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)
from Thames to Kennet could be south of the town,
unless the town were on the Forbury (perhaps Fornborg, "ancient fort"). The Danes’ dyke is probably
the Vastern dyke of old maps, running round the
Abbey precincts and northward to the Vastern, which
may have been a vatz-tjörn,
water-tarn");
while the
Clappers (klappir,
"stepping stones") was the ford of
the Thames at Caversham Lock. It would be curious
if the short occupation fixed Norse names to this
Wessex site, but there was a Danish occupation of the
Thames Valley in the eleventh century also.
From December 28, 870, the Danes made
Reading their headquarters for about twelve months.
On Dec. 31, the Berkshire men cut up a party of
foragers at Englefield;
on Jan. 4, 871, Æthelred
and Ælfred attacked the camp and fought a battle–probably on the spot where the Reading market-place
now stands but were driven off with loss;
on Jan.
8, they intercepted a strong force of Danes out for
reconnaissance along the Ridgeway, and won the
victory of Ashdown. At Basing, Jan. 22, the
Vikings beat them, and again on March 22, at
Meretune (site disputed). Æthelred was perhaps
wounded in this battle; he died April 24, leaving
the kingdom to his young brother Ælfred.
Halfdan, however, contented himself with foraging,
while he waited for reinforcements. He fought many
minor battles; Æthelwerd the chronicler reckons
three fights during the summer of 871, in which
eleven more jarls of the Danes were slain;
Asser
counts eight battles in the whole campaign, with the
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
