by Huscarl

In 865 the innumerable viking longships of the 'Great Army' invaded England (landing in E.Anglia) led by Ivar 'the Boneless', his brothers Halfdan and Ubba (sons of the notorious Ragnar Lothbrok- legend says he was killed by Northumbrian king Aelle, throwing him in a pitful of poisonous snakes) and an array of junior commanders such as Guthrum and Anwend.

This superarmy proceeded to brutally subdue all of England, leaving only Wessex that had not submitted by 868, when Ivar split the army in two (he leaving to fight the Scots and Strathclyde Britons).

During the 870's Halfdan led his army against Wessex in many ferocious battles against Athelred (d.871) and younger brother Alfred in lethal cat-and-mouse campaigning and, in 874, Halfdan also headed for Scotland upon the death of Ivar. He gave command to a certain Guthrum, who continued the manoevring between the two armies of Danes and W.Saxons.

In January 878 Guthrum led a surprise assault upon the royal residence of Chippenham whilst Alfred (whom they tried to capture and make suffer the 'blood eagle') and his retainers and senior commanders had celebrated Christmas -a not unknown Viking tactic- as the king had stood down his fyrdsmen. Chippenham was overrun, but Alfred escaped on horseback with his bodyguards, armed thegns, family and retainers.

Surely it wouldn't be long before Alfred was suffering the terrible death of the viking 'Blood Eagle'?

Desperate Alfred was pursued by Guthrum’s men on horseback from a chaotic Chippenham, and rebuffed by many of even his own unsympathetic and fearful kinsmen in towns when asking for/ demanding shelter/food (whom he surely punished later or raided and attacked from Athelney?), and who may have informed the enemy of his whereabouts(?) Alfred fled for the safety of Athelney- a series of marshy and lethal waterways and islets. He finally reached there three weeks later.

Athelney marshes
The levels, not unlike the Fens, comprised of both woodland and fenland in which stags, wild goats and other beats grazed (wild boars?), and it was criss-crossed with timer trackways, some submerged, leading to settlements in the extensive and impassable low-lying marshes, therefore perfect for guerrilla warfare, and v.difficult to penetrate.
Rising out of the fenland, and often flooded by the inflowing sea-waters from the Bristol Channel, were scattered islets of high ground. One of these had been inhabited by a an order of holy men in the 4thC, seeking solitude for the practices of their devotions. The church which grew up around them was rebuilt in the 8thC and was the early religious life fabric of Glastonbury Abbey, which quickly became known as a centre for learning and Celtic Christiantity.
As a youth, Alfred would have hunted, fished and hawked there, knowing the marshes well. The king, some nobles, retainers, family (Edward?) and the men of Somerset with their earl, Aethelnoth – maybe 200 men in all- built a fortified base in the murky, dangerous and swampy islets of the isle of Athelney. Even
today floods can make this region inaccessible. To survive, the desperate Alfred had to steal, borrow and raid in order to eat, moving quietly through swamps and secret trackways.

There existed the constant danger that Guthrum might weave his fleet up the river Parret and locate Alfred’s stronghold there, who already led aggressive raids upon the Danes and also to gather supplies (whether his own people agreed to or not?).

All the while keeping in touch with his underground resistance network with the men of Wiltshire and Hampshire (and others from Somerset?), Alfred also sent out/led guerrilla raids against probing/lost Vikings. But he his out with his retainers and heavily-armed thegns etc.

Alfred’s loyal earls
After hearing about Odda’s great victory, the king summoned all those earldormen and thegns to him (ie. Earldormen Wulfhere of Wiltshire; Athelnoth of Somerset) and the earl of Hampshire, those who had not already either fled overseas or submitted to the Danes. Earldorman Odda meanwhile guarded the Devon coast.
No mention of Dorset nobles/fyrd is recorded as being at Athelney or Ethandun- had their chiefs submitted to Guthrum? Tellingly, this was the stemland of Alfred’s nephew Aethelwold, who would side with the Danes after Alfred’s death in 899, against Edward 'the Elder'.

In Athelney, Alfred secured the loyalty of these nobles and senior commanders with oaths, for the upcoming battle against Guthrum which he was planning. He had also stepped up his guerrilla attacks on the Danes and any disloyal locals. Thus armed with good reconnaissance and preparation, Alfred acted.

By this time Guthrum had moved his army north of Salisbury plain- and when Alfred heard this he decided now was the time to ride his small but warband of leaders, heavily-armed thegns and retainers out of Athelney marshes after six long weeks and -using a probably complex but sadly unrecorded underground network- to unite with the gathered fyrds of Somerset, Wiltshire and part of Hampshire and “they were overjoyed to see him” (Chronicler Athelweard recorded)

The battle of Ethandun (Edington). The two armies clashed in an all-day struggle, until finally the Danes broke and a terrible rout ensued- the Danes were slain all the 12m back to Chippenham some mounted soldiers used for the rout. There the fearful Danes were besieged for 2wks before they submitted.

Alfred and Guthrum soon began talks, and the Treaty of Wedmore was agreed soon after, basically creating the Danelaw, which roughly stretched from London, north-west to north of Chester.

Alfred’s reforms
A crucial breathing space had been gained by Alfred’s sheer ruthless character, faith and charisma. For the first time he could turn to law-making, education for the people and reforming his burhs, armies and navy.
• He introduced the fyrd rotation system (one part reaped crops whilst another served militarily for two months) so that he had a standing army.
• Burhs were re-fortified militarily and manned with troops as well as townspeople.
• The navy was equipped with newer, larger and faster warships.
• He reformed education and attempted to heighten the people’s awareness of the world around them.
• He issued many laws designed to be just and strong.
• He personally wrote/translated books and charters- which had suffered heavily by the Viking invasions.

If Alfred had given up and sailed off into exile, the English language would have died out, and we would be speaking Danish/Norse...

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