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    The Great Heathen Army


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      THE GREAT HEATHEN ARMY

      By

      H A Culley

      Book one of the Saga of Wessex

      Published by

      oHp

      Orchard House Publishing

      First Kindle Edition 2020

      Text copyright © 2020 H A Culley

      The author asserts the moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

      Bulb.co.uk/moving-in20000This novel is a work of fiction. The names, characters and events portrayed in it, which sticking as closely to the recorded history of the time and featuring a number of historical figures, are largely the product of the author’s imagination.

      It is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the author or the publisher’s prior consent, electronically or in any form of binding or cover other than the form in which it is published and without this condition being imposed on any subsequent purchaser or owner.

      Replication or distribution of any part is strictly prohibited without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      All Rights Reserved

      Cover Image: © Shutterstock¦ Nejron Photo

      PLACE NAMES

      Note: In my last series of novels I used the modern names for places in Anglo-Saxon England as some readers had said that my earlier novels were confusing because of the use of place names current in the time about which I was writing. However, I had even more adverse comments that modern names detract from the authentic feel of the novels, so in this series I have reverted to the use of Anglo-Saxons names.

      AcemannesceastreBath, Somerset

      ÆscesdūnLocation unknown, possibly near Uffington, Oxfordshire

      AldburghAldborough, North Yorkshire

      AlnwicAlnwick, Northumberland

      BasingesOld Basing, Hampshire

      BasingestochesBasingstoke, Hampshire

      BeamfleoteBenfleet, Essex

      BerrocscirBerkshire

      BrydancumbBurcombe, near Wilton, Wiltshire

      CatrӕthCatterick, North Yorkshire

      CantwareburhCanterbury, Kent

      CertesiChertsey, Surrey

      CillehamChilham, Kent

      CoventreCoventry, Warwickshire

      DyfneintscirDevon

      DanmǫrkDenmark

      DarenthRiver Darent

      ÐarcyRiver Aire

      DorcesterscirDorset

      Dùn ÈideannEdinburgh, Scotland

      Ēast Seaxna RīceEssex

      EatunEton, Berkshire

      EforwicYork, North Yorkshire.

      FerendoneGreat Faringdon, Berkshire

      FŏsRiver Foss

      FŏswegThe Fosse Way (Roman road)

      GæignesburhGainsborough, Lincolnshire

      GodmundcestreGodmanchester, Cambridgeshire

      GranteRiver Cam

      GrantebrycgeCambridge, Cambridgeshire

      GranteseteGrantchester, Cambridgeshire

      HӕgelisdunPossibly Halesdun, Essex. Location disputed

      HamtunscīrHampshire

      HapesburcHappisburgh, Norfolk

      HagustaldesHexham, Northumberland

      HreopanduneRepton, Derbyshire

      HrofescӕsterRochester, Kent

      HymbreRiver Humber

      InglefelleEnglefield, Berkshire

      IrlondIreland

      LigeraceasterLeicester, Leicestershire

      LindocolinaLincoln, Lincolnshire

      LindesegeThe district of Lindsey, Lincolnshire

      Linne FoirtheFirth of Forth

      LundenwicLondon

      MalsenþorpMelsonby, North Yorkshire

      MeretumMerdon Castle, Hampshire

      MidwegRiver Medway

      NewerchaNewark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire

      NorweġNorway

      OrkneyjarThe Orkney Islands

      OxenafordaOxford, Oxfordshire

      ReadingumReading, Berkshire

      SalteodeSaltwood, Kent

      SarumSalisbury, Wiltshire

      SandwicSandwich, Kent

      SilcestreSilchester, Hampshire

      SnælandIceland

      SnotingahamNottingham, Nottinghamshire

      StanesStaines-upon-Thames, Surrey

      StanfordeStamford, Linlconshire

      SweolandSweden

      SūþrīgescirSurrey

      SuinduneSwindon, Wiltshire

      Suth-SeaxeSussex

      TacehamThatcham, Berkshire

      TarentefortDartford, Kent

      TateshallaPontefract, West Yorkshire

      TheodfordaThetford, Norfolk

      TemesRiver Thames

      TesRiver Tees

      TinanRiver Tyne

      TrisantonaRiver Trent

      TurkilestunThruxton, Hampshire

      WejrRiver Wear

      WeoludRiver Welland

      WiltunWilton, Wiltshire

      WiltunscirWiltshire

      WinburneWimborne Minster, Dorset

      WintanceasterWinchester, Hampshire

      UisgeRiver Ouse

      VerulamacæstirSt. Albans, Hertfordshire

      List of Principle Characters

      Historical figures are in bold.

      Jørren – The narrator

      Jerold – Thegn of Cilleham and Jørren’s uncle

      Æscwin – Jørren’s eldest brother

      Alric – Jørren’s fourteen-year-old brother

      Æthelred – King of Wessex

      Ceolnoth – Archbishop of Cantwareburh

      Baldred – Ealdorman of Cent

      Cei – A slave belonging to Jørren’s family

      Redwald – The son of a poor farmer who joins Jørren

      Erik, Ulf and Tove – Three Danish boys captured by Jørren

      Edyth – A charcoal burner

      Nelda – Her daughter

      Leofflæd – A merchant’s daughter

      Ecgberht – Leofflæd’s brother

      Ælle – King of Northumbria

      Osbehrt – His brother, deposed by Ælle but now his ally

      Jerrik and Øwli – Two Jutes enslaved by the Danes

      Wigestan – A warrior in the service of Edmund of Bebbanburg

      Cináed and Uurad – Two young Picts enslaved by Vikings to serve as ship’s boys

      Ceadda, Hroðulf, Sæwine and Wealhmær – Bernician scouts serving Edmund

      Cynemær – A Bernician thegn, father of Ceadda

      Ívarr the Boneless – Principal leader of the Great Heathen Army

      Halfdan and Ubba – His half-brothers

      Dudda – Reeve of Silcestre

      Ælfred – Brother of King Æthelred of Wessex

      Wulfthryth – The Lady of Wessex, Æthelred’s wife

      Æthelhelm – Their elder son

      Asser – Bishop of Wintanceaster

      Pӕga – The Hereræswa (army commander) of Wessex

      Burghred – King of Mercia

      Tunbehrt – Shire reeve of Hamtunscīr

      Cuthfleda - Jørren and Leofflæd’s daughter

      Merewald – Ealdorman of Hamtunscīr

      Swiðhun and Wolnoth – Other members of Jørren’s warband from Bernicia

      Ealhswith – Mercian noblewoman, later Ælfred’s wife and Lady of Wessex

      Ulfrid – her youngest brother

      Hunulf and Ædwulf – Thralls rescued from the Danes, later scouts for Jørren

      Ethelwulf - Ealdorman of Berrocscir

      Heahmund – Bishop of Sherborne

      Æscwin – Leofflæd and Jørren’s son

      Ælfric - Archbishop of Cantwareburh after Ceolnoth

      Eadda – Hereræswa after Pӕga’s death

      Æthelwold – Æthelred’s younger son and a contestant for Ælfred’s throne

      Acwel and Lyndon – Young scouts in
    Jørren’s warband

      Odda – Ealdorman of Dyfneintscir

      Wulfhere – Ealdorman of Wiltunscir

      Drefan – Ealdorman of Alnwic

      Rigsige of Bebbanburg – Earl of Bernicia, later King of Northumbria

      GLOSSARY

      ANGLO-SAXON

      Ætheling – Literally ‘throne-worthy. An Anglo-Saxon prince

      Bondsman – a slave who was treated as the property of his master

      Birlinn – A wooden ship similar to the later Scottish galleys but smaller than a Viking longship. Usually with a single mast and square rigged sail, they could also be propelled by oars with one man to each oar

      Burh - fortified settlement

      Byrnie - A long (usually sleeveless) tunic of chain mail

      Ceorl - Freemen who worked the land or else provided a service or trade such as metal working, carpentry, weaving etc. They ranked between thegns and villeins and provided the fyrd in time of war. Also spelt churl.

      Cyning – Old English for king and the term by which they were normally addressed

      Cyningtaefl – Literally king’s table. The game was not dissimilar to the later game of chess, except that the contest was between two unequal forces: a weaker force in the centre of the board surrounded and outnumbered by an attacking force stationed at the perimeter of the board

      Ealdorman – The senior noble of a shire. A royal appointment, ealdormen led the men of their shire in battle, presided over law courts and levied taxation on behalf of the king

      Fyrd - Anglo-Saxon militia that was mobilised from freemen to defend their shire, or to supplement the king’s army. Service in the fyrd was usually of short duration and members were expected to provide their own arms and provisions

      Gesith – The companions of a king, prince or noble, usually acting as his bodyguard

      Hereræswa – Military commander or general. The man who commanded the army of a nation under the king

      Hide – A measure of the land sufficient to support the household of one ceorl

      Hundred – The unit for local government and taxation which equated to ten tithings. The freemen of each hundred were collectively responsible for various crimes committed within its borders if the offender was not produced

      Seax – A bladed weapon with one sharp edge and a long tapering point. It is somewhere in size between a dagger and a sword. Mainly used for close-quarter fighting where a sword would be too long and unwieldy

      Settlement – Any grouping of residential buildings, usually around the king’s or lord’s hall. In 8th century England the term town or village had not yet come into use

      Shire – An administrative area into which an Anglo-Saxon kingdom was divided

      Shire Reeve – Later corrupted to sheriff. A royal official responsible for implementing the king’s laws within his shire

      Thegn – The lowest rank of noble. A man who held a certain amount of land direct from the king or from a senior nobleman, ranking between an ordinary freeman or ceorl and an ealdorman

      Tithing - A group of ten ceorls who lived close together and were collectively responsible for each other's behaviour, also the land required to support them (i.e. ten hides)

      Wergeld - The price set upon a person's life and paid as compensation by the killer to the family of the dead person. It freed the killer of further punishment or obligation and prevented a blood feud

      Witenaġemot – The council of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Its composition varied, depending on the matters to be debated. Usually it consisted of the ealdormen, the king’s thegns, the bishops and the abbots

      Villein - A peasant who ranked above a bondsman or slave but who was legally tied to his vill and who was obliged to give one or more day’s service to his lord each week in payment for his land

      Vill - A thegn’s holding or similar area of land in Anglo-Saxon England which would later be called a parish or a manor

      VIKING

      Berserker – Literally bear coat. Feared Viking warriors who wore animal skins and

      who fought with wild and uncontrolled ferocity

      Bóndi - Farmers and craftsmen who were free men and enjoyed rights such as the ownership of weapons and membership of the Thing. They could be tenants or landowners

      Byrnie - a long (usually sleeveless) tunic of chain mail

      Hirdman – A member of a king’s or a jarl’s personal bodyguard, collectively known as the hird

      Hersir – A bondi who was chosen to lead a band of warriors under a king or a jarl. Typically they were wealthy landowners who could recruit enough other bóndi to serve under their command

      Jarl – A Norse or Danish chieftain; in Sweden they were regional governors appointed by the king

      Mjolnir – Thor’s hammer, also the pendant worn around the neck by most pagan Vikings

      Nailed God – Pagan name for Christ, also called the White Christ

      Thing – The governing assembly made up of the free people of the community presided over by a lagman (q.v.). The meeting-place of a thing was called a thingstead

      Thrall – A slave. A man, woman or child in bondage to his or her owner. Thralls had no rights and could be beaten or killed with impunity

      LONGSHIPS

      In order of size:

      Knarr – Also called karve or karvi. The smallest type of longship. It had 6 to 16 benches and, like their English equivalents, they were mainly used for fishing and trading, but they were occasionally commissioned for military use. They were broader in the beam and had a deeper draught than other longships.

      Snekkja – (Plural snekkjur). Typically the smallest longship used in warfare and was classified as a ship with at least 20 rowing benches. A typical snekkja might have a length of 17 m, a width of 2.5 m and a draught of only 0.5 m. Norse snekkjas, designed for deep fjords and Atlantic weather, typically had more draught than the Danish type, which were intended for shallow water

      Drekar - (Dragon ship). Larger warships consisting of more than 30 rowing benches. Typically they could carry a crew of some 70–80 men and measured around 30 m in length. These ships were more properly called skeids; the term drekar referred to the carvings of menacing beasts, such as dragons and snakes, mounted on the prow of the ship during a sea battle or when raiding. Strictly speaking Drekar is the plural form, the singular being dreki or dreka, but these words don’t appear to be accepted usage in English

      Prologue

      Autumn 865

      I was one month shy of my fourteenth birthday when the Danes came.

      My name is Jørren, an old Jutish name. My father was a ceorl, a freeman who tenanted a farmstead owned by the thegn, Jerold, who was my father’s elder brother. Jerold’s vill was called Cilleham and it lay in the Kingdom of Cent. This was something of a misnomer as the kingdom comprised the shires of Ēast Seaxna Rīce, Sūþrīgescir and Suth-Seaxa as well as Cent.

      I had two brothers and two sisters. My eldest brother, Æscwin was five years older than me and we didn’t have much to do with each other. In comparison I was very close to my other brother, Alric, and not just in age. He was a year older than me and we did practically everything together. In many ways I supposed that he was a kind of hero to me.

      My father had told me that many of the inhabitants of Cent, including our family, were Jutes who had come over from Jutland at the same time as the Saxons had settled the rest of southern England and the Angles had conquered East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria. However, Cent was now a vassal of the Kingdom of Wessex and the distinction between Jutes and Saxons had almost disappeared.

      Cilleham was neither large nor small as far as vills go. The settlement itself boasted a mill and a church with a priest and there were a dozen hides of land. Jerold couldn’t afford to pay professional warriors, but there were thirty one freemen over the age of fourteen - including my father and my two elder brothers - who were obliged to take up arms when the fyrd was called out by our ealdorman.

      The reports that reached us said that a large fleet of longships carrying nearly three th
    ousand of the heathen devils had landed at Sandwic on the south coast. It was an enormous number if the rumours were anywhere near accurate. Sandwic belonged to the Archbishop of Cantwareburh and, without waiting for the authority of King Æthelred of Wessex, he sent messengers to the ealdormen of Suth-Seaxe, Sūþrīgescir and Ēast Seaxna Rīce to raise the fyrd and muster at Cantwareburh. It was a reasonable thing to do as the king was at his capital, Wintanceaster, a good three or four days ride away. It would have been at least a week before he got a reply.

      The archbishop, Ceolnoth, was now an old man, having been in post for over thirty years and the dean of the cathedral before that. He was no warrior and so he asked Ealdorman Baldred of Cent to command the army gathering to oppose the Danes.

      Of course, I was too young at the time to understand much of what was going on, but I knew that my father and brothers would be leaving to join the shire’s fyrd. That left me as the man of the place, though I’m not sure my mother saw it that way. Come to that, neither of my sisters seemed to think that I was now in charge either. I could understand the attitude of the elder, Godifu, as she was betrothed to marry her cousin, Jerold’s youngest son, but I had expected a little more respect from Sibbe, who was over a year younger than me.

      Once they left it meant that all the work of looking after our farm fell on those of us who were left. There was no more time for hunting or learning how to fight; my days from dawn to dusk were filled with milking the cows, feeding the swine, weeding the fields and tending the sheep and the chickens. Luckily father and my brothers had taken the two horses we owned with them and so at least I didn’t have to muck out the stables.

      The girls seemed to think that all they had to do was to help mother inside the small hall where we lived. Thankfully we had four slaves to help me on the farm, a Welshman called Bedwyr, his wife and their two sons: Cei, who was fourteen, and his sixteen-year-old brother.

      It was three weeks before any tidings reached us, and then it was scarcely good news. The Danes had defeated Ealdorman Baldred at Salteode and scattered his army. We had no word as to the fate of my father or my two brothers. Alric was fifteen then and hadn’t been training to be a spearman for long. I feared that he stood little chance in combat against a big, hairy Danish axeman. At least my eldest brother, Æscwin, was nearly fully grown at eighteen. He was a skilled archer and would doubtless be employed as such.

     

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