Green, PP. 93, 94. Bright, I, 15-19. Chronicle. women and adopted Frankish customs, they learned the Franco-Latin language with such facility that the grandson of Rollo could be taught to speak Scandinavian only at Bayeux. Entering the awe-inspiring Christian churches, they forswore the fierce gods of their ancestors. They came under the sway of the clergy and received at their hands not only a purer religion and a higher morality than Norse mythology taught them, but the conceptions of right and order preserved in the Roman law, the traditions of learning and literature treasured in the monasteries. So it followed that within the century after the conquest, the wild Northmen became essentially French. While losing nothing of their original valor and energy, they assimilated with marvellous readiness the best elements in the civilization of the conquered race. The Danes in England. - Meantime, across the Channel, other Norse Vikings were mastering a kingdom. The renewal of the Danish invasions began in 981 with an attack on Southampton. For the next thirty years "armies" from the north harried the English coast, burning the towns and slaughtering the inhabitants. Not infrequently the Northmen forced the terrified people to provide them with horses, and sweeping far into the interior, plundered and killed and Anglo-Saxon did "unspeakable evil.” They met with little concerted resistance. The good days of Alfred and Edward were past. Ethelred the Unready,' the degenerate son of Edgar, the Unready. was not equal to the emergency. He could not rally the English to unite against the foe. Each shire preferred to fight its own battle, and the national force, the fyrd, was with difficulty induced to remain under arms over the harvest. The ealdormen who should have led their troops to the defence of the realm were jealous of each other and disloyal to the king. Again and again did a commander betray his trust on the very eve of battle. The Chronicle tells a tale of shame. "And forces were often gathered against the Danes, but as soon as they should have joined Ethelred 1 The old English term is "reckless," i.e. lacking in counsel. The Chronicle. battle, then was there ever, through some cause, flight begun." London alone offered strenuous resistance. The citizens stood bravely by their defences even when beset by the whole Danish army, and their strong walls afforded refuge to the king himself. Unable to defend his realm by force of arms, Ethelred was fain to purchase an inglorious. peace.1 Five times in twenty years was tribute paid to the army, and that in sums which taxed all the resources of the Anglo-Saxon nation. "And nevertheless, for all the truce and tribute, they went everywhere in bands and plundered our miserable people and robbed and slew them." Swegen, the Norse leader, was bent on conquering a kingdom. The northern districts (Northumbria, Lindsey, and the five boroughs) were still Danish in blood and feeling, and readily submitted (1013). South of Watling Street, there was further fighting, but the strong cities surrendered one by one, the ealdormen Anglo-Saxon and leading thegns went over to Swegen, and finally "all the people held him for full king." Not till every hope of success had failed did the citizens of London yield (1013). After that, King Ethelred fled over-sea to Richard, Duke of Normandy, whose sister Emma he had wedded.2 Chronicle. Green, pp. 94-97. Bright, I, 19-21. The Reign of Canute. In 1014 Swegen died, and the strife broke out afresh, for the Danes chose his son Canute as king, while the Witan and the English declared for Ethelred. The house of Cerdic found a worthy champion in 1 The Danegeld was levied in 991, £10,000; in 994, £16,000; in 1002, £24,000; in 1907, £36,000; in 1101, £48,000; in 1014, £21,000; money had at that time twenty times its present value. Edmund Ironside. Six pitched battles were fought in seven months, and in four the English were victorious, but at the last great battle of Assingdun (1016) the treachery of Edric, Assingdun, the ealdorman, lost the day. Then the wise men counselled 1016. a compromise, for the land was exhausted by civil strife. Edmund was to reign in Wessex, the kingdom of Egbert, while to Canute was conceded Mercia and the north. A few days after peace had been declared Edmund was foully assassinated by the same Edric who had fled from the field at Assingdun, and Canute fell heir to the whole kingdom. Peace Policy of Canute.-Canute had waged war like a barbarian, but he ruled England as a Christian king. The plundering army of freebooters was sent back to Denmark, and the alien monarch retained for his defence only a bodyguard of several thousand huscarls.1 A general amnesty Anglo-Saxon was declared, and it was agreed that all the people, Danes Chronicle. and English alike, were to "live under Edgar's law." The administration of the several divisions of the kingdom was assigned to trusty lieutenants without distinction of race." That his was a foreign rule was made evident, however, in the heavy tribute imposed. In 1018, for example, the king required £72,000 from the realm. The city of London alone was forced to pay £10,500. Canute's marriage with Emma, the widow of Ethelred, established a useful connection, not only with the fallen dynasty, but with the house of Rollo and the powerful duchy across the Channel. The realm of Canute had now attained imperial dimensions. Denmark and Norway acknowledged his sovereignty, while the king of Scots (1031) renewed the oath of homage first given to Edward the Elder. PP: 97-100. Bright, I, 21-24. Renewed Strife. Canute's empire fell to pieces at his Green, death. His sons, Harold and Harthacanute, disputed the succession, and the unhappy land was once again plunged into civil war. There was little to choose between the two princes. Both proved themselves cruel and oppressive be 1 Huscarls (house-men), the king's mercenary troops. 2 For the old title of ealdorman is now substituted the Danish term, earl. Johnson, Godwin. Harold. Anglo-Saxon 1052. yond precedent and imposed heavy taxes for the support of the Danish troops. Thus, when Harthacanute died and young Edward, son of Ethelred and Emma, came to England to claim the throne, he was received with joy and crowned king forthwith. The rejoicing was premature. Edward, called the Confessor, because of his piety, proved but a feeble king. Educated at the court of Rouen, he was more French than English, and brought with him to England a crowd of Norman priests and nobles. The difficulties of the reign were largely due to this foreign influence at court. Edward owed his crown to Godwin, Earl of Wessex, the stalwart champion of the English. In return, the king married Edgitha, the daughter of the great earl, and placed his sons in the chief offices. Godwin was able and patriotic, but he was only foremost of the earls. None but a strong king could unite the warring factions and give peace to the realm. In the absence of such a master, the kingdom was rent by civil strife. The lesser earls raised frequent pretexts for revolt, and such rebels against the royal authority found ready help in Wales and Ireland, among the ever hostile Celts. Norse pirates pillaged the coast towns, taking enormous booty which they carried over to Bruges for sale. The Norman courtiers preyed upon the, land, in their more civilized fashion, demanding entertainment at the hands of the English as from a subject people. Far from rebuking his favorites, the king countenanced their misdeeds. Finally, in 1051, Godwin and his sons were forced to flee the kingdom, and Lady Edgitha was driven from the court. In the year following, the great earl returned to claim his own. The English party was strong in the south, and the seaports of Kent and Sussex and Surrey sent their sailor-folk to join Earl Godwin's fleet. From the west came his valiant son Harold with Irish ships. Accompanied by a great force, the outraged earl sailed up the river to London. There he found the king's troops marshalled on the strand, but the anticipated battle did not take place. The leaders were struck by a sudden shame. Why should Englishmen slay English |