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many of the vikings not only embraced Christianity in England, but laboured to diffuse its light on their return to their own countries.

The cotemporary accounts of the appearance, the arms, and equipments of the men who now began so signally to influence the fortunes of England are but few, and antiquaries are by no means agreed in their interpretation of them. Anglo-Saxon MSS. abound with illuminations in which figures of armed men appear, but it is not often clear whether Saxons or Northmen are meant, and the reference sometimes made to the Bayeux tapestry is beside the question, the work being centuries too late.

The Irish Chronicles (much nearer in point of time than the Icelandic Sagas) contain many notices of the invaders, and speak of them as consisting of two distinct classes, Dubhgalls (Dark strangers) and Finngalls, (Fair strangers); these terms are pretty generally agreed to mean the Danes and the Norwegians, but whether they refer to the different complexions of the two peoples, or imply that the one had black equipments, black

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Among them may be mentioned Hacon, who had dwelt in the court of Athelstan, and who returning to Norway laboured unsuccessfully to introduce Christianity, but was killed in 960; and Anlaf Tryggveson, who applied himself to the same end with more zeal than discretion, and also lost his life in the attempt. His great counsellor was Thangbrand, who, calling himself a Christian priest, went about with a shield on which was embossed a representation of the crucifixion, and repaid the taunts of the idolaters by killing several of their number. He sold his shield to Anlaf, by whom it was regarded as a kind of talisman, and also imparted some knowledge of Christianity to that king before his expedition to England in the year 994.

They also established themselves in Ireland, and in the Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides, and Man, but their frequent attempts on the mainland of Scotland were less successful.

ships, and black sails, and the others appeared in lighter colours, is a point not settled.

There are, however, to be found in most early writers phrases which shew that the Northmen were supposed to owe much of their success to the superiority of their weapons, and such would appear really to have been the case. It was, in heathen times especially, a very common custom to bury his arms with the warrior; and as numberless graves have been opened whose nation and era can from various circumstances be accurately ascertained, we thus get unimpeachable evidence as to the arms of the vikings.

In England the vikings' tombs are with difficulty to be distinguished from those of their opponents, but such is not the case in Scandinavia, nor in Ireland. Confining our attention to recent discoveries in the latter country, we learn that the vikings carried heavy axes, spears and swords of large size, as well as daggers, bows and arrows; the swords are furnished with a guard, often inlaid with gold, and sometimes have runic inscriptions; shields too are found of wood strengthened with an iron boss, often ornamented with lines curved and curiously interlaced, but of defensive armour there appears little trace. It is stated in the Sagas that the

In tombs in Denmark are found bronze armlets of a spiral form a foot long, which appear strong enough to resist a sword cut, and are believed to have been worn coiled round the arm for that purpose.

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of but a single town and a small surrounding district, strongly fortified, and its power was chiefly maritime; although from being better furnished with arms and more skilled in their use, its people possessed an influence over the adjacent country somewhat similar to that of European colonies in the East in more recent times.

A.D. 796. Cynulf of Mercia ravages Kent; he takes Præn prisoner, and mutilates him.

A.D. 797. Siric, tributary king of East Anglia, goes to Rome.

A.D. 798. Wada, having rebelled against Eardwulf, is defeated and put to flight at Hwealleage or Billingahoth (Whalley, in Lancashire,) April 2.

London burnt.

A.D. 800. Brihtric of Wessex diesm; Egbert is chosen to succeed him.

The Empire of the West re-established by the coronation of Charlemagne, Dec. 25.

EGBERT.

EGBERT, the fourth in descent from Ingils, brother of

Arms ascribed to Egbert.

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Ina, being banished by Brihtric,

sought refuge at the court of Charlemagne, and was in his company at Rome when the French king received the dignity of emperor of the West. On the death of Brihtric Egbert was recalled to Wessex, and ascended the throne. He warred successfully with

He was poisoned by his wife Edburga. She retired first, to France, then to Italy, and died miserably at Pavia.

the Britons, and thus increased the power of his kingdom while the other Saxon states were falling into ruin from their ceaseless dissensions. At length in 819 he commenced a formal course of conquest, which in the course of eight years made him sole monarch, when he granted Kent to his son Ethelwulf, but allowed the more remote states of Mercia, East Anglia, and Northumbria to be ruled by tributary kings.

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This change being accomplished in the year 827, the ancient title of " Bretwalda" was revived, and Egbert is seen by a charter granted in 828 to have used the style of King of the English," though more commonly terming himself merely king of Wessex. He married Redburga, a lady whose parentage is not ascertained, and left by her, -Ethelwulf, his successor in the monarchy; Athelstan, who is styled king of Kent; and Ethelbald. Egbert died most probably in the year 837, but different MSS. of the Saxon Chronicle ascribe the length of 36, 37, and 38 years to his reign.

The arms in the margin, "azure, a cross patonce or," have been ascribed to Egbert; but it is now generally agreed that any thing resembling personal heraldic bearings was unknown till the twelfth century.

A.D. 800. The Hwiccians", a people of Mercia, invade Wessex, but are defeated by the men of Wiltshire at Kempsford.

A.D. 805. Cuthred of Kent dies.

A.D. 806. Eardwulf of Northumbria, driven from his kingdom, retires to the court of Charlemagne.

A.D. 812. Death of the emperor Charlemagne.

• Inhabiting the modern counties of Gloucester and Monmouth.

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A.D. 813. "Egbert laid waste West Wales (Devon and Cornwall) from eastward to westward."

A.D. 816. The English school at Rome burnt. A.D.819. Cenwulf of Mercia dies; Ceolwulf succeeds. A.D. 821. Ceolwulf of Mercia deprived of his kingdom; Beornwulf succeeds.

A.D. 822. A synod held at CloveshooP.

A.D. 823. Egbert defeats Beornwulf of Mercia at Ellendune, (near Wilton).

Ethelwulf, son of Egbert, drives Baldred of Kent beyond the Thames.

"And the men of Kent, and the men of Surrey, and the South Saxons and the East Saxons, submitted to Egbert; for formerly they had been unjustly forced from him. And the same year the king of the East Angles and the people sought the alliance and protection of King Egbert for dread of the Mercians; and the same year the East Angles slew Beornwulf, king of Mercia." A.D. 825. Ludeca of Mercia is slain; Wiglaf suc

ceeds.

A.D. 827. "King Egbert conquered the kingdom of the Mercians, and all that was south of the Humber; and he was the eighth king who was Bretwalda . . . And Egbert led an army to Dore against the Northumbrians, and there they offered him obedience and allegiance, and with that they separated."

A.D. 828. Wiglaf re-obtains Mercia, as a tributary to Egbert.

Egbert makes war successfully on the North Welsh.

• This served not only as a school, but as a place of entertainment for the English pilgrims; it was situate near St. Peter's, but had its own church, dedicated to St. Mary.

› See p. 72.

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