by Griff Hosker
Cynfarch Oer
Descendant of Coel Hen (King Cole)
Delbchaem Lann
Lann’s daughter
Din Guardi
Bamburgh Castle
Dunum
River Tees
Dux Britannica
The Roman British leader after the Romans left (King Arthur)
Erecura
Goddess of the earth
Fanum Cocidii
Bewcastle
Felan
Irish pirate
Freja
Saxon captive and Aelle’s wife
Garth
Lann’s lieutenant
Gildas
Urien’s nephew
Glanibanta
Ambleside
Halvelyn
Helvellyn
Hen Ogledd
Northern England and Southern Scotland
Hogan
Father of Lann and Raibeart
Hogan Lann
Lann’s son
Icaunus
River god
King Gwalliog
King of Elmet
King Ywain Rheged
Eldest son of King Urien
Lann
A young Brythonic warrior (Lann means sword in Celtic)
Llofan Llaf Difo
Bernician warrior-King Urien’s killer
Loge
God of trickery
Loidis
Leeds
Maiwen
The daughter of the King of Elmet
Metcauld
Lindisfarne
Miach
Leader of Lann’s archers
Monca
An escaped Briton and mother of Aelle
Morcant Bulc
King of Bryneich (Northumberland)
Mungo
Leader of the men of Strathclyde
Myrddyn
Welsh warrior fighting for Rheged
Niamh
Queen of Rheged
Nithing
A man without honour
Nodens
God of hunting
Osric
Irish priest
Oswald
Priest at Castle Perilous
Pasgen
Youngest son of Urien
Pol
Slinger and Lann’s squire
Radha
Mother of Lann and Raibeart
Raibeart
Lann’s brother
Rhydderch Hael
The King of Strathclyde
Ridwyn
Bernician warrior fighting for Rheged
Roman Bridge
Piercebridge (Durham)
Sucellos
God of love and time
Tuanthal
Leader of Lann’s horse warriors
Urien Lann
Son of Lann
Urien Rheged
King of Rheged
Vindonnus
God of hunting
Wachanglen
Wakefield
wapentake
Muster of an army
Wide Water
Windermere
Wyrd
Fate
Historical Note
All the kings named and used in this book were real figures, although the actual events are less well documented. Most of the information comes from the Welsh writers who were also used to create the Arthurian legends. It was of course, The Dark Ages, and, although historians now dispute this as a concept, the lack of hard evidence is a boon to a writer of fiction. Ida, who was either a lord or a king, was ousted from Lindisfarne by the alliance of the three kings. King Urien was deemed to be the greatest Brythionic king of this period. He was succeeded by Aella.
While researching I discovered that 30-35 was considered old age in this period. The kings obviously lived longer but that meant that a fifteen year old would be considered a fighting man. If the brothers appear young then I suspect it is because most of the armies would have been made up of the younger men without ties.
The Angles and the Saxons did invade towards the end of the Roman occupation and afterwards. There appear to be a number of reasons for this: firstly the sea levels rose in their land inundating it and secondly there were a series of plagues in Central Europe. This caused a mass movement towards the rich and peaceful lands of Britannia. Their invasion was also prefaced by the last Roman leaders using Saxon mercenaries to fight the barbarians to the north and the west. At the same the time Irish and the Scots took advantage of the departure of the Romans and engaged in slave raids and cattle raids. It was not a good time to live in the borders.
Carlisle, by all accounts, was a rich fortress and had baths and fine buildings. The strong room in the Praetorium is a fact. There is an excellent one at Corbridge, which is what gave me the idea. There are steps down and it could accommodate ten men; three would have not posed a problem. Carlisle exceeded York at this period as a major centre. Rheged stretched all the way from Strathclyde down to what is now northern Lancashire. Northumbria did not exist but it grew from two British kingdoms which became Saxon, Bernicia and Deira. This eventually became the most powerful kingdom in Britain until the rise of Alfred’s Wessex. Who knows what might have happened had Rheged survived?
Morcant Bulc was king of Bernicia and he was jealous of King Urien who was considered the last hope of Romano-Britain. All of the writings we have from this period come from Wales which is distance from Rheged and perhaps they were jaundiced opinions. In the years at the end of the Sixth century the kingdoms all fell one by one. Rheged was one of the last to fall.
In terms of the names I have used the historically correct names. Bryneich and Bernicia are the two names for the same place. As Lann is reporting this after the event, as it were, I have used the Saxon spelling (Bernicia) in the book. As the only reports and written evidence we have comes from the Welsh I have anglicised many of the names. If there is confusion please accept my apologies but it is a fascinating, if complex, period to research!
I do not subscribe to Brian Sykes’ theory that the Saxons merely assimilated into the existing people. One only has to look at the place names and listen to the language of the north and north western part of England. You can still hear anomalies. Perhaps that is because I come from the north but all of my reading leads me to believe that the Anglo-Saxons were intent upon conquest. The Norse invaders were different and they did assimilate but the Saxons were fighting for their lives and it did not pay to be kind. The people of Rheged were the last survivors if Roman Britain and I have given them all of the characteristics they would have had. This period was also the time when the old ways changed and Britain became Christian but I have not used this as a source of conflict but rather growth.
There was a battle of Chester, when the Saxons finally claimed the whole of England but this was fifteen years after my story. Beli ap Rhun was king of Gwynedd at the end of the sixth century. Asaph was the bishop at the monastery of St.Kentigern (Aka St. Mungo) and they named the town after him. Julius Agricola swam horses and men across the straits between Wales and Anglesey four hundred years earlier and I thought that Lann could do the same. There is no evidence that Ywain succumbed to the Saxons but Prince Pasgen did rule, briefly in Rheged.
I mainly used two books to research the material. The first was the excellent Michael Wood’s book “In Search of the Dark Ages” and the second was “The Middle Ages” Edited by Robert Fossier. I also used Brian Sykes book, “Blood of the Isles” for reference. In addition I searched on line for more obscure information. All the place names are accurate, as far as I know and I have researched the names of the characters. My apologies if I have made a mistake.
Griff Hosker June 2013
Other books by
Griff Hosker
If you enjoyed reading this book then why not read another one by the author?
The Sword of Cartimandua Series (Germania and Britannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)
Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior
Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua
Book 2 The Horse Warriors
Book 3 Invasion Caledonia
Book 4 Roman Retreat
Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch
Book 6 Druid’s Gold
Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters
Book 8 The Last Frontier
Book 9 Hero of Rome
Book 10 Roman Hawk
Book 11 Roman Treachery
They are all available in the Kindle format.
The Aelfraed Series (Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.D.- 1085 A.D.)
Book 1 Housecarl
Book 2 Outlaw
Book 3 Varangian
These are available in the Kindle format.
The Wolf Warrior series (Britain in the late 6th Century)
Book 1 Saxon Dawn
Book 2 Saxon Revenge
Book 3 Saxon England
Also available in paperback and Kindle is the book aimed at 12-15 years olds, Great Granny’s Ghost
Carnage at Cannes is a modern thriller and is available in the Kindle format.
Travel
Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul
Coming in Autumn 2013 (Working titles)
Irish Slave- The Grey and the Green Civil war trilogy
For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Part 1 The end of Rheged
Chapter 1 Civitas Carvetiorum Yule 593 A.D.
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Part Two The road to Wales
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Glossary
Historical Note
Other books by Griff Hosker