The Great Heathen Army Read online

  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.