by M J Porter
“In that case, I think I must let you do so. Oh, and one more thing Leofwine …” Swein stopped his advance back toward his men, his back already turned on Leofwine, “… I’ve decided that my desire to see you dead was a little foolish. I’d rather you lived so that I can beat you in battle, time after time. It’s more enjoyable this way. If you survive here, which you won’t, you can take our feud as finished. If you don’t survive, I’ll ensure your wife knows that you died at the hands of an enemy who no longer wished your death.”
Leofwine held his gaze on Swein, feeling the blood in his veins boil and his heart pulse dangerously fast before calmness took him, and he too turned away. He walked a few paces and stopped, noting that Swein was watching him with an enormous contemptuous smile across his bland face.
“If you’re too scared to face me, King Swein, you need only say.”
Swein’s smile fell from his face instantly but Leofwine had turned aside, a smile now on his face. He’d have the last word.
Signalling for Oscetel to jog beside him, he raced back to his men and had Horic advancing into the centre of the space between him and the enemy before Swein was even half way back to his force.
Shouts of derision greeted Horic’s actions, but Leofwine was deaf to them as he watched with fascination to see if the men would fall for his trap.
When Horic and the shield wall formed up, Swein signalled for his men to attack, wasting no time. With a swiftly caught breath, Leofwine ordered his archers to start shooting and the remainder of his shield wall to rush forward. The shouts of ridicule from Swein’s men quickly turned to cries of anger. The arrows and the shield wall advanced with dizzying speed.
Before Leofwine had even managed to catch Horic and the men up, the pile of Danish bodies was impressive. It took only moments longer for Swein’s force to be beaten. Looking up from his spot in the shield wall he noted with a detachment that Swein had abandoned the battle almost as soon as it had begun. He was fleeing the place, surrounded only by about twenty men.
Taking the time to ensure that all those who’d fallen were indeed dead, Leofwine took a moment to savour the victory. He’d not even had the opportunity to fell one of the enemies.
Calling for his horse, he mounted hastily. They would chase Swein back to the Isle of Wight, even if it took days to do so. He doubted that Swein would risk a long sea voyage in the winter storms, but at least he could be contained on the island.
1006 – Part 9
Almost a week had passed since they’d precipitously left Eadric’s hall. Although Leofwine had ensured word was sent back to the King of their victory, no messenger had yet arrived from the King, and it was galling.
This time they’d chased Swein of Denmark all the way to the coastline and had then roused the local Reeve to inform him that Swein was again contained. Athelstan had also agreed to overwinter near Winchester where he and his men would be within easy distance to counter any more attacks. Leofwine had harboured hopes that his King would be happy with him, but his doubts were starting to set in.
Arriving back at Deerhurst, he was chilled to the bone and almost frozen in position atop his horse. Hammer had been sending him looks of disgust for much of the last two days, and finally he’d taken pity on the poor dog and heaved him up beside him on the horse. The horse had approved even less than Hammer.
Horic’s wife, Agata, greeted them as coolly as she had on their earlier arrival, all efficiency and few words. But the messenger who sat at his table did not go unnoticed, and Leofwine finally called him over.
“You have news for me?”
“I do, my Lord, but Agata said it should wait.”
“Is it from the King?”
“No, my Lord: the Bishop.”
“What does he say?”
“I hardly like to say, my Lord, but he bid me tell you that Eadric is now Ealdorman of the Mercians and that you remain only as Ealdorman of the Hwicce.”
Leofwine nodded to show he understood.
“And was this decision taken before or after the King heard of my victory over Swein of Denmark?”
The youth looked wretched as he tried to speak and Leofwine took pity on him.
“Apologies, I guess I already know the answer to that. Would you please thank the Bishop for thinking to inform me?”
“Of course, my Lord … and, my Lord …”
“Yes?”
“He ensured that your wife knew as well. I understand that he was to advise her to travel here.”
“It would appear I’m even further in the Bishop’s debt. Thank him most carefully for me, and now please stay as long as you need to recover. The weather is rough today and I’d not recommend travelling in it. As we rode in, the first snow flakes were falling.”
“With thanks, my Lord. I think I’ll stay a day or two longer. The Bishop said I was to journey to Worcester. It’ll be a trip of one or two days?”
“Yes, provided the snow goes. Have no fear. You can stay as long as you need to. I’ll not cast you out, and now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Of course, my Lord, and … thank you for taking the news so well, I was worried you would be angry with me.”
Leofwine thumped the youth on the back, not ungently,
“It’s never the fault of the messenger. Remember that.”
“Oh, and one more thing, my Lord,”
“Yes?”
“The King has announced that we’ll make peace with Swein of Denmark.”
Leofwine cushioned his head in his hands as he slumped forward on the table, the irony that he was now being told this not lost on him.
“Of course he has,” he muttered darkly, closing his eyes. Again, he couldn’t blame the messenger.
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Cast of Characters
Leofwine’s Family
Leofwine, Ealdorman of the Hwicce and occasionally Mercia
Ǽthelflaed, his wife
Northman, his oldest son born 996
Leofric, his son born 998
Ealdgyth, his daughter born 1000
Godwine, his son born 1002
Eadwine, his son born 1006
In the North
Gita, northern woman
Osbert, Gita’s husband
Ragnor, Osbert’s father
Eadrid, Reeve of Lichfield
Brunhild, Eadrid’s wife (Reeve of Lichfield)
Ragnor, King’s High Reeve from Canterbury, Kent
Ǽthelweard; Leofwine, High Reeve of Hampshire; Leofric of Whitchurch; Godwine of Worthy – all killed in battle in 1001
Kola and Eadsige, killed at the Battle of Pinhoe
Aldric, Uhtred’s messenger
Eadnoth, Reeve
Morcar and Sigeforth, allies of Prince Athelstan
Men of the Mercian Fyrd
Eadnoth
Godwine
Brithwold
King
Æthelred II
The Court
Aelfgifu (Æthelred’s wife – never Queen dies c.1002)
Elfrida (King’s mother – died c.1002)
Athelstan (the King’s son)
Ecgberht (the King’s son – died c.1005)
Edmund (the King’s son)
Emma (King’s second wife, renamed from Aelfgifu – mother of Edward born 1003, Goda born 1005 and Alfred)
Wulfhilda (King’s daughter – marries Ulfcytel of East Anglia)
Ealdormen
Ælfric (of Hampshire – Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire and Wiltshire)
Ælfhelm (of Northumbria – his sons, Wulfheah and Ufegat)
Leofsige (of the East Saxons – East Anglia and Essex)
Leofwine (of the Hwicce – whole of Mercia?)
Eadric (of the Mercians)
Wulfric (Eadric’s commended man)
Uhtred (of Northumbria marries King’s daughter)
Æthelmaer, son of Ealdorman Æthelweard of the Western Provinces – not made an ealdorman on his father’s death
Pallig of Denmark
Holy Men
Archbishop Ælfric of Canterbury
Leofwine’s Household
Wulfstan (commended man and war leader)
Horic (commended man and second in command); his wife, Agata
Oscetel (part of the warband/household troop)
Brithelm (part of the warband/household troop)
Wulfsige (part of the warband/household troop)
Lyfing (part of the warband/household troop)
Ælfhun (part of the warband/household troop)
Wighard (part of the warband/household troop)
Leofgar (part of the warband/household troop)
Ælfric (captain of his ship)
Hunter (Leofwine’s hound – female)
Hammer (Leofwine’s hound – male)
Raiders and Kings
Olaf Tryggvason of Norway (King of Norway died c.1000 at The Battle of Svoldor)
Swein of Denmark (King of Denmark and Norway)
Finn (Olaf’s scribe)
Duke Richard II of Normandy (Emma’s brother)
Sigurd (Jarl of Orkney, Shetlands and Manx)
Llewelyn (King of Powys)
Ulf (Swein’s man and leader of the force that attacks Queen Emma)
Historical Notes
Leofwine is not mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (ASC) for the period of this novel – an absence I find very interesting. This could simply be that he ‘fits’ none of the required traits in Aethelred’s unruly ealdormen to require a mention in the ASC – unlike Eadric he doesn’t bear the blame for many of the King’s actions; unlike Ælfric he is not incapable of defeating the raiders; unlike Leofsige he doesn’t partake in murder; nor is he murdered as Ælfhelm is – and yet as the Charter evidence attests he was a powerful figure at the King’s Witan, and perhaps, one who simply did as he was told to keep his nose clean.
I have suggested tentatively, and to arouse some debate, that I think the ASC may have undergone some revision at a later date – with the bias of future kings affecting what is and what isn’t known about this specific period of the early eleventh century. While this is playing devil’s advocate it may account for Leofwine’s exclusion for a number of reasons – both negative and positive – but I will elaborate further alone Leofwine’s story.
Due to the murky nature of the titles ascribed to Leofwine and to Eadric it is almost impossible to decipher what happened in Mercia and the lands of the Hwicce (a part of Mercia based around Gloucestershire) during this period of time. Ealdormen, unlike the later Earls of the medieval period, were not synonymous with the areas they ‘ruled’ for their king – they were ealdormen for the respective ‘people’ or ‘ancient tribes’ of an area, not the area itself (although Kent does buck this trend). This is not an easy concept to understand, and as it has an implication for land holdings it becomes more difficult as well – the ealdormen may have held land on their own in the areas they ‘ruled’, but much of it was in the gift of the king and he would reclaim it as part of the ealdormany as soon as their were changes to whoever held the position.
In this novel, Leofwine’s presence must be an inferred one rather than a known fact, and much is highly fictional, as are the characters and atttributes of the men and women in these pages.
Later novels in the series are based more on the ‘accepted’ facts of Æthelred II’s reign but even these are still subject to constant revision. The history of Anglo-Saxon England is no more set in stone than the majority of buildings they erected in wood, wattle and daub.
Meet the author
M J Porter is an author of historical fiction novels set in later (and now earlier) Anglo-Saxon England. He also writes fantasy roughly based on Viking Age Iceland.
A keen history student, he has recently completed an MA in history with an emphasis on primary source material and the way information is transmitted through time.
Visit:
M J Porter @coloursofunison
www.dragonofunison.co.uk
www.earlsofmercia.co.uk
www.mjporterauthor.com
Books by M J Porter (in series reading order)
Gods and Kings Series (seventh century Britain)
Pagan Warrior
Pagan King
Warrior King
The Lady of Mercia’s Daughter (918)
Chronicles of the English (tenth century Britain)
Brunanburh
Of Kings and Half-Kings
The Second English King
The First Queen of England (standalone - 962 )
The Earls of Mercia (tenth and eleventh century Britain)
Viking Sword
Viking Enemy
Swein: The Danish King (novella)
Northman Part 1
Northman Part 2
Wulfstan: An Anglo-Saxon Thegn (novella)
Cnut: The Conqueror (full length side story)
The King’s Earl
The Earl of Mercia
The Dragon of Unison Series (fantasy)
The Unknown Serial (young adult sci-fi)