Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Scandinavian Britain - II. The Danelaw - 1. The Age of Ælfred
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has been proofread at least once.
(diff)
(history)
Denna sida har korrekturlästs minst en gång.
(skillnad)
(historik)
forming a separate kingdom, but a dependency—might
be stirred up to take part in attacks on the power which
had robbed them of the supremacy they boasted in the
days of Redwald. Their king, afterwards known as
St. Eadmund the Martyr, is not mentioned in these
transactions ; when his turn came he fought his fight
and suffered his fate with a courage no less than that
of the greatest hero of the Sagas. There was no lack
of courage in England, but there was one thing
needful—the master-mind, which had not yet shown itself
here. We cannot but suspect, however, that on the
side of the Vikings there was one who, if we knew more
about him, would deserve mention with the Hannibals
and Napoleons of history.
When we consider the strategy of these invaders,
the great war-game which was going on ; how fleet
after fleet sought the weakest points ; how, on the
failure of frontal attack, new attacks were made in
flank ; how the diplomacy of alliance with discontented
dependencies was followed ; how the maxim of
"divide and conquer" was understood ; how the net was drawn
around England from point to point on either hand,
until the time came for the final effort that should
strangle the power of Wessex and make the British
Islands wholly Scandinavian :—when we consider this,
it is impossible to escape the idea that some great
plan was in operation, some strong mind directing a
warfare which, however originated, had become no
casual scramble of independent adventurers, nor even
an organisation merely to exploit their sporting instincts,
but a resolute scheme of conquest played with
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
