House Wessex and the History of England - A Wessex Ironman AAR

Introduction​

"A.D. 495. This year came two leaders into Britain, Cerdic and Cynric his son, with five ships, at a place that is called Cerdic's-ore. And they fought with the Welsh the same day. Then he died, and his son Cynric succeeded to the government, and held it six and twenty winters."

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle remains the most important source for the history of England between the Roman Era and the 11th century. Nevertheless one has to be careful using them, since, as with all ancient sources, it has several weaknesses. The first surviving parts of the Chronicles were written in the late 9th century, so many events of the previous centuries were taken from other sources or remind of mythological topoi. Additionally the Chronicles were written in different locations and times and hence represent different biases.

Thus it is no surprise, that Cerdic and Cynric, according to the Chronicle the first Kings of Wessex, are most probably fictional characters and that the origin of Wessex is not to be found in two men coming from the mainland invading some coastal territory, but in a region along the headwaters of Thames and / or Avon.

But despite these facts, the story of Cerdic and Cynric became important for the contemporary noble elite, for it represented two fundamental principles that were valid throughout the medieval age:

1. Legitimacy

Legitimacy, the rightfulness of a given ruler in the eyes of his peers and subjects, came in three versions. For the House of the ruler it was important to trace back its descent to these two first Kings in order to have a proper claim to the throne. Secondly the individual ruler had to be a legitimate descendant of his predecessors.

2. Personal Leadership

The third version of legitimacy was based on the ruler`s acceptance among his noble peers based on his deeds. In a world without administration and just a small circle of advisors at court, the personality of the ruler had a major impact on how efficient the realm was ruled. Personal virtues (be they positive or negative) shaped the opinion of his fellow men and could decide, whether his rule was long and stable or short and violent.


"A.D. 635. This year King Cynegils was baptized by Bishop Birinus at Dorchester; and Oswald, king of the Northumbrians, was his sponsor."

The baptism of Cynegil is an important milestone in Wessex` history for two reasons.

1. Christianization

In the second half of the 6th century England, that was still dominated by an anglo-saxon paganism, came under the influence of the Christian religion from the north by Irish monks and the south by missionaries of the roman church. For the ruling elite, who were the first to be baptized, while the rest of the population often remained heathens for a long time, this was a beneficial step, since the educated clergy could support them in administrating their territories and the anointment was another strong source of legitimacy separate from the acceptance of their followers.

2. Balance of power

Although the concept of a Heptarchy has been dismissed in the 20th century, without any doubt there were several Kingdoms of differing power longing for supremacy on the island. And although Northumbria had still a dominant position in the early 7th century, the alliance between Oswald of Northumbria and Cynegil of Wessex, that became apparent during Cynegil`s baptism, was directed against the rising power of Mercia, that would become the most powerful Kingdom soon.

In the meantime, Wessex could expand, especially during the short rule of Caedwalla (685 - 688), eastward into Sussex and Kent. Despite a phase of weakness due to succession quarrels and Mercia`s superiority, it could remain its independence and eliminate Mercia`s influence on it by 752, when King Cuthred won the battle near Burford.


"A.D. 793. This year came dreadful fore-warnings over the land of the Northumbrians, terrifying the people most woefully: these were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds, and fiery, dragons flying across the firmament. These tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine: and not long after, on the sixth day before the ides of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in Holy-island, by rapine and slaughter."

With the raid on the monastery of Lindisfarne the Viking era in English history began. During the first time, the Vikings were focused on these short raids, that were made possible by the inability of the Saxon kingdoms to effectively defend their coasts. In the next step, the first armies of invaders began to overwinter and established first settlements. During the same time, the Kingdom of Wessex had become the most powerful entity after it had defeated Mercia under King Egbert in 829.

The year 865, in which this book begins, was a turning point in English history. The Great Heathen Army made landfall in East Anglia with the intent to not only raid, but conquer territories. In the same year King Aethelberht of Wessex died and his brother Aethelred succeeded to the throne.

JKrugger said:

There's also a possible link in my genealogy that would connect me with good ol' King Egbert, so that makes this doubly interesting!

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Seriously? Nice.

Just in case that you are wondering. I intend to make one entry per ruler, so the next update will get written as soon as Aethelred is dead and so far he is a healthy guy. Add to that my traditionally slow game speed and you can expect a decent amount of time between two updates.

Aethelred "the Monk"
(865 - 915)​

Aethelred was born as fourth of five sons of Aethelwulf and his wife Osburh in the year 840. When his father died in 858, his two older brothers Aethelbald and Aethelbehrt ruled Wessex for short periods of time each until Aethelbehrt died in 865 and Aethelred became King of Wessex at age 25.

Aethelred was married to Judith of Welf as of 867 and had three children with her:

Edmund (* 871; + 888)
Edgar (* 872)
Alfred (* 875)

He had another son called Aethelstan (* 874 ?) with a woman named Aethelthryth, whom he legitimized in his late years. He died on 29th November 915 at age 75 probably due to old age in Winchester.

Early years and the Viking threat

In 865, the year Aethelred ascended to the throne, the Great Heathen Army made landfall in Britain. Despite the efforts of an Alliance of Saxon kings, the Viking leaders Halfdan "Whiteshirt" and Ivar "the Boneless", allegedly both sons of the legendary Ragnar Lodbrok, could subdue Northumbria and East Anglia by 868.

Additionally an invasion force from Jylland appeared on the shores of Wessex in 869 in order to establish another Viking realm, but within the next two years an Anglo-Saxon alliance could repel the invaders after an exhausting campaign.

In the year 871, the most pressing threats had passed. Nevertheless the Viking Era was not over. The Kingdom of Mercia had to face its northern neighbors in several wars over the next decades and the shores of all Saxon kingdoms fell victim to several short but brutal raids by forces from Scandinavia. The most haunted region in Wessex became the southeast, with the counties of Kent, Sussex and Middlesex being raided at least ten times each until 915.

Consolidation and first expansion

During the next 15 years, Aethelred focused on consolidating his realm. Archaeological evidence shows, that throughout the late 9th century numerous settlements were fortified as a reaction to the Viking threat from the north and the sea. Additionally Wessex began during the 880s to establish ports along the southern coast. Although this led to better trade connections with the mainland, there are no signs, that the Kingdom raised an own fleet to protect this trade, that probably fell victim to Viking pirates on a regular basis.

During the same time, Aethelred began to look to the southwest. In a first war versus King Dumnarth II of Cornwall in 877/878 he could gain the county of Devon after the battle of Tintagel. During the next years, the expanding Viking Kingdom of Brittany seized the remnants of Cornwall. After a successful rebellion by local nobles under the leadership of Mats of Guerande, Aethelred decided to intervene and occupy Cornwall in 884.

The North and conflict with Mercia

During these years, the situation in the north had considerably changed. The invasion of 865 was led by an army of Vikings, that became the new ruling elite in their respective realms. The main difference between nobility and population was, that the folk belonged to the Christian faith, while the invaders brought their Norse religion with them. Especially Ivar "the Boneless" realized, that this could cause frictions within his realm and converted to Christianity soon. This led to conflicts with his own brother Halfdan, who sticked to the old faith. By the end of the 880s he had conquered more territories and established the Kingdom of Skotland, while Halfdan`s realm was reduced to Jorvik and East Anglia.

This development allowed Mercia to consolidate and gain the county of Lancaster from Halfdan. During the next nearly three decades a new antagonism between Mercia and Wessex evolved. The main cause was, that Aethelred, after having conquered Cornwall, had to face north for further expansion. Additionally King Borghred of Mercia had died in 884 and his son Wiglaf, who was also Aethelred`s nephew, made a claim to the Kingdom of Wessex.

During four wars (887-889; 894-895; 901-902; 912-913) Aethelred could repel the attempts of Wiglaf to invade Wessex as well as expand northward by occupying Bedford and Northampton. The battle of Cambridge 913, where the Mercian army was completely destroyed (although the amount of 30.000 dead as mentioned in the Winchester chronicle is most probably exaggerated), is seen as turning point, that did cement the supremacy of Wessex over his rival.

In the meantime Aethelred also had to fight the Kingdom of Skotland, that still held East Anglia. King Ivar "the Boneless" had died in 894, so Aethelred had to deal with his successor Gudfrid "the Cruel". In a first war from 900-902 Aethelred did benefit from the fact, that Gudfrid was distracted by a rebellion in the north, that led to the foundation of the Duchy of Moray. In 902 Aethelred gained the county of Suffolk and released Queen Agathe of Skotland, who got captured the year before.

The final war versus Skotland began in 905 and proved to be the hardest conflict during Aethelred`s reign. Gudfrid was well prepared for the attack and it was only due to the help of Saxon mercenaries from the mainland, that Wessex could win the battle of Appleby in 906. Despite this success, the war went on for another two years, before Gudfrid agreed to cede the county of Norfolk.

Fig. 1: The British Isles in 915​

Late years and the Kingdom of England

913, when his last war versus Mercia was over, Aethelred was 73 years old. Despite, or maybe due to this great age, he decided to perform the last and probably most important event of his life. In the previous years he had already held the titles of a Duke of Hwicce and Essex. Now, with a considerably larger realm, he decided to make the logical next step. On 22nd November 913 he was crowned King of England in Winchester Cathedral. During the remaining two years of his reign, King Aethelred more or less retired from political life.

Aftermath

Without any doubt Aethelred is a pivotal figure in English history. He preserved his realm during the Viking era, eliminated rivals, enlarged his realm and transformed it into a larger and more stable Kingdom.

Due to this importance his epithet "the Monk" caused a lot of confusion among historians. This nickname is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon chronicle for the year 891 and it is believed, that it is indeed contemporary. Two theories for its origin have evolved over time.

One theory is, that it shall describe a distinctly spiritual character. Although there is mentioned, that he had an experience of enlightenment in the 880s, neither his rather hedonist lifestyle prior to this event nor his political actions afterward, that can be described as reckless even by the standards of his time, justify such an interpretation. The second theory is, that it is a hint towards an educated character. This version has more supporters, although this results out of the fact, that there is no evidence that proves or disproves it. A legend, according to which Aethelred has tried to construct a primitive flying machine, has been debunked as invention of the late 18th century.

Oh man. After a long reign of 50 years Aethelred`s son just makes it slightly more than 1. Guess that will be a rather short entry.

Edgar
(915 - 917)​

Edgar was born in 872 as second son of King Aethelred and his wife Judith Welf. Since his older brother Edmund died shortly after reaching adulthood, Edgar became King of England at the age of 43, when his father died after a reign of 50 years in the year 915.

He had four children of the first marriage with Flora Dauferidi (+ 905), the daughter of the Duke of Salerno:

Aelfwine (* 889)
Aethelred (* 894)
Eastmund (* 903)
Saexraed (* 904)

After the death of his first wife he married Beorhtwaru Wessex, daughter of Duke Alfred and his own cousin. They had one daughter:

Aethelthryth (* 908)

Edgar died on 23rd June 917 at age 44.

Prior to succession

In the year 889, shortly after the death of his brother, his father Aethelred granted him the County of Essex and in 902, after the first war versus the Kingdom of Skotland, also the County of Suffolk, which he ruled until the death of his father.

Reign and death

Edgar is often referred to as "The one year King". Due to the fact, that he ruled England for only 19 months it was not possible for him to enter the history books with own achievements.

Nevertheless it is obvious that he tried to follow the tracks of his father, when he declared war on Mercia in early 916 over the County of Warwick. During the next months the English army defeated the Mercian forces in the battles of Droitwich and Macclesfield, before it began to besiege Warwick itself. In mid 917, Warwick and Coventry had surrendered and Edgar`s army surrounded the city of Stafford. The King was with his army and found dead in his tent in the morning of 23rd June.

This sudden death of a man in his mid forties has often led to speculations whether there were outside influences or not, but the theory of murder has been rejected by the academia so far. Although the available sources provide no description concerning the circumstances of his death, the potential causes are manifold, ranging from illness to exhaustion.

Thanks, will think about it. It is a textbook example of what can happen, when one translates from german to english without checking it twice. The german sentence is "Sie konnten XYZ tun". And so I thought "They could do XYZ" would be correct. I blame perfidious Albion.

Asantahene said:

KUTGW

Click to expand...

Will do my very best. The next King will be interesting, for he had a rough start. Brothers can be a pain in the ass.

Another one bites the dust. Update tomorrow.

Aelfwine
(917 - 929)​

Aelfwine was born in the year 889 as the first of four sons of King Edgar and his first wife Flora Dauferidi. When his father died during the Mercian campaign in 917, he became King of England at age 27.

He was married to Leofrun of Malmesbury, daughter of the Earl of Middlesex, and had two children with her:

Edgar (* 911)
Wulfwaru (* 916)

Aelfwine died on 6th September 929 at age 40.

Succession crisis

Aelfwine`s reign was characterized by the civil wars of 917 - 919, 920 - 921 and 925 - 926 between him and the supporters of his brothers Aethelred and Saexraed. Several factors have been recognized as causes:

- It was the second succession within less than two years in a still young Kingdom with a weak grip of the Monarch on his vassals, making rebellions more probable

- He had little experience. When his father died, he had been Count of Norfolk for just a year. It is believed, that this was not enough time to gain experience and recognition among his noble peers.

- He favored, at least from the point of view of the other Anglo-Saxon lords, "alien" factions. Insightful is a note from the year 922, that he repaid the sum of 84.000 pennies (or 350 pound silver) "to Joseph of London and his people". Besides the fact, that this is the first reference of a Jewish community in England, it shows that Aelfwine was in its debt. It is still a debated fact, whether this rather large sum was borrowed by himself for his wars or if he just returned a loan of his grandfather Aethelred. In any case and regardless of Aelfwine`s (unknown) personal opinion concerning the Jews, such a connection probably disqualified him as ruler in the eyes of some lords.

Civil Wars and Anti-King

Shortly after Aelfwine ascended to the throne, several lords of the realm under the leadership of his brother Aethelred revolted against his rule. Although Aelfwine`s force was already mobilized, it was weakened by the recently finished war and lost further strength due to defection up to the point, where he was outnumbered.

For one year, from 919 - 920, he had to acknowledge the superiority of his brother, who named himself Aethelred II, before he had reorganized his forces and gained new Allies in his struggle for the crown. Finally, in 921, Aelfwine ultimately defeated his brother. Since then Aethelred disappears from all sources and it is still unknown, whether he was killed immediately or send to prison until his death. Historians still debate, whether Aethelred II should be counted as King or not, and today a majority regards him as an Anti-King during the reign of his brother.

In 925 Aelfwine had to deal with another uprising with the intent to establish his youngest brother Saexraed as King. But he could overthrow his enemies rather fast and even released his captured brother from jail immediately, what is considered as a sign that the insurgents did not act on his behalf.

Mercian War and Death

When Aelfwine became King, he inherited the war with Mercia, that was almost won at that point of time and so he seized the County of Warwick before he turned his attention toward the civil war.

In the year 928, with the internal conflicts being settled and his son Edgar having reached adulthood, Aelfwine began a new war versus Mercia over the County of Hereford. The conflict developed in England`s favor with a first battle won and Hereford successfully besieged, when Aelfwine died in Winchester.

Godfrey of St. Albans wrote in his annals, that Aelfwine died "after a long and severe illness the Almighty did not free him off despite many prayers". Godfrey does not explain in more detail, from which disease Aelfwine was suffering, so the cause of his decease will stay unknown, since his mortal remains have not been found yet.