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Home , Alfred the Great, Battle of Ashdown, Great Heathen Army

HISTORY INSTITUTE to restore the “golden age” enabled to per - Alfred, his family and his leaders were celebrating severe and begin to teach his people to place their Christmas. On the Twelfth Night, the culmination faith in the Almighty and His Word. “His campaign of the Christmas season, ’s army attacked was unique, waged not merely with weapons, but the fortified estate on the night that all of with a vision of a new type of kingdom, where pro - was most vulnerable. tection and prosperity resulted not from physical Alfred was forced to run for his life, escaping only force alone, but from education, public building, OU RNAL 11 with his family and personal bodyguards. Guthrum Jmay / june 2018 • a biblical worldview to win the future commerce and .” gave the king no time to regroup after the sudden DIVINE DELIVERANCE attack. He forced the people of Wessex and Al - fred’s earls and nobles to bow to him at the point But the time of preparation came abruptly to an of the sword. It appeared that all of Wessex was end in 876. The sons the legendary Ragnar Loth - lost and all of would now be under the part One brook, including Hafdan, Ivar and Ubbe, who had merciless tyranny of the pagan invaders. “The pillaged much of England for decades, had either n the , Alfred the Great, following an Saxon ascendancy in England, about four centuries THE UNLIKELY HERO died or sailed to Ireland. But Guthrum, a cruel and ancient strategy, saved his civilization against all old, appeared on the brink of an immediate and I Into this age of terror Alfred the Great was born in cunning Viking king, sailed the odds. He battled terrorism, pervasive illiteracy, the bloody conclusion. But the indomitable spirit of 849 A.D. at , in Wessex. He was the 5th up the Thames into the center of Alfred’s kingdom. decline of faith and morality and the disregard for one man still stood in the way.” 13 son of Æthelwulf, King of Wessex. Wessex was the Guthrum settled along the Thames. The word the — crises we are facing again in our southern kingdom of the four major kingdoms of spread that he was awaiting a huge armada of — Marshall Foster time. Britain at the time (, East , from the Continent, so that he could wipe To be continued... In Britain in the early 7th century the and Wessex). Wessex was also the most out Wessex and all that was left of England. and — themselves bar - powerful kingdom and the only one not facing —————————————————————— Then a miracle occurred. A terrifying storm off the barian tribes — were converted to the continual raids or conquest by the Vikings. English coast, sank 120 Viking ships with thou - References: Christian faith by Irish and Scottish mis - Alfred, being the youngest of the king’s five sons, sands of warriors on board. “This would have cost 1 sionaries. Transformed from within, they Merkle, Benjamin, The White Horse King (Thomas Nelson, had little reason to think he would ever become the Vikings 3,600 men — a catastrophic loss. For turned from their pagan idols, human 2009) p. 8 king. As a part of the royal family however, he im - Alfred, this storm was clearly nothing other than 2 sacrifice and tribal genocide. The result Ted Byfield, ed., The Christians, Quest (Christian History mersed himself in the military training divine deliverance.” 12 was a “golden age” of growing peace and Project, 2004) pgs. 89-90 and sports of the time – hunts, [Vikings became the catch-all label for the seafaring raiders of prosperity throughout the island. But the This one event left Guthrum without the man - horse races, footraces, archery, , Denmark, and Sweden.] godly enthusiasm and Christian virtues power needed to complete the destruction of Wes - wrestling, sword fighting and 3 Merkle, Op.Cit., p. 94 slowly, through the generations, began to sex. His only choice was to make a treaty with spear throwing. This training pro - 4 Abels, Richard, Alfred the Great (Longman, 1998) p. 126-127 decline. Faith turned to slackness and Alfred to withdraw his troops. It appeared that vided much needed prepara - 5 Ibid, p. 129-130 piety turned to worldliness. 1 tion for the over fifty Guthrum might keep his word for a time. 6 Alfred the Great , Trans. Keynes and Lapidge (Penguin Books, 2004) p. 79 Suddenly, the Britons were attacked with horror hand-to-hand battles that CHRISTMAS BETRAYAL 7 Pollard, Justin, Alfred the Great (Murray, 2005) pgs. 121-123 from the sea. The Vikings from the frigid North, he would soon fight As winter approached, Alfred set up an early warn - 8 Merkle, Op.Cit, p.77 armed with battle ax and broadsword, burst into against the greatest ing station at his estate at near the 9 Pollard, Op.Cit, p. 39-40 the monasteries and coastal towns of eastern warriors of his age. 10 Britain. They looted, stealing much of the wealth border of Mercia where Guthrum’s army had set - Keynes and Lapidge, Op.Cit. p. 12 Alfred grew up 11 of the people which lay unguarded in the monas - tled. He wanted his men to monitor and report on Pollard, Op.Cit, p. 53-54 learning the art of 12 Merkle, Op.Cit, p. 87 teries. Like ravening wolves, they pillaged and the Viking movements. war and statecraft 13 Byfield, Op.Cit, p. 96 torched, butchering all those in their path. 2 But sadly, Guthrum broke his treaty and carried out from his study of a lightening raid on the Chippenham estate where The Viking attacks began toward the end of the history and the 8th century. At first they attacked with small Scriptures. He raiding parties as a summer diversion while their would spend crops were growing. But by the mid-9th century long hours in these Northmen invaded with full-orbed armies the World History Institute WORLD HISTORY INSTITUTE teaches the liberating lessons of — not only sacking and pillaging but occupying P.O. Box 4673 historically-proven biblical principles to benefit people of all nations. with his Thousand Oaks, CA 91359 Resources, conferences and tours have been provided since 1976. and dominating entire regions of Britain [later continued on (805) 523-0072 WHI is a 501 (C)3 non-profit ministry. Your involvement and tax- called England.] page 2 www.WorldHistoryInstitute.com deductible contributions are encouraged.

4 The Vikings saw that the Saxons appeared small in but as he went back to get his brother he found him number under Alfred and hesitating. They gathered gravely wounded. He lingered for weeks, but soon in force on the steep ridge of Ashdown and began to King Æthelred died. On the day Alfred buried his attack down the hill. Alfred, challenged his men to brother thousands of Vikings from Europe sailed up hold the shieldwall with him and march shoulder to the Thames to strengthen the Vikings. The blood - shoulder with overlapping shields and protruding thirsty warriors were closing in for the kill. spears into the jaws of the pagan phalanx. The two Alfred was crowned king of Wessex. In the spring of walls of shields and flesh collided. The men of Wes - 871, he was the last remaining king in all of Britain. sex, though outnumbered and fighting against far All seemed lost. Facing eminent defeat, Alfred re - more experienced warriors, held their own, pushing vealed his absolute desperation by offering the “Da - the Vikings to the top of the ridge. negeld.” It was a bribe of great wealth, usually gold, Alfred acted “courageously as a wild boar, supported in exchange for the Vikings’ promise to leave Wessex by divine counsel and strengthened by divine help.” 6 without a fight. 8 To the Vikings’ surprise, the men of Wessex refused The Viking King Halfdan, the son of the infamous to retreat. The Saxons knew that their families and Ragnar Lothbrook, not knowing Alfred’s desperate nation were doomed if they lost this strategic battle. condition, was more than willing to take the pay-off. The battle raged back and forth, hundreds of men on The Norsemen themselves, reeling from deadly com - both sides falling, stabbed through and pulled out of bat with Wessex’s soldiers, took the gold and hostages the wall to be replaced with warriors waiting behind and temporarily withdrew north and west to Mercia the wall of death. and . Then suddenly, the Viking shieldwall broke. They This temporary cease fire (872-876 A.D.) gave Alfred saw another army rushing the field. King Æthelred The is a highly stylized prehistoric hill figure, 360 feet long, formed from deep trenches filled with crushed white chalk. The figure almost four years to begin to rebuild his defenses and had ended his prayers. He was leading his army di - is situated on the upper slopes of White Horse Hill in the English civil parish of Uffington, in the ceremonial of . Photo: Silent Earth. prepare for the onslaught that was sure to come. Al - rectly at the flank of the Vikings, leaving the heathen fred began to organize a full-time fighting force. He army’s position indefensible. As the wall broke most father, feasting and listening to the /poet, walls of Reading. But suddenly they were over - fortified the , a network of fortified walled of the pagan warriors ran for the woods. But Alfred who would recount the mighty deeds of faithful war - whelmed and almost killed as thousands of Northmen towns, every twenty miles across Wessex. And he and his army cut them off and made them fight riors of the past. When the thrumming of the lyre came pouring out of the gates of the city. The Saxons began preparations for the creation of a navy with hand-to-hand with sword and battleax. Winston began, the poet/bard began his singing. He told of were routed into a chaotic retreat. Then Alfred and ships nearly twice as large as those of the Vikings. the glory of battles fought bravely. He sang of the he - Æthelred were pushed back in a series of small battles. 4 Churchill later said: “If the West Saxons had been roes and the cowards calling them out by name. He beaten all England would have sunk into heathen Even in his early twenties Alfred knew that the under - would warn them that they must first be faithful to THE anarchy. Since they were victorious the hope still lying problem in Britain was not the Vikings, but the God if they expected His protection and prosperity. 3 The men of Wessex were in desperate need of a victory burned for a civilized Christian existence in this Is - weak character of the people. Alfred had learned to stop the Viking army’s advance. In January of 871 land. This was the first time the invaders had been about a “golden age” when Christianity had trans - His father died when Alfred was only nine years old. A they maneuvered to fight the Vikings in an open field beaten in the field.” The next morning, several thou - formed England, bringing literacy, prosperity and few years later all of his brothers had died except for at Ashdown. Before the day of battle the Vikings sand Viking corpses filled the field of blood. Alfred peace. 9 Æthelred, who then became King of Wessex in 865. staked themselves out on a formidable hill. and his brother had won a great battle. 7 At sixteen years of age the young Alfred was made the But Alfred understood that the “golden age” had military commander of the army of Wessex. In the Before dawn, Alfred and his brother agreed to divide A TEMPORARY PEACE slowly been forgotten through several generations, next few years the Vikings consolidated their tyranny leaving the people morally weak and with a lack of the army of Wessex and to attack from two directions After this critical victory however, the weakness of the over all the kingdoms of Britain except for Wessex. will. In his generation few Saxons could read and up the hill in the morning. At daybreak, Alfred rallied Saxon part-time farmer army was exposed. The Eng - his men to put their lives in God’s hands and to form most were reverting to the brutish pagan ways of In 869 Alfred married the love of his life, Elswith, and lish could not maintain their army intact. Their fight - their ranks and create a shieldwall. They marched out their former tribes. Alfred writes, “We were Chris - they settled into his estate at Chippenham. But within ing force soon dwindled to a few hundred professional of the woods in full view of the huge Viking army. It tians in name alone, and very few of us possessed a few months a huge Viking army sailed up the river soldiers around the King and Alfred, as thousands Christian virtue.” 10 He believed that the loss of faith was a day of destiny. of men left to plant their crops and defend their Thames and attacked Wessex. They captured Reading, in the one true God and His Word was the primary families. threatening to end Christian civilization in the British Alfred instantly noticed that his brother’s army had reason that the people of Wessex were losing their Isles. Here Alfred fought the first of his hand-to-hand not yet arrived on the field. As he would later discover, The Viking force regrouped and within a few weeks country and perhaps facing divine judgment. battles with the unrelenting pagan pirates. He and his King Aethelred had called on his priest for a private were back to fight and plunder. This time the small brother, in their first battle as young men, slashed These insights drove Alfred on a lifelong quest to re - prayer service. The king was late as he had “lingered Wessex army was overrun. Alfred survived the battle their way through the Viking defenses outside the long in his prayers.” 5 store England to faith, literacy and civility. His vision

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