by H A CULLEY
‘Perhaps it would be helpful if I brought Seofon and Beorhtmund up to date,’ Æthelred said smoothly.
‘This Witan was called, not by me as king, but by the archbishop. There are, of course, insufficient nobles and senior churchmen here for it to be regarded as legitimate but, nevertheless, the majority voted to proceed anyway. I am, apparently, too young and inexperienced to continue as king, as evidenced by my issuing a warrant for the heads of these three conspirators. I acknowledge now that I should have had them arraigned before the Witan – and by that I mean a proper meeting not this farce – where they could have been tried and then executed.
‘These men tried to make me abdicate and, when I refused, they said that they would depose me anyway. I think that is a fair summary of where we’d got to when you came in?’
He looked around the room but no one said anything in response.
‘Good. I wouldn’t wish to misrepresent the situation.’
The king sat down on his throne and I walked to the front of the nave and turned my back on Sigered.
‘I agree with the king that this is no proper meeting of the Witan. For it to be regarded as valid over half the members would need to be present, as has always been the case in the past. Secondly, as most of you will know, the Witan held four years ago ruled that a king was anointed by God and therefore couldn’t be deposed; he had to agree to abdicate. If I remember correctly, archbishop, it was you who made that very point.’
Ethelbert had the grace to look uncomfortable. He looked old and worn out. Perhaps he was too tired to stand up to the anti-Æthelred faction. It was only then that I remembered that he was related to the two men sitting beside him – Ælfwald and Osred. One was the son of King Oswald and the other was the son of King Alhred. Presumably one or other hoped to replace Æthelred on the throne. This was not looking good.
I glanced at Beorhtmund, who was looking grim. He moved alongside me, the hand on the hilt of his sword.
‘I think the outcome has been decided long before we got here,’ he whispered.
As if to prove his point Sigered looked at me with a smirk on his face.
‘Lord Seofon has questioned the validity of this Witan. It’s a pity, of course, that more couldn’t attend in person, but I sent messengers to various ealdormen to determine their views before the Witan met. All those who replied agree that Æthelred is too young to lead us properly and should stand down. I have letters from six of them here. That accounts for all except those of Cumbria, Lothian Whitby and Jarrow who are too far away to have replied.’
‘No doubt the rest agree with you? How much did it cost in bribes?’ I said, unable to keep the sneer out of my voice. ‘What about the other abbots and bishops?’
‘I’ll vote on their behalf as their metropolitan,’ Ethelbert snapped.
‘You know it doesn’t work like that Ethelbert. This is a secular matter, not a spiritual one. Each member of the Witan has a vote.’
‘Enough!’ Sigered banged the table. ‘All those in favour of deposing Æthelred stand.’
As Beorhtmund and I were already standing we promptly sat down on a bench, pushing the three traitors who had been sitting there out of our way. Everyone else except Æthelred stood, some reluctantly.
‘I don’t accept this; I am still your king,’ he said, his face puce with rage, ‘and you will pay for this.’
‘I think not,’ Sigered said. ‘You are no longer our king. Guards, arrest Æthelred.’
As the four men by the entrance moved forward Beorhtmund and I drew our swords. They should have been taken from us at the door but our late arrival had taken everyone by surprise. The sentries hadn’t expected resistance and I thrust my sword through the throat of one of them and Beorhtmund chopped into the neck of another before they realised what was happening.
The other two were slow to react. There was no space to use their spears and by the time that they had dropped them and half drawn their swords we had killed them too. Whilst this was happening Æthelred drew his dagger, the only weapon that was officially allowed in a meeting of the Witan, and thrust it through Sigered’s neck, hissing ‘traitor’, before hastening to join us.
The others present were stunned at how quickly the meeting had turned into a charnel house and they were slow to get to their feet and draw their daggers. Beorhtmund and I levelled our swords at them and no one had the courage to be the first to attack, though they called us every name under the sun. Meanwhile the archbishop was yelling sacrilege and wringing his hands.
‘Yes, you’re right Ethelbert,’ I told him, ‘sacrilege has been done here today but, unlike your church which can be cleansed and re-dedicated, Northumbria has been dealt a blow by cowards and arrogant fools that it may not recover from.’
It was time to go and the three of us opened the door and left. I was vastly relieved to see Octa and our warriors in the courtyard outside. Several of the archbishop’s warriors lay dead and the rest stood to one side, uncertain what to do. They were outnumbered, but I was certain that someone would have gone to summon the warbands of those nobles still in the church.
The door opened again and Cynric appeared in the opening with Sentwine behind him. An arrow took Cynric in the chest and he crumpled in a heap at the top of the steps. Sentwine hastily retreated inside and slammed the door shut.
‘Think it’s about time we left,’ Octa said.
‘I’m not leaving without Wulfgang,’ Æthelred said stubbornly. ‘I left him here; where is he?’
‘I don’t know,’ Octa replied. ‘He was here but someone called him away to deal with a problem. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.’
Just at that moment Wulfgang and eight of the king’s gesith appeared. Their byrnie’s were splattered with blood and they had drawn swords and carried shields.
‘We had to fight our way here, Cyning. It was a trick and two of our number are dead; what’s happening.’
‘The archbishop and the rest of the plotters tried to depose me,’ he called back. ‘Where is my warband?’
‘They were taken unawares by the men who came with the ealdormen. They disarmed them and locked them up.’
‘Come on,’ I interrupted. ‘There is no time to lose. We must get back to the ships.’
Our warriors formed a square around us and we headed back to the quayside at a fast jog. People scattered out of our way and we made it there without further incident. Whilst the rest embarked, I sent a few men to cut the rest of the ships tied up alongside adrift to slow any pursuit.
Just after we had cast off and were heading away from the quay, warriors started spilling out of the streets leading down to the port. Another few minutes and we would’ve been outnumbered and fighting for our lives. A few arrows struck the ships but no one was hit as we rowed slowly towards the open sea, the birlinn towing the knarr into the head-on wind.
~~~
We reached Bebbanburg safely and the next morning I set out for Alnwic to bring my family back to the security of the fortress. I had no idea what the new king would do, or even who he was. I would have gone south by ship as no one in Northumbria had a fleet to match mine, but a storm blew in from the north east and I didn’t want to wait until it had died down. Consequently I set off with thirty mounted warriors whilst Beorhtmund headed north to prepare his two strongholds at Dùn Èideann and Dùn Barra for a possible siege.
He would warn the Ealdorman of Berwic en route and I sent two messengers to inform the ealdormen of Selkirk and Cumbria. We were certain that all three would join us in repudiating whoever the false Witan had chosen as king after we left.
My unease began when I saw smoke spiralling into the grey sky when we were still a few miles from Alnwic. I kicked my horse into a gallop and we arrived at the settlement to find the hall a blackened ruin. Even more disturbing, the place seemed deserted. It was only when they saw my banner that people started to emerge from their hiding places. Then I saw the thegn and his family appear from a nearby wood with his six
warriors.
‘What happened?’
‘The king’s men came,’ he replied, looking sheepish. ‘There were thirty of them, there was nothing we could do.’
‘Where are my family?’ I asked, fearing the worst. ‘Were they inside the hall?’
‘No, lord,’ his eleven year old son answered. ‘I watched from the edge of the wood. They took your family captive and bundled them onto a cart. Your warriors tried to stop them but there were only ten of them and they were all killed. They threw the bodies into the lord’s hall before setting fire to it.’
‘I don’t suppose you’ve any idea where they were taking them?’
‘No, lord. I’m sorry. They headed south, that’s all I know.’
‘How long ago was this?’
‘They came at dawn so I suppose they left three or four hours ago.’
‘Thank you. You did well,’ I told him.
The boy had more initiative and courage than his cowardly father. I thought of punishing the man but that would mean his family would suffer, including the boy, so I let it go.
I took one last look at the charred ruin of what had been my home for the past few years until my father died and headed south with my men. We were all mounted and the cart would slow the king’s men down, so we had every chance of overtaking them if they were heading for Eoforwīc. However, we would need to do so quickly because we had few provisions with us.
It was only as we cantered on through the mud under the trees, bare now of their leaves, that I realised that I didn’t even know which king these men served.
~~~
‘They’re camped in a clearing about two miles away, lord,’ Anarawd told me.
‘How many?’
‘I counted thirty two, including the four sentries they’ve set.’
‘And my family?’
‘They’ve tied Uuffa to a wheel but the women and children were left in the wagon.’
‘Did you hear a baby crying?’
‘No, lord. Sorry.’
That could mean that either Uuffa’s wife hadn’t given birth yet or the baby was dead. In my concern I discounted the fact that he or she could be sleeping. Their encampment was on the north bank of the River Tyne. We were now in the shire of Jarrow whose ealdorman was an unknown quantity. I thought that he could be persuaded to remain loyal to Æthelred, but I wasn’t about to take any chances. The sooner we were back in Islandshire the happier I would be. Beyond the Tyne lay the shire of Catterick and I was even less certain of their ealdorman. I decided that I needed to rescue my family before they crossed the river.
The camp was on the river bank fifteen miles inland from the sea. The nearest crossing point was a ford at a settlement called Wylam. I had two choices. I could either strike during the night, or I could set a trap at the ford. If it was just a matter of killing the warriors who had attacked Alnwic I would have opted for the former. However, I thought I had a better chance of protecting my family if we ambushed the column in Wylam.
The main disadvantage was that I’d need to secure the place first and their ealdorman might not take kindly to that, especially if people died. I therefore decided to go and see the thegn and ask for his help.
‘Why should I help you?’ the man asked belligerently whilst his wife and children cowered in the corner of their hall, gazing fearfully at the three armed strangers.
His small group of warriors stood around him in the large hut he was pleased to call his hall, fingering their sword hilts nervously. None of them looked a day under fifty and their paunches hung over their sword belts, indicating that it was a long time since they had last been in a fight.
I had only brought Anarawd and Octa with me but I was confident that we could kill the lot of them without breaking a sweat if we had to, and they knew it.
‘Because you have two alternatives: either you help me and I’ll leave you in peace and no one will ever know what happened here, or I will have to take your family hostage and force you to help us. Which is it to be?’ I asked with a smile.
‘But, if I help you kill the king’s men I’ll be marked as a traitor and killed anyway.’
‘Not my king and not if you do what I tell you,’ I said, and then I explained my plan to him.
~~~
I watched the light grow in the east under grey leaden skies. Nearly an hour later Anarawd rode into the settlement to tell me that the enemy were on their way. With the wagon it would take them at least another hour to reach us. Nevertheless I had my men get ready.
Thankfully, although it looked as if it might rain any minute, it stayed dry. I watched through the gap in a shutter of a hut on the outskirts as the first men came into view. They were two scouts who rode on through the huts, past the hall and down to the river bank. They didn’t seem surprised that the place seemed deserted; anyone with any sense would avoid armed strangers.
The main body rode into the settlement next – a dozen men following their captain, a man dressed in a silvered byrnie over a richly embroidered tunic. An ornately decorated helmet hung from his saddle horn. I recognised him immediately. It was the eldest son of the late, unlamented Sigered who Æthelred had killed. Presumably this young man was now the Ealdorman of Eoforwīc.
Behind the first group came the wagon. Its occupants would be sitting or lying in it so I couldn’t see them but I heard the faint cry of a young child and breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, it could be Uuffa’s baby, if it was born yet, but it sounded more like that of my grandson, Eafa.
The scouts had now crossed the ford and disappeared into the trees on the far side. I waited until the ealdorman and his group were about to exit the settlement before I sprung my trap. I nodded to the man beside me and he blew three short blasts on his hunting horn.
The young man paid the price for not wearing his helmet when an arrow struck him in the head. The archer was on the roof beside him and, at that range, the point cracked open his skull before burying itself in his brain. He toppled from his horse just as a group of riders appeared from a narrow alley and attacked the group bringing up the rear.
At the same time my archers stood on the roof tops bringing down warrior after warrior in their leading contingent. A few tried to escape along the alleys leading off the main thoroughfare, but they soon found these blocked with furniture, or anything else the inhabitants could find to use as a barricade. The alleys were so narrow there wasn’t space for them to turn their horses around and they were easy targets for the archers.
I led three of my men to the wagon and we clambered into it. I barely had time to check those crouching inside before two of the horsemen appeared alongside us. One tried to stab Hilda with his spear whilst the other fought with the pair of my men on that side. I brought down my sword with a roar of rage, chopping the point from the shaft, and then thrust my seax into his thigh.
He bellowed in pain and a moment later an arrow killed his horse. He was thrown clear but Uuffa leaped out of the wagon and kicked him hard in the face. My son’s hands were tied behind his back but he kept kicking the warrior’s head until the man lay still. I jumped down to join him and cut his bonds so that he could pick up the man’s weapons and cut his throat.
We clambered back onto the bed of the wagon to find that the other horseman had also been killed. I cut my wife and the others free and Hilda threw her arms around me, hugging me so hard that I could hardly breathe.
‘Is everyone alright?’ I asked trying to look around.
‘Yes, except for the poor baby. It was stillborn the night after these swine attacked Alnwic.’
I looked at Uuffa’s wife who was sobbing in his arms. Cynwise smiled at me as she suckled Eafa so I knew that they we fine.
‘I have to go,’ I told Hilda. ‘I need to make sure that they are all dead.’
She nodded and I ran to find my horse, but by the time I’d reached the river I found that it was all over. The three men I’d sent over the river had disposed of the scouts and a quick body count establishe
d that we’d killed all thirty two men. One had managed to get clear, but an archer had brought down his horse and one of my warriors had ridden up and killed him as he lay trapped under it.
We loaded up the cart and took the dead – men and horses – five miles the other side of the river. We buried them in a clearing in the woods well away from the road. Even if they were discovered it would look as if they’d been ambushed there and not at Wylam. That way I’d kept my promise to the thegn that I wouldn’t involve him.
~~~
When we returned to Bebbanburg I found out that it was Ælfwald who had been elected and crowned by Ethelbert. However, the Lothian lords, Godwyn of Cumbria and I continued to regard Æthelred as our king and he ruled our part of the kingdom from Bebbanburg. I had suggested that I should rebuild the hall at Alnwic and move there so that Bebbanburg could return to its original role as the seat of royal power, but the king wouldn’t hear of it.
I had no illusions that we’d be left in peace but Æthelred delayed doing anything until the end of 780. The death of Archbishop Ethelbert that summer had been seen by some as God’s retribution for illegally deposing Æthelred. It took some time before Eanbald was consecrated as his successor, mainly because the Pope’s agreement had to be obtained first.
Just before he died Ethelbert had put Eanbald in charge of building a new church in stone at Eoforwīc and he now devoted much of his time to the enterprise. Eanbald had cynically seized the opportunity presented by Cynewise’s death to take over the responsibility for sending missions to the pagans living in the lands to the north-west of the Continent. The new church was therefore to be called Eoforwīc Minster as it would be the church of a missionary teaching monastery.
My friend and mentor, Bishop Cynewulf also died that year, two months after Eanbald. The monks chose their prior, Higbald the Mercian, to succeed him and Æthelred approved their choice. The only problem now lay in getting him consecrated. The Bishop of Hexham was in the enemy camp and Eanbald would never agree. My solution was to send him in a birlinn to Paris to be ordained as a bishop there.