same

sent

his

son

son.

855 Florence

Huntingdon

Simcon whereby, on the completion of the nuptials, he appointed her the dignity of the name

of queen. 1 In the same year, king In the year king 1 In the same year king EthÆtheluulf

Adelwlf sent to Rome, to elwlf sent over to Rome his Ælfred, above-named, to pope Leo, his son Alured,

son Elfred accompanied by a Rome, with an honourable whom Leo afterwards blessed great band of noble soldiers. escort both of nobles and as king, and received as his At which time the blessed commoners. Whom pope

pope Leo presided over the Leo, at his father's request,

apostolic see : who ordained ordained and anointed for

and anointed for king the king, and confirmed, receiv

aforesaid child, and receiving ing him as his son of

him for his adopted son, conadoption.

firmed him and sent him back to his country and to his father with the blessing of St

Peter the apostle. 2 The same year also, earl In this year duke Ealhere2 At that time earl Alchere Ealhere, with the men of with the men of Kent and and Wada, with the men of Kent, and Huda with the Huda with the men of Surrey, Kent and Surrey, fought semen of Surrey, fought bravely fought against the army of verely against the army of the and resolutely against an the pagans at Thanet; and pagans in the island which army of the pagans, in the a great number were slain is called Tened in the Saxon island, which is called in the

on both sides and shipwreck- tongue, but in the British Saxon tongue, Tenet, [Tha- ed; and both the dukes Ruim. At first the Christians NET], but Ruim in the British.

died.

had the victory; but, when And at first the Christians

the battle was protracted to a had the victory, but when

great length, many fell on the battle was protracted to a # The word here rendered DUKE, is

both sides, and many were great length, many fell on dux in the Latin : it is rendered drowned in the river and both sides, and also were DUKE merely for the sake of con

slain, a number not to be venience : the word implies no drowned in the water; and specific title of honour. described. Both the aforeboth the earls were there

said leaders there fell for the slain.

deliverance of their people.

In the year of our Lord's in854. Died Eanbert bishop of MATT: WESTMINSTER. In the carnation 854, archbishop Lindisfarne, and Eardulf seatif Grace 854 died WYMUND archbishop of York to

Wifere received the pall, and succeeded.

Eardulf undertook the bisho

pric of Lindisfarne.

whom succeeded WILFER.

The great

835

In the year of our Lord's 7 About this time the pagans incarnation 855, and the army of the pagans passed tarried the whole winter in seventh from the birth of the the whole winter in the afore

Sheppey

aforesaid king, the army of said isle of Sheppey.

the pagans wintered the whole winter in the island of

Sheppey. In the same year the afore 1 Ethelwolf, in the 19th

year

At which time king Ethelwlf said venerable king Æthel- of his reign, tithed all his tithed all the dominions of uulf released the tenth part land for the service of the his kingdom for the redempof all his kingdom from all churches, on account of his tion of his soul and that of royal service and tribute, and love of God and for the re

his ancestors. with a pen never to be for- demption of himself. gotten, offered it up to God the One and the Three in

ANNALS. AN. 855. Eadmund, the One, in the cross of Christ,

most glorious king of the East

Angles, begins to reign on the 8th for the redemption of his

before the calends of January, i.e. on own soul and of his predeces

our Lord's birth-day, in the 14th year sors,

of his age.

Asser

Saron Chronicle

Ethelwerd 855 And the same year he went In the same year he went to And in the same year he set to Rome in great state, and Rome with much honour; out to Rome with great dwelt there twelve months. and taking with him his son, dignity, and stopped there the aforesaid king Alfred, for

12 months, * One MS. of the Chron. gives, a second journey thither, beas paragraph 7 (in page 26) the fol. lowing.

cause he loved him more than 7" Alfred his third son he had sent to

his other sons, he remained Rome: and when pope Leo heard

there a whole year.

CHARTERS IN 855. 1. ETHELsay that Æthelwulf was dead, he

WOLF, Nov. 5. mentions that Beorred consecrated Alured king, and held

king of Mercia, and Edmund king of him as his spiritual son at confir

the Eastangles, were present and mation, even as his father Athewulf

subscribed. II, 56. 2. ETHELbade on sending him thither.

WOLF; subscribed also by "Æthelberht rex," " Alfred filius regis,"

and others. II, 58. 3. BURG RED The general authority of the Saxon Chronicle leads to a doubt,

of Mercia ; signed also by“ Æthels

with regina," "Mucel dux," and whether Alfred may not have

others. II, 58. 4. BURGRED, remained at Rome during the inter

subscribed also by "Æthels with val between the two sendings.

regina," and others. II, 60. EALHWINE bishop of Worcester.

5.

856 Florence

Huntingdon

Simeon And thus he went to 2 Afterwards he went with In the same year, he set out Rome with much honour; great honour to Rome, and with great honour to the and taking with him his son, there dwelt one year.

threshold of the the aforesaid king Alfred, for

prince of the apostles, having a second journey thither, be

with him Elfred, because he cause he loved him more than

loved him more than the his other sons, he remained

others. The king of the there a whole year.

English was received in a becoming way by the apostolic man; and he remained there a whole year, diligently occupied in prayers and alms.

a

Saron Chronicle

Asser proved by the result of that which follows. For, as he was returning from Rome, his son aforesaid, with all his counsellors, or, as I ought to say, his conspirators, attempted to perpetrate the crime of repulsing the king from his own kingdom ; but neither did God permit the deed, nor would the nobles of Saxony * consent to it. For to pervent this irremediable evil to Saxony, of a son warring against his father, or rather of the whole nation carrying on civil war, either on the side of the one or the other, the extraordinary mildness of the father, seconded by the consent of all the nobles, divided between the two the kingdom which had hitherto been undivided ; the eastern parts were given to the father, and the western to the son; contrariwise : for where the father ought by just right to reign, there his unjust and obstinate son did reign; for the western part

an

coasts

856 Florence

Huntingdon

Simeon proved by the result of that which follows.

Egbirht, reigned 20 years and five 3 For as he was returning from Rome, his son aforesaid, with months : he was mild by nature, and all his counsellors, or, as I ought to say, his conspirators,

more inclined to live in peace than to

command many provinces : in short, attempted to perpetrate the crime of repulsing the king from he was content with his paternal his own kingdom; but neither did God permit the deed, nor kingdom of the West-Saxons, and

gave over as appanages to his son would the nobles of all Saxony consent to it. For to per- Ethelstan the others which his father vent this irremediable evil to Saxony, of a son warring had subdued. He assisted Burhred against his father, or rather of the whole nation carrying on

king of the Mercians with civil war, either on the side of the one or the other, the anailiary army against the Britons,

exalted extraordinary mildness of the father, seconded by the con- giving him his daughter in marriage.

The Danish pirates, who wandered sent of all the nobles, divided between the two the kingdom

over the whole island, and infested which had hitherto been undivided; the eastern parts were all its

with unexpected given to the father, and the western to the son ;

landings, were crushed more than

once by him and his generals ; for where the father ought by just right to reign, there his though, according to the lot of war, unjust and obstinate son did reign; for the western part he received frequent and severe

losses at the hands of the same, of Saxony is always preferable to the eastern.

whereby London and almost all 4 When Ætheluulf, therefore, was coming from Rome, that Kent were laid waste.

But a stop nation, as was fitting, so delighted in the arrival of the old was always put to these losses by the man, that if he permitted them, they would have expelled who would never allow the enemy

energy of the king's counsellors, who his rebellious son Æthelbald, with all his counsellors, out of to offend with impunity, but took

vengeance upon them with their the kingdom. But he, as we have said, acting with great

united forces. For he had, in his clemency and prudent counsel, so wished things to be done, time, two excellent prelates, the that the kingdom might not come into danger; and he blessed Swithin of Winchester, and

Alstan of Sherborne; who, seeing placed Judith, daughter of king Charles, whom he had

that the king was of a dull and heavy received from her father, by his own side on the regal mind, impelled him by their admo

nitions to the science of ruling. throne, without any controversy or enmity from his nobles,

Swithun, sickened

with earthly even to the end of his life, contrary to the perverse custom things, taught his lord to look to of that nation. For the nation of the West Saxons do not above; Alstan, thinking that public

matters also were not to be neglected, allow a queen to sit beside the king, nor to be called a

encouraged him against the Danes, queen, but only the king's wife; which stigma our elders himselt supplying money to the say arose from a certain obstinate and malevo- treasury, himself marshalling the

army. He who reads the annals, lent queen of the same nation.

(PROBABLY THE SAXON CHRONICLE IS MEANT) will find many of his

achievenents both bravely begun and 6 For the malice of this queen, all the inhabitants of that land

happily ended. He lived 50 years in swore together, that they would never allow any king to his bishopric, happy in having lived reign over them, who should command his queen to sit beside

to do good for so long a time. I

would willingly praise him, except him on the royal throne.

that, led astray by human
ousness he acted unlawfully when
he deprived the monastery
Malmesbury of its possessions. We

feel to this day the effects of his The remarks which William of shameless conduct, though the place Malmesbury has made on the reign immediately after his death, struggand character of Ethelwolf are led its way out of the violence that worthy of notice: “In the year of our

had been done it, even down to our Lord's incarnation 537, Ethelwulf, own times, when it has fallen again (whom some call Athull) son of into the same danger (SEIZED BY

ROGER BP OP SALISBURY IN 1118] [Go TO THE TOP OF NEXT

Ethelwulf relying on these COLUMN.]

two supporters, and providing for that which was without, whilst he did not slight what within,

after he had triumphed over his ene5 There was in Mercia, in

mies, turned to the worship of God,

and granted to Christ's servants the recent times, a certain valiant

tenth of every hide of land within king, Offa, whose daughter,

his kingdom, freed from all duties named Eadburh, was married, as we have said before, and from all annoyances.

little glory was that? When he had to Brihtric, king of the West-Saxons; who immediately

settled his kingdom, he went to began to live tyrannically

Rome, and there, he gave to St Peter and to do all

the tribute, which Englaud still

pays, in presence of pope Leo the things hateful to God and man, and to accuse all she could

Fourth, who also, before that, had before the king, and so to deprive them insidiously of their honorably received and anointed for

king his son Alfred when he had been life or power; and if she could not obtain the king's consent

sent unto him. Ethelwolf remained she used to take them off by poison : as is ascertained to there a whole year, and beautifully have been the case with a certain young man beloved by the repaired the school of the English,

covet

of

THE

was

But how

a