The Clash of Shield Walls

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In this episode of Dan Snow's History, I'm going to tell you that story. The story of not only how two armies clashed on that field eleven hundred years ago, But how they embodied posing visions for Britain and Ireland. On the one side, you've got the Scots what we might call the Welsh. You've got the Irish, the Vikings. and on the other side Titical experiment Fragile, uncertain Start England and arguably its first king Athel. I am extremely grateful to the kind and enthusiastic legends of the Wirrell Archaeological Trust who introduced me to what they believe is the battlefield. They let me come with them for some metal detecting, some surveying work. Also to Professor Fiona Edmunds, who came with me that wonderful day and Mike Livingston, great friend of History for his fabulous book neverever greater slaughter This is the story of Brunemurgh Athelstan and the rise of England In the early Middle Ages, Britain and Ireland was a contested space. Groups within the aisles forought each other and they fought outsiders In around, let's say seven hundred fifty AD, there was a patchwork of little states If you drew a line across the aisles from Dover You would have the kingdom of Kent, you would go through Wessex, you'd go through the kingdom of Mercia, you'd go into a little mosaic of wealth statelets like Gwent and Powis and Gwyneth and others. You'd cross to Ireland where there was another Coision of competing kingdoms, Meath, Leenstter, C or others And that's just a cross section from sort of east to west You've also got Cwall in the south In the north of Britain, there were lots of other little kingdoms Uh like Anglo Saxon, Northumbria, Strathclyde, which is the British kingdom, Welsh, if you like Yeah was the norm between all of these different statelets. In the later seven hundreds and the eight hundreds, well, luckily then they had the opportunity to fight outsiders too. In seven eighty seven A Reeve. that's a local government official. He was at we think he's Portland in Dorset. He hastened down to the quyside to investigate and presumably try and charge some tax. on an unfamiliar trading ship that had called in The crew was well, they were men from the North And by the way, they had no interest in paying any taxes They had no interest in the rit of the Reeve or his king. They killed him off three years later Worryingly similar men stormed ashore on the holy Isle of Lindusfar and slaughtered the priests they found there Bindings dripping with jewels were torn from the llom pages within urgical implements, so you've got your silver chalice and the like. they were thrown into their ship's holds B these Northmen who can't believe their luck The Vikings. had come to the archipelago They arrived in Scotland a few years later. and then Ireland in the eightate thirties. there were waves of them. at least Tw groups of Vikings fought each other and many Irish kingdoms Ireland that became the Viking strongholder in the Isles. Dublin became a thriving Viking town. but they didn't restrict themselves to Ireland. In eight hundred sixty five The Vikings sail round and seizize the Isle of Thanet in Kent. Now that's long been the gateway to England. The Romans have built a massive trumpful arch there. Staint Augustine of Canterbury arrived there on his mission to the English The Anglo Saxon Chronicle at this point it talks about Bal of Viking Bothers possibly sons of Ragnar Lothbrok I over the boneless his brother Uber Later sources talk about even more brothers, Bjorn Ironside, Sigd snake in his eye, Hftthan It is possible that these were a mixture of Vikings from Scandinavia and some that had already settled in Ireland. We just can't be sure. The men of Kent, the people of Kent, bowed to the inevitable and they just paid a massive bribe. The Vi Kings raided the coast before they headed north to East Aangia. there. The king also tried to bribe them, bought them off with a lot of horses They didn't go home the first time ever they spent the winter in Britain They stayed In Setford, The following spring, a chunk of them swaped their dragon shhips for horses and set off to the north their naval forces moving on a paralleled track up the coast In november eight hundred sixty six, they pulled off a real coup. They seized the greatest Northern city York If it wasn't already clear This was now a massive threat Th these Vikings were here to conquer. And from this point on, There would be decades of near continuous war. Yorkrew at the heart of those wars, It was a glittering prize But neither Viking nor shouldall I say Anglo Saxon appetites would be sated with that glittering prize They were playing for the highest possible stakes So the Northumbrians the English Northumrians tried to seize back their capital in eight hundred sixty seven, but the Vikings defeated them soundly. We hear from a source a year later Northumbrian King Ella had his back sliced open, his ribcaage torn outwards, his lungs pulled out so that he resembled Eagle with bloody wings From there the Viking surged onwards, that their numbers swollen by fresh recruits from across the sea, lured by tales of riches as whole kingdoms fell The army marched south. They winted at Nottingham Desperate Merans, so that's the English kingdom of the Midlands, bribeed them to leave And they did leave for a year or so. they went back to York toast their good fortune They marched south again in eight six nine I don't think they've forgotten East Anglia where they'd intimidated their first English king. They returned there and they killed him. King Edmund, they shot him to death arrows Acording to later sources, he is buried in Bury, St. Edmund's Eithith the boneless, we think then headed to Scotland He successfully besieged Dumbarton, which was Ble of the The Kingdom of Strathclyde, it was called in about eight hundred seventy He filled his ship's hulls with slaves and booty and he sailed back to Ireland. His brothers though, they stayed in the south. In fact, they criss crossed eastern Central England and eventually pushed south Anglo Saxon kingdom was still holding out It was called Wessex In eight hundred seventy one, Wessex had got a new king. His name was Alfred He'd been the younger brother of the previous king. But after a series of battles, his big brother had been killed, mortally wounded. We think anyway died, and Alfred took the throne. Within five or six years of that, Mercicy had fallen to the Vikings. So Wessex was the only English speaking kingdom left in Britain And look, it wasn't clear if Wessex would survive In january eight hundred seenty eight, a small Viking force launched a lightning strike against Alfred himself while he was at Chppenham He fed further to a small island the Somerset Marshes. briefly Ireland was pretty much Wessex Wessex was more than just territory, it was an idea and Alfred rolled the dice He summoned the third, so that's the able bodied men of the surrounding counties. we call them, might call them a militia and They responded is one of the most dramatic moments of English history. Alfred arrives at the pre arranged meeting point He must have been slightly worried there'd be no one there to meet him becausecause he knew that local lords, while they make their accommodations with the Vikings, they try to save their own skin, their own property. So maybe no one's going to show up Instead As you got there You found an army Alfred's in the game That army went on to fight the Vikings at a place called Ethenden. We think it might be Edington in Wiltshire It's a win It's a crushing victory.t the Viking king Guthrim, he retreats to Chippenham, there's a siege, Guthrim submits, he surrenders, he agrees to become a Christian, he agrees to leave Wessex. And then even more there's a treaty between Guthrim and Alfred, and they draw a line from the north of London Chester Everything south and west of that line was Alfred's sphere of influence Now, Alfred is very cunning at this point. Very cunning indeed There's a rebrand He extended his power over this area. N as the King of Wessex ose the king of the Angles and Saxons as King of the English there weren't any other English kings around because the Vikings had killed them all. So Alfred is the last English king sets his stall out to become the first king of the English And Alfred didn't just talk about a new kingdom, he really built one. He constructed a series of burrs around the kingdom So those are fortified towns and they're garrisoned with a standing force properly protected. That was all paid for by a sophisticated system of taxation And it meant that the English were more able to effectively respond to a large viking rate, say on Kent in the mid eightate nineties Across the other side of that line in Viking territory to the east and north of that line Well, the Vikings were not unified at all. They were a quarrel of competing Els Alfred died in eight hundred ninety nine. His oldest son, Edward succeeded him Edward himself had a son of around five years old. His name was Athelstan and just before Alfred had died He presented his grandson, Athelstan with a scarlet cloak. A sword belt the sword He is saying at that point This is the future of my royal lifeine Meanwhile, in Ireland The Vikings been driven out of Dublin by the Irish These were this was tumultuous time, folks People were up and down These Irish Vikings now been scattered across Well, much of Europe really So we have accounts of these Vikings battling King Constantine of Scotland in nine hundred oh four We have accounts of Vikings landing in Lancashire. Some tried to capture the Isle of Anglessey, off the northwest coast of Wales, but rebuffed by the Welsh Band of Vikings sails along the coast till it arrives near Chester in what have been the Kingdom of Mercia Now Mercia was being ruled by Alfred's daughter Athle flat She was married to someone described not as the king of Mercicy, but as a lord of Mercia. So look, clearly what's happened here is that Wessex has conquered Mercia under this exciting new banner of Englishness Alfred's daughter is calling the shots there. She's fortified Chester, which had briefly fallen to the Vikings in eight hundred ninety three Now importantly The New King of Wessex, Edward, he sent his oldest son, Athelstan to live with his aunt, Athelflad. He wants her to be educated by her. He wants his sister to introduce his son to the battlefield Edward himself had remarried, he had lots of new kids and it's possible his new wife wanted His son Athel stan away from his father's gaze, and perhaps she wanted her own children on the throne one day, we're not certain Athel Flag for her part She conquered territory. She pushed back the Vikings, but she does seem to have let this Little band of Vikings settle on the Wirl Peninsula between the rivers Mersey and the river D We can see at some of the place names. West Kirby, for example is a classic Viking place name. It's still there. to this day. In nine hundred nine Ethelflad and her brother King Edward launched A raid into the Midlands. In retaliation, the Vikings gathered up a huge fleet and sailed up their rear up the Rriver Seven English birs, the English forts held and Aphelad and Edward the Viking force near Wolverhampton, the Midlands, Vast number of the Vikings were slain, Kings were slain, including the rulers of Northumbria the local English were able to reestablish English control in Northumbrit in that northern kingdom And English realise, the key to holding back the Viking is is building these defensive towns. So there's a massive expansion of Birr building in the next few years. into Essex, into East Anga, parts of the East Midlands. You can just watch England expplain. That is Englishness expanding across Britain. At the same time, while that process is going on In nine hundred one seven The Vikings stormed back into Dublin Men called Ragnal and Citric, we think they're grandsons of I the boneless They came back to Ireland in force. Ragnal hit Waterford on the southeast coast, Citrich reclaimed Dublin in the east. A brutal battle followed and the Irish were left with catastrophic losses. Boyed up by this, Ragnal decides to invade England once more, He decides to invade Northumbria once more, reestablish Viking control of Northumbria The English once again kicked out, they were deposed. The king of the Scots, who'd marched down to deal with the Vikings, to help deal with the Vikings, he was defeated Northumbria with its capital of York. Once again, Vikings So as you can see, the political complexion of the aisles is veering this way and that. it's all up for grabs In June nine one eight Athelflord died at the height of her power H brother, King Edward of Wessex Swiftly steps in, he removes Atelfd's daughter from rule and installs his own son. Remember his own son, Aelstan as Lord of Mercicy. Atelstan's grown up there. he knows the people. He might have been a popular choice, but it's clear that Marcy was no longer independent. It had been absorbed into this expanding the expanding emmpire of Wessex, if you like And that was fast becoming the kingdom of England. In July, nine two four Possibly while putting down a rebellion in Chesa. Edward himself died. He may have been fighting and died as a result of a wound He left behind this young English kingdom that he and his sister had built on their father's foundations Their England controlled nearly all the south of Britain. The Vikings rule Northumbria. The Welsh rule up through Wales and into Strathclyde, so that's Cumbria and Glasgow. Th then we've got the Kingdom of the Scots to the north andeast of that. This is Edward's legacy. Kingdom of England Could his son sustain it ry Athelstam was thirty And he was probably with his dad when he died down this revolt Straight away he had himself hailed as king in Mercia Back in Wessex, his younger half brother was proclaimed king. So this was quite a moment Was the fragile English Union over? Would Wessex and Mercia return to their ancient division We don't know exactly what happens next. We do not know Very sadly and strangely His younger half brother who I'm sure Attelstam was very, very close to, accidentally and shockingly died within the month didnt never mind. Athelstein persuaded the Wessex nobles to accept him as king, and he was crowned Kingston, which is very symbolic. Because that is where Wessex meets mercy. It's a symbol of the union of the two realms. He's crowned right there on the border And that he's saying, these two realms are now indivisible bodied by me And I'm sitting astride this traditional frontier I'm not K of worar six. I'm not King of Wessex and King of Mercia ing of the Angles and Saxons. This was an ambitious claim, it was quite a statement because lots of Angles and Saxons were living in parts of Britain under Well, British or Scottish rulers This was a maximalist vision other princes other parts of the archipelago Well, they took notice He quickly married his sister to Citrich, the Viking ruler of York hoping that like his aren't Ethelfed. she would somehow manage to take over the country. And luckily, Citrich did indeed die very shortly afterwards and Athelstan charges up to York, forced the Northumbrians to acknowledge his rule. So he's managed to take control of Northumbria, and then shortly after that it seems that he realized the dream of so many past kings. He pull off the remarkable coup. of securing loyalty oaths of all the other rulers on the island whether they be Vikings Would they be Welsh British, whatever they are, would they be Scots Constantine of Scotland, for example Edrid of Bamborra who controlled the little slice of Northumbria wulda ordth in Wales Awain of Strathclimes. All of them twelfth of July Nine, two, seven. If Athelstan and his Propagandaists are to be believed. This is a huge moment The Anglo Saxons, the English appared to be dominant on the island. He's got these oaths of loyalty from everyone else We think he pressured the Welsh to accept his overlordship He visited Cormall to enforce his claim there as well And certainly, Atelstan friendly sources stress at this point He was the overlord of all of Britain King of Scotland his willing subordinate. How willing was clearly up for question. Because in nine thirty four, Athelstein invaded Scotland He moved fast, his navy shattered him as he marched up the North Sea coast He left Wesseex in late May, He went north, raided, campaign. he was back in Southern England again by early September. prettyret impressive We don't know how successful he was O than that the king of the Scots, Constantine was at his side in England, playing the sort of subservient role as a sub king. So seems to have worked. But as you'll know, from listening to this podcast and watching these videos In the medieval period, acknowledging that someone is an overlord is something that kings and princes and earls could actually be quite relaxed about. You swore an oath, you went home and got on with ruling your own lands It doesn't really mean that Atlan can . all those subjects up there in Scotland. He can't settle legal disputes in sort of Eastern Scotland or Wales or Galloway. It doesn't mean he can wander about in Aberdeenhire or in Gwynith without an army to look after him I think it still means something. It's an acknowledgement of raw power Athelstan was at that moment the most powerful Ruler You're len to Dan Snow's History. We'll be back after this break Summmerers here and that means travel season is in full swing, road trips, last minute flights, quick weekend getaways, or anything else that feels like an escape. And sure Travel can be a little chaotic plans change, things go off track But that's what makes it memorable When you're out there making the most of it, it help to have somewhere reliable waiting for you That's why Best Western hotels and resorts is such a solid option. It's cozy, convenient, and exactly what you need after a full day of exploring, wandering or just figuring it out as you go. This summer get one thousand bonus points and a chance to win two hundred fifty thousand bonus points. So wherever you're headed, make your stay part of the journey and make it count with this limited time offer. Life's a trip. Make the most of it at bestestwesttern. com No additional purchase necessary for sweeps, seeee bonus pointints TCs and Sweeps rules for details and visit bestwestern. com for complete terms and conditions What started the Civil War What ended the conflict in Vietnam? Who was Paul Revere? and did the Vikings ever reach America Don W Weildman And on American History hit, my expert guests and I are journeying across the nation and through the years to uncover the stories that have made America. We'll visit the battlefields and debate floors where the nation was formed, meet the characters who have altered it with their touch, and count the votes that have changed the direction of our laws and leadership. Find American History Hit twice a week every week, wherever you get your podcasts. American History Hit, a podcast from History Hit All of that meant that the rest of Britain and Ireland Now had an English problem. The English were now threatening to Overwhelm the myriad of other states in the islands The only way to solve this was to work together There's a great medvaling that I've always loved about the Welsh, which is If they would only be inseparable In Superowl So if they'd worked together, no one could defeat them But the disparate peoples of Britain and Ireland at this point were not inseparable. They were definitely separate. In fact, they all hated each other This was enough of a crisis to bring them together. That's a great poem by a Welshman at the time Pphecy of Brit It fantasises about driving the English, who it calls the shitheads from Thannet The tormentors of the island It fantasizes about driving them back into the sea It imagined. The people of Wales, the people of Ireland, of Anglesy, of Scotland, of Cornwall of Strathclyde All of them working together The Saxons will fall as food for wild beasts. There will be floods of blood At least someone was thinking big. At least this poet was trying to normalize the idea that all the other peoples of the Isles should put aside their differences and strike Athelstan and commits genocide while they're at it And in nine threety seven extxtraordinarily The rulers came round to that point of view a grand Anti English Alliance. was born Constantine of Scotland. Owne of Strathclyde Anlagh, Viking king of Dublin They formed a coalition Men who'd spat insults at each other over shield walls suddenly and dramatically decided to fight together Formmer enemies would march Shoulder to shoulder Try and strangle a kingdom We know an invasion of England took place We know it climaxed in a truly decisive battle called Brdam. Very inning do not know where All that happens There is nowhere called Brunenborough anymore. And even more painfully there are several different names for the battles in different sources. So we get Brunenborough from the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, Brun in the Welsh Chronicle Brunandune, Wndun, Brunfield, and the plains of Oslin in an old Irish Chronicle from some time later One chronicleer writing in the midle eleven hundreds, so quite long time later says that coalition forces sell up the humber to do battle in Northeast England. Now I'm enormously skeptical about that suggestion. It is a nine hundred mile sea journey from Dublin. the humber. In the summer of nine hundred thirty seven, we know that the Vikings of Ireland who were often at each other's throats, Well they'd met up, they'd come to an agreement, There may have beeniolence, there may not have been violence. We're not sure The Limerick Vikings were commanded by Olaf, the Dubliners by Andlaf. West met East right in the middle of Ireland at Lockery That was, we think, in August Within eight weeks, Olaf and Anagh are side by side at the Battle of Brunenborough. so it seems unlikely to me that they sailed all the way around Britain in that time On the other hand, Dublin to Lancashire is just over a hundred miles. That's less than twenty four hours with a fresh Westly Breeze in your sails We know this Viking invasion force was joined by the King of Strathclyde. They were a west coast kingdom of Welsh Britons, we can call them Of course They could have marched across the entire island the Rriver Humber, but the idea of them nipping down the coastal Lancashire feels better. If you ask me, I'm afraid West is best. So the question is where in the West And this is where we turn our attention to the Wiral Peninsula I've mentioned this lovely spot before. It sits between England and Wales,s a beautiful place. My wife grew up right next to it, so I need to proceed with caution. still go there a lot. att low tide on the west side. wide, beautiful sand banks that run out from the shore. I've explored them with my kids as the sun set on a summer's night Then I've enjoyed in the pub while my kids continue to explore and get caught by the incoming tide. It's character forming stuff. On the east of the Royal Peninsula, You have the mighty Mercy You can clearly see the glorious city of Liverpool on the far bank But on the whirrel You get the town of Bromborough It's about halfway down on the Mersey side In sixteen eleven A map of the Wh was produced and on that map the town of Bromborough is given. different name It's called Brunba I think that's as close as we're going to get. The Wirreal is just a very obvious place to land. It's a perfect place to land if you're attacking from Ireland. It is Excellent place So many armies coming down from the north. It already has A Viking population. Remember I mentioned that little band that were allowed to settle there by Athelflat West Kirby, where in fact, we were staying with friends the pubies which I went to, and Greesb next door have the classic suffix B, meaning settlement in Norse. Those are Viking names And those are very rare in that part of Eastern England In the heart of the world, there's even a place called Thingwall, which is old Norse, basically for meeting place There are things in Iceland in Norway and Sweden and Orky, you name it. It is the ideal Meeting point Irish Vikings for the Scots for the Strathclydians and for any anti Wessex northerners and for any Welsh if they choose to join, more on that later. It is near Chester which is really important linchpin of England And from Chester, there's a big old Roman road running like an arrow into the heart of the Southlands. Mike Livingston investor in this podcast, friend, legend, historian, he thinks it was here, and that's good enough for me This is where the Alliance fleet eachach themselves and its cargo of armor clad warriors disgorged onto beaches We think five hundred ships is a reasonable bet Mike Livingston reckons there might be up to fifty men on each ship. That's a rough place to start. And that gives us around twenty five thousand men, but you also need supplies, you also need non combatants. So you strip out some of those men and replace them with food and weapons. you might end up with a a fighting strength of ten thousand or so, they would have come ashore Us little tendrils of water that crept in land, the inlets which once crisscrossed this peninsula Now if five I banged on about it once on this podcast. I have banged on about a thousand times Cost of England today almost unrecognizable to what it was in pre modern times Vast tracks of land have been drained, they've been reclaimed. The coasts of Hampshire, Sussex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk were all far more higgledly piggly. There were marshes and wetlands stretching miles in llandand. There were not straight lines. There weren't sea defences and well kept fields dividing up by neat hederows And that's true of the Wirrel Peninsula as well. What I see at the top end, I think was probably an island cut off at high tide where the docks are now just north of Birkkinghead, the flood tide would have surged in. I fact the flood tide would have surged in just north of the excellent U booat Museum which should go and check out fact, at the point where the ferry across the Mersey steps off for Liverpool Wallacy means Isisle of the Foreigners so it could see means island like Angle sea or port sea and wh is the same root word in English as the Welsh. So land the Island of the Foreigners, and we can imagine the Viking ships grounding there. Horsers lash to trees along the shoreline Phaps a cedgechor out keepep them mauled fore and aft, men and stores unloading different languages, men gathered from across the archipelago and beyond Mas of warriors, weathered faces, forearms scarred from blacksmithing, from fighting men wading to and fro from the ships carrying bundles of arrows on their shoulders, squealing goats, sheep, pigs theirir weapons reasonably similar to each other. swords for the highigh status warriors men with gold on their arms and at their throats spears on wooden shafts. These men would have carried axes that they used to split wood. They had at their waist the knives they used to carve meat These men would be splitting and carving before the campaign was up Some men carried the larger. two handed vicious weapon. Traditionally a Viking weapon Bows powerful enough to behead a horse. To our eye, it might have been difficult to differentiate one group from another. To them though, I'm sure They'd have known a Strathclyde Brit for an Irishman from a Scot to a man of Norse descent Yeah there would have been little tells, hair, bodymarkings, colours, shirt, jewelry These were men who would have been as happy fighting one another as fighting English This was now and here and their lords had sworn oaths And today They would march together They would have been greeted by the local inhabitants of Viking origin They got themselves together, they built fires to warm and dry themselves after their across the IrishC. voyages from which I have never emerged tryry. They stretch themselves on land for a decent sleep after the uncomfortable snoozes on and under wooden tharts I imagine pretty quickly they set their eyes on Chester Great Roman city key to Northwest England, the gateway to Wales That was the target initially They advanced some wayay down the peninsula They paused was blocking the way south its head England's wararrior King Grandson of the mighty Alfred Sired from the line of Surdk himself, King of kings, overlord of Britain T. was Athelstan Thing a ship been quick. Atlstan had been able to respond to the threat. A network of messengers, perhaps beacons, done the job Athel Stan be able to gather enough men fast enough to march on the whirrel and block off its exit Now this is exactly what King Harold would try and do to William the Conqueror at Hastings in ten sixty six March the site of the invasion bottle up the enemy and then hopefully hurl them back into the sea I wish we knew more about what happened next Did Aselstandan stride down the length of his line, calling on his men to fight for him As their parents had fought for Edward and Athelflad As their grandfathers had fought for Alfred On the other side And laaugh promise that his men would seize the golden arm rings of their slaughtered enemies. Was there a cacophony of exhortation Viking, Norse, British, English, a babel of languages different ways of saying the same things It was a time to conquer or die. We can assume the two sides morphed into masted shield walls, dense bodies of men packed together I'm sure the higher status men reserve the front rank Lords squarely at the front of their households, their younger brothers, their sons around them ind them The followers either paid or owing some obligation. They were offering their own bodies Blood for their land and all their privileges shoulders rubbing Men drawing strength from those around them, steam rising from the scrum of men if it was a morning cold enough. With small steps they maintained their cohesion and closed with the enemy Some men avoided their guts. some drrank alcohol to dull the fear Yeah, I wish we knew more Some battles give with an ambush. Others with a dashing cavalry strike like Alexander at Ggmella. This one probably is very different Probably much more deliberate, direct collllision Unstoppable Iron tipped masses of warriors Archers shot arrows They thudded into shields. One or two found gaps and sunk into flesh, shoulders, thighs, feet the wounded were so packed in by their mates they would have been swept along. likeike flopsing on a river Eventually The shield walls clashed. Shield to shield The front ranks pressed so close that men could smell the breath of their enemy. There was no room to swing a sword Certainly no room to send a huge axe through its mighty arch. It was a shoving stamping It was little jutting thrusts with knives i We do not You' listening to Dan Snow's history. We'll be back after this break What started the Civil War ended the conflict in Vietnam Who was Paul Revere? and did the Vikings ever reach America. I name'm Donn Weldman, and on American History Hit, my expert guests and I are journeying across the nation and through the years to uncover the stories that have made America We'll visit the battlefields and debate floors where the nation was formed, meet the characters who have altered it with their touch, and count the votes that have changed the direction of our laws and leadership. Find American History Hit twice a week every week, wherever you get your podcasts. American History Hit, a podcast from History Hit We do have a Brberg poem written in Old English, preserved in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle We don't know when it was composed. It makes a point of praising Edmund, who's Athelstan's younger half brother and his successor. So I've always been drawn to the suggestion that it was written in his reign. So perhaps within ten years of the battle being fought. It's it's really Pt pretty much all we've got cen on the English side And it's far more poetic than me So it's worth quoting at leng This year, King Athelstan Lord of warriors, ring giver to men. and his brother also Prince Edmund, won eternal glory in battle with sword Eges around Bunabra They split the shield wall They heued battles shields with their hammer beaten blades the sons of Edward It was only befitting their noble descent from their ancestors that they should often defend their land in battle against each hostile people. The enemy perished. Scots men and seamen fated, they fell The field flowed with the blood of warriors from sun up in the morning. When the glorious star glided over the earth, God's bright candle, Eernal Lord until that noble creation sank to its seat There lay many a warrior by spears destroyed, Northern men shot over shield, likewise Scottish as well, weary. Wars sated Pretty epic poetry. And I think it does reflect pick drawn out clash By evening the dead were carpeting the ground The grass beneath them churned up, the ground sodden with blood, flesh and entrails scattered as if it was an abberattoir. Country folk from around the area joined camp followers in looting the corpses metetal already being melted down on makeshift forges, valuable mail coats being being by new owners the odd arrow head and broken blade pressed into the soaking ground by careless feet Cues for later archaeologists I'm luck enough to spend time with those archaeologists. I've watched as metal detectorists unearthed vast amounts of metal from parts of the potential battlefield partarts of weapons coin for exactly the right period There is still much to be done, but those heroes at Wirreal archaeology are on the case While the battlefield was looted, the fight hadn't finished Most of the killing, I think, in these battles would take place when one side breaks Together, men are strong Scattered prey They're just desperate tired boys in a foreign land. They're running blind hunted by swaggering victors. Let's hear from that old English poet again. He says that the West Saxon pushed onwards all day. pursued the hostile people They heued the fugites grievously from behind with swords sharp from grinding The Mercians did not refuse hard hand play to any warrior who came with Anlaf over the sea surge in the bosom of a ship. those who sought land fated to fight Five lay dead on the battlefield, young kings, put to sleep by swords Likewise also seven of Anlaf's Earls, countless of the army, sailors and Scots. Well It was A one sided day. Anlaf and Constantine, the king of the Scots had survived, but they had been thrashed. They had been humiliated. They were, says the poet, ashamed in spirit. Frankly, they were worse than ashamed. Anla we think may have lost two brothers. Constantine had lost his son beloved child. the future of his dynasty. Double blow. chief among the many burdens of kings. Owen of Strathlyd, the King of Strathclyd, he disappears from the record after the battle Body may have been one of those left on the field Let's go back to some of the poetry They left behind to divide the corpses. coated one, the black raven, the horn beaked one, the dust covered one, the white tailed eagle to enjoy the carion The greedy warhawk and that grrey beast, the wolf of the wood Never greater slaughter Was there on this island Never as many folk felled before this by the sword's edges. As those books tell us old authorities Since here from the east the Angles and Saxons came ashore was a crushing victory It saved the English project It had been battle hardened England emerged stronger The English feasted We get the best impression of what happened after the battle, from weirdly a Viking saga. It's one that I wasn't familiar with before I went to Iceland the other day to make a documentary Fy History at TV Channel We visited the house of Sorry Stellerson and he is just a huge figure in Iceland the father of Icelandic literature really, he wrote down the sagas. He is the reason that we know about Eric the Red, Thor, Odin The whole Norse worldview. He was writing in the early twelve hundreds, so he' writing a long time later. He could have made it all up the consensus among scholars is that It's rooted in history He's writing down stories He told through long Icelandic winters. he is writing down oral traditions, he's gathering up from source material now tragically lost. and one of his sagas is about Egil Skalmer Gimson And what a life this guy had. Born in Iceland killed another boy with an axe, raiding in the Baltic States a teenager Now weirdly, he signed up to fight with Athelstan at Burnnabora Athelstan paid his debts So men like Egil and his brother Thorf Pet to fight for him. And we hear that Egil chased down the fleeing enemy. He hacked down men in the shallows, and they leapt aboard passing boats. He was tall, he was thick set, he was a lord of war returned to the battlefield to find that his brother, Thorf killed But the Sga says that he grieved his stout hearted noble brother buried him with his sword. gold in the ground pile of rocks And then he went off to find Afliststan The King was with his army. they were feasting, they were drinking. It was a wild group. they were happy to be alive, they were trying to blot out what they'd been through. Egil walks in A place of honor was made for him near the king, but Egil did not take off his battered helmet or his mail. Sick with blood filth and the soil into which he just laid his brother Overwhelmed with a sorrow worse than death pang He was The hall fell silent