The Fall of the House of Æthelfrith Read online

  THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF ÆTHELFRITH

  By

  H A Culley

  Book five about the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Northumbria

  Published by Orchard House Publishing

  First Kindle Edition 2017

  Text copyright © 2017 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.

  All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission from the author.

  Cover Image: © iStock/Jarih

  Table of Contents

  List of Principal Characters

  Place Names

  Glossary

  PROLOGUE

  PART ONE - ECGFRITH

  Chapter One – The Disputed Throne

  Chapter Two – The Battle of the Two Rivers

  Chapter Three – Æthelthryth

  Chapter Four – The Isle of Man

  Chapter Five – The Battle of Loidis

  Chapter Six – Two Weddings

  Chapter Seven – The Last Days of Rheged

  Chapter Eight – The Division of the Diocese

  Chapter Nine – The Battle of the Trent

  Chapter Ten – Wilfrid

  Chapter Eleven – The Invasion of Hibernia

  Chapter Twelve – The Battle of Dùn Nectain

  PART TWO – ALDFRITH

  Chapter Thirteen – Two Funerals

  Chapter Fourteen – Wilfrid’s Rise and Fall

  Chapter Fifteen – The Battle for Cumbria

  Chapter Sixteen – Disaster in the North

  Chapter Seventeen – The Return of the Exiles

  Chapter Eighteen – The Usurper

  PART THREE – THE LAST OF THEIR HOUSE

  Chapter Nineteen – The Boy King

  Chapter Twenty – Border Warfare

  Chapter Twenty One – Swefred the Hereræswa

  Chapter Twenty Two – Death of a Tyrant

  Chapter Twenty Three - Cenred

  Chapter Twenty Four – Osric the Good

  Chapter Twenty Five – Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Other Novels by H A Culley

  About The Author

  List of Principal Characters

  (In alphabetical order)

  Historical characters are shown in bold type

  Æthelbald – Eldest son of Alweo, later King of Mercia

  Æthelfrith – King of Bernicia from 593. First King of Northumbria. Reigned 604 to 616. Father of Oswald, Oswiu and five other children. Founder of the ruling house of Northumbria

  Æthelwald Moll – King of Northumbria from 759 until 765 when he became a monk. His background in this novel is fictitious.

  Alchfrith – Oswiu’s son by Rhieinmelth. (NOTE: Spelt Ehlfrith in earlier books but changed to the alternative spelling of Alchfrith in this book to save confusion with his brother Ecgfrith)

  Aldfrith – Oswui’s eldest son (illegitimate)

  Alaric – Catinus’ elder son

  Alweo – Son of Eowa and nephew of the late King Penda of Mercia

  Ælfflaed – Oswiu’s daughter by Eanflæd. Abbess of Whitby

  Ælfwine – Oswiu’s younger son by Eanflæd. Later Sub-king of Deira

  Æthelthryth – Ecgfrith’s first wife

  Bruide – Son of the King of Prydenn, later High King of the Picts

  Benoc – Ealdorman of Jarrow

  Beorhtmund – Behrtfrith’s son

  Beornheth - Cuthbert’s younger brother, the Eorl of Lothian

  Behrt – His elder son

  Behrtfrith – Beornheth’s younger son

  Catinus – Briton born in Mercia who became Ealdorman of Bebbanburg

  Cenred – Son of Cuthwin, later King of Northumbria

  Coenred – King of Mercia from 704 AD

  Conomultus – Catinus’ younger brother, Bishop of Abernethy in the Land of the Picts

  Cuthbert – Prior, later Bishop, of Lindisfarne

  Cuthburh – Aldfrith’s wife, Queen of Northumbria

  Cuthwin – A thegn and descendant of King Ida of Bernicia

  Domangart – King of Dalriada until 660

  Drefan – Catinus’ body servant

  Drest – High King of the Picts

  Eadstan – Catinus’ military commander

  Eata – Abbot of Lindisfarne

  Ecgfrith – Oswiu’s son by Eanflæd. Sub-king of Deira 664 - 670. King of Northumbria 670 - 685

  Edyth – Daughter of Benoc, Ealdorman of Jarrow

  Elfin – King of Strathclyde

  Eochaid – Son of Ruaidhrí and Edyth; named after his grandfather, King Eochaid of the Ulaidh.

  Eormenburg – Second wife of Ecgfrith, possibly his mistress prior to their marriage

  Ethelred – Penda’s third son. Later King of Mercia. Also spelt Æthelred in some sources

  Godwyna – Daughter of Benoc of Jarrow. Edyth’s younger sister

  Heartbehrt – Son of Alweo and Hereswith, captain of Eochaid’s warband; later King of Man

  Hereswith – Catinus’ daughter, wife of Alweo

  Kendra- Behrtfrith’s daughter, later Swefred’s wife

  Leoflaed – Catinus’ wife and mother of Hereswith, Alric and Osfrid

  Lethlobar – Son of the late Eochaid, King of the Ulaidh in Ulster

  Mael Duin – King of Dalriada

  Morcar – Reeve of Bebbanburg

  Morleo – King of Ardewr

  Octa - Hereræswa of Northumbria after Redwald

  Osred – Aldfrith’s eldest son

  Osric – Aldfrith’s youngest son

  Osfrid – Catinus’ younger son

  Osthryth – Oswiu’s daughter by Eanflæd. Later married to King Ethelred of Mercia

  Otta – Aldfrith’s middle son, actually named Offa but the name has been changed in the novels to save confusion with King Offa of Mercia who appears later in the series

  Rægenhere – Wilfrid’s younger brother and chaplain to Alchfrith

  Redwald – Hereræswa of Northumbria

  Ruaidhrí – The bastard son of King Eochaid of the Ulaidh and half-brother of Lethlobar

  Sigmund – Leader of Osfrid’s gesith

  Stepan – Ealdorman of Cumbria

  Swefred – Osfrid’s younger son

  Wilfrid - Bishop of Northumbria

  Wulfhere – Penda’s second son, later King of Mercia

  Uurad – A Pict. Catinus’ body servant, later commander of Osfrid’s warband. Also the name of his son, the captain of Swefred’s gesith.

  Place Names

  (In alphabetical order)

  I find that always using the correct place name for the particular period in time may be authentic but it is annoying to have to continually search for the modern name if you want to know the whereabouts of the place in relation to other places in the story. However, using the ancient name adds to the authenticity of the tale. I have therefore compromised by using the modern name for places, geographical features and islands, except where the ancient name is relatively well known, at least to those interested in the period, or else is relatively similar to the modern name. The ancient names used are listed below:

  Amorica – Brittany and part of Normandy, France

  Béal Feirste – Belfast, Northern Ireland

  Bebbanburg – Bamburgh, Northumberland, North East England

  Bernicia – The modern counties of Northumberland, Durham, Tyne & Wear and Cleveland in the North East of England. At times Goddodin was a subsidiary part of Bernicia

  Berwic – Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland

  Bremetennacum – Ribchester, Lancashire


  Caerlleon – Chester, Cheshire

  Caer Luel – Carlisle, Cumbria

  Caledonia - Scotland

  Cantwareburg – Canterbury, Kent

  Dalriada – Much of Argyll and the Inner Hebrides

  Deira – Most of North Yorkshire and northern Humberside

  Duboglassio – Douglas, Isle of Man

  Dùn Add – Dunadd, near Kilmartin, Argyll, Scotland. Capital of Dal Riata.

  Dùn Barra - Dunbar, Scotland

  Dùn Breatainn - Literally Fortress of the Britons. Dumbarton, Scotland

  Dùn Dè – Dundee, Tayside, Scotland

  Dùn Èideann - Edinburgh

  Dùn Nectain – Location disputed but probably Dunnichen in Angus, Scotland

  Eoforwīc - York

  Elmet – West Yorkshire

  Frankia – The territories inhabited and ruled by the Franks, a confederation of West Germanic tribes, approximating to present day France and a large part of Germany.

  German Ocean – North Sea

  Glaschu – Glasgow, Scotland

  Gleawecastre – Gloucester

  Goddodin – The area between the River Tweed and the Firth of Forth; i.e. the modern regions of Lothian and Borders in Scotland. Later called Lothian.

  Gwynedd – North Wales including Anglesey

  Hibernia - Ireland

  Isurium Brigantum - Aldborough in Yorkshire

  Kinneddar – Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland

  Lindocolina – Lincoln, Lincolnshire

  Loidis – Leeds, Yorkshire

  Luncæster – Lancaster, Lancashire

  Lundenwic – London

  Mamucium – Roman name for Manchester

  Mercia – Roughly the present day Midlands of England

  Northumbria – Comprised Bernicia, Elmet and Deira. At times it also included Rheged and Goddodin

  Orcades – The Orkney Islands, Scotland

  Pictland – The confederation of kingdoms including Shetland, the Orkneys, the Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Scottish Highlands north of a line running roughly from Skye to the Firth of Forth

  River Twaid – The river Tweed, which flows west from Berwick through northern Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.

  Rheged - A kingdom of Ancient Britons speaking Cumbric, a Brythonic language similar to Old Welsh, which roughly encompassed modern Lancashire, Cumbria in England and, at times, part of Galloway in Scotland

  Rhumsaa – Ramsay, Isle of Man

  Strathclyde – South east Scotland

  Wintan-ceastre – Winchester, Hampshire

  Glossary

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

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

  Brenin – The Brythonic term by which kings were addressed Wales, Strathclyde and the Land of the Picts.

  Bretwalda - In Anglo-Saxon England, an overlord or paramount king accepted by other kings as their leader

  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 slaves and provided the fyrd in time of war

  Currach - A boat, sometimes quite large, with a wooden frame over which animal skins or hides are stretched and greased to make them waterproof

  Custos – A guardian or custodian, the word was used in a variety of contexts including to mean one left in charge in the absence of the lord or king

  Cymru - Wales

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

  Eorl – A noble ranking between thegn and members of the royal house. In the seventh century it meant the governor of a division of the kingdom. Later replaced by ealdorman, the chief magistrate and war leader of a shire, and earl, the ruler of a province under the King of All England; for example, Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria

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

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

  Knarr - A merchant ship where the hull was wider, deeper and shorter than that of a birlinn

  Seax – A bladed weapon somewhere in size between a dagger and a sword. Mainly used for close-quarter fighting where a sword would be too long and unwieldy

  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 and an eorl

  Ulaidh - A confederation of dynastic-groupings that inhabited a provincial kingdom in Ulster (north-eastern Ireland) and was ruled by the Rí Ulad or King of the Ulaidh. The two main tribes of the Ulaidh were the Dál nAraidi and the Dál Fiatach

  Uí Néill – A Hibernian clan who claimed descent from Niall Noigiallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died about 405 AD

  Settlement – Any grouping of residential buildings, usually around the king’s or lord’s hall. In 7th century England the term city, town or village had not yet come into use

  Síþwíf - My lady in Old English

  Stipend – (in this context) Income received from a diocese or a monastery

  Weregeld – In Anglo-Saxon England, if property was stolen, or someone was injured or killed, the guilty person would have to pay weregeld as restitution to the victim's family or to the owner of the property

  Witan – The council of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Its composition varied, depending on the matters to be debated. Usually it consisted of the Eorls and the chief priests (bishops and abbots in the case of a Christian kingdom), but for the selection of a king or other important matters, it would be expanded to include the more minor nobility, such as the thegns

  Villein - A peasant (tenant farmer) who was legally tied to his vill

  Vill - A thegn’s holding or similar area of land in Anglo-Saxon England which might otherwise be described as a parish or manor

  PROLOGUE

  604 AD

  ‘You must flee. King Æthelfrith is nearly at the gates and our men are too frightened to deny him entry.’

  Ethelric, King of Deira, was indecisive at the best of times and his younger brother, Edwin, lost patience with him.

  ‘I am leaving here with my family before it’s too late; if you’re sensible you’ll come with us.’

  ‘But I can’t abandon Eoforwīc. If Æthelfrith captures our capital he’ll crown himself King of Deira.’

  ‘He’ll do that anyway. We’ve been defeated in the field and we don’t have the men to hold the place against him. He’ll find it a lot easier to be recognised as king if you’re dead.’

  Ethelric shuddered. He was well aware that he was no warrior and he should have listened to Edwin when he told him he was walking into a trap two weeks ago when he advanced to defend his borders. As it was Æthelfrith, the king of neighbouring Bernicia, had out manoeuvred him and his army had been routed.

  He might not be a good commander but he was a proud man and his conscience wouldn’t let him abandon Eoforwīc. Edwin looked at him with exasperation.

  ‘Good luck, brother. I must go. At least one of us must live to recover our birth right in more propitious times.’

  The two men embraced before Edwin left Ethelric sitting on his lonely throne.

  After a while Ethelric stirred from his lethargy and called for a servant to summon the captain of his gesith and the hereræswa of his army. The boy, one of the few who had remained at his post in the king’s hall, looked bewildered.

  ‘Cyning, don’t you remember? They were both killed at the Battle of the Tees.’

  The king looked at him in incomprehension for a minute. Then he remembered and he started to sob. This unnerved the boy even more.

  ‘Is there anything else I can do, Cyning?’ the boy asked nervously.

  ‘Do you know who is in charge of the garrison no
w?’

  ‘No, Cyning. I’ll go and find out,’ the boy said brightly, glad of the excuse to leave the presence of his pathetic king.

  However, the boy did no such thing and joined the rest of the population in their flight through the southern gates. When Æthelfrith rode in from the north he found the place deserted. Like all large settlements the streets were ankle deep in filth and mud. The stench of rotting matter, urine and faeces was pungent but he hardly noticed. He hadn’t washed for days and his tunic, trousers and byrnie were stained black with other people’s blood.

  He dismounted outside the king’s hall and, accompanied by his gesith, he entered. Ethelric had remained sitting on his throne at the far end and barely looked up as the group of armed men entered.

  Æthelfrith marched up to his fellow king and, without a pause, he thrust his sword into Ethelric’s chest. The proud king of Deira toppled from his throne, rolled down the three steps of the dais and lay spread-eagled on the straw covered dirt floor, blood seeping from the gaping wound to stain the front of his white tunic a deep crimson. A great cheer went up from the Bernician warriors who had crowded into the hall.

  ‘All hail, Æthelfrith, King of Bernicia and Deira,’ one called out.

  ‘No, not Bernicia and Deira; not any more. King of all the lands north of the River Humber,’ he corrected him. ‘King of Northumbria.’

  ‘May your house rule Northumbria for many centuries,’ one his eorls called out.

  ‘Nay, your house is doomed.’

  The voice came from behind the throne and an old woman hobbled into view, bent over and leaning on a stick.

  ‘Be warned, Æthelfrith, you are a regicide and you will pay for your crime for three generations. Brother will kill brother and uncle will kill nephew until your house becomes extinct.’

  The king recoiled from the old crone’s curse and a deathly hush descended on the hall. Then, from the front ranks of the watching men, an arrow flew to strike the harridan in the throat. She gurgled and tried to pull it free but it was a mortal wound and she dropped dead beside Ethelric.