A.D. 446. #

¹ The Britons, being unable to endure the incursions of the Picts and Scots, sent messengers to Rome, imploring aid against their enemies and promising submission for themselves. A legion was dispatched to their aid without delay; it slaughtered vast numbers of the enemy and drove the rest beyond the borders of Britain. The Romans, then on the point of withdrawing, recommended that the Britons build a wall across the island between the two seas, for their own defence. But as they had no one sufficiently skilled to direct such works, more turf than stone was used in its construction, and the labour spent on it was wasted. No sooner had the Romans departed than the enemy, landing in boats, levelled, trampled down, and swept away whatever came in their path, as if they were reaping corn ripe for the harvest. Again the Romans, listening to the prayers of the Britons, hastened to their aid and, having defeated the enemy, forced them to recross the straits. Then, together with the Britons, instead of the former earthen rampart, they constructed a solid wall of stone, from firth to firth, between the towns which had been built there as a defence against hostile incursions. They also erected watchtowers at intervals along the south coast, commanding views of the sea, since the enemy threatened them in that quarter as well. The Romans then said farewell to the Britons, telling them that they would not return again.

² No sooner, however, had the Roman troops withdrawn than the Scots and Picts again came out from the north and, driving out the natives, occupied the whole island as far as the wall. Nor did they stop there; for, after killing, driving away, or taking prisoner those who had been stationed to guard the wall, the fierce ravagers broke through it in places and even carried off an immense amount of booty from within its line of defence. As a result, a tearful letter, full of complaints, was addressed to a man of high authority at Rome, Aetius, then consul for the third time, in the twenty-third year of the Emperor Theodosius, imploring aid, but none was granted.

³ Meanwhile, a severe famine, which was widespread, afflicted the fugitive Britons, compelling some of them to surrender themselves to their enemies, while others, taking shelter in the mountains, caves, and woods, made a determined resistance. The Scots retreated to their own country, intending to return shortly; the Picts occupied the most remote part of the island, where they then settled, and remained thereafter. The famine already mentioned was followed by a very abundant harvest; with plenty came excess and recklessness; then came a deadly pestilence; and, to crown it all, an even more severe affliction at the hands of the Angles, new enemies, who, at the unanimous urging of the Britons under their king Vortigern, were invited to come over to defend the country, but instead invaded and subdued it. Consequently, during the reign of the Emperor Marcian, people of the race of the Saxons or Angles crossed over to Britain in three longships. They were followed by a stronger force when news of their prosperous voyage reached their homeland. These, joining the first group, initially drove out the enemy whom they had been summoned to confront; then, turning their arms against their allies, they overran with fire and sword nearly the whole island from east to west—that is, the central districts—on the false pretence that the Britons had not given them adequate subsidies for fighting their battles.

A.D. 447-449. #

A.D. 450. #

¹ According to Bede, the Anglo-Saxons landed in Britain from three longships during the reign of the Emperor Marcian; those who came over belonged to three of the most powerful tribes in Germany, namely the Saxons, Angles, and Jutes. The people of Kent and the inhabitants of the Isle of Wight derive their origin from the Jutes; those of Sussex, Middlesex, and Wessex from the Saxons; and the East Angles, the Middle Angles, the Mercians, and the whole Northumbrian race, together with the rest of the English population, are descended from the Angles—that is, from the country called Angle. It is said that two brothers, Hengist and Horsa, were their first chiefs. They were the sons of Victigils, whose father was Witta, the son of Vecta, the son of Woden; from this lineage the royal houses of many provinces derived their origin.

A.D. 451-454. #

A.D. 455. #

¹ Hengist and Horsa fought against Vortigern, king of the Britons, at a place called Egcles-threp [Aylesford]. Although Horsa was killed in the battle, Hengist gained the victory and, after these events, reigned jointly with his son Oesc.

A.D. 456. #

A.D. 457. #

¹ Hengist and Oesc engaged the Britons in battle at a place called Creccanford [Crayford] and put four thousand of them to the sword; the rest of the Britons then abandoned Kent and fled to London in great terror.

A.D. 458-464. #

A.D. 465. #

¹ Hengist and Oesc fought against the Britons near Wippedesfleote [Ebbsfleet], which means the place where Wipped crossed the water. They slew twelve chiefs of the enemy’s army, together with many others, while on their own side only one thane, whose name was Wipped, fell in the battle.

A.D. 466-472. #

A.D. 473. #

¹ Hengist and Oesc fought with the Britons for the fourth time and, having gained the victory, took spoils without number. In this battle the Britons fled before the Angles as though they were fleeing from fire.

A.D. 474-476. #

A.D. 477. #

¹ Ælla and his three sons, Cymen, Wencing, and Cissa, came to Britain in three ships. They landed at a place called Cymenes-ora, where they slew many of the Britons and drove the rest into the forest called Andredes-leage.

A.D. 478-484. #

A.D. 485. #

¹ Ælla, fighting against the Britons near Meareredesburnan, that is, Mearcrede’s Brook, slew many of them and put the rest to flight.

A.D. 486, 487. #

A.D. 488. #

¹ Hengist, having governed the kingdom of Kent with great vigour for thirty-four years, died. His son Oesc succeeded to the throne and reigned for twenty-four years.

A.D. 489, 490. #

A.D. 491. #

¹ St Patrick, Archbishop of Ireland, died a blessed death at the age of one hundred and twenty-two years. Ælla, with his son Cissa, stormed Andredes-ceaster after a long siege and put all the inhabitants to the sword, from the eldest to the youngest.

A.D. 492-494. #

A.D. 495. #

¹ This year, two chiefs, namely Cerdic and his son Cynric, crossed over to Britain with five ships and, landing at a place called Cerdices-ora [Yarmouth?], fought the Britons that same day. Having defeated them, they put them to flight.

A.D. 496-500. #

A.D. 501. #

¹ Port and his two sons, Byda and Mægla, arrived in Britain with two ships at a place called Portsmouth and slew a British youth of very high rank, together with many others.

A.D. 502-507. #

A.D. 508. #

¹ Cerdic and his son Cynric slew Natanleod, king of the Britons, and five thousand men with the edge of the sword; from that king, all the country as far as Cerdices-ford¹ derived its name of Natanleod.

A.D. 509-513. #

A.D. 514. #

¹ The West Saxons, sailing to Britain with three ships, landed at Cerdices-ora. Their chiefs, Stuf and Wihtgar, were Cerdic’s nephews. Shortly afterwards they engaged in battle with the Britons, killing some of them and putting the rest to flight.

A.D. 515-518. #

A.D. 519. #

¹ Cerdic and Cynric began to reign [in Wessex], and in the same year they fought against and conquered the Britons at Cerdices-ford.

A.D. 520. #

A.D. 521. #

¹ St Bridget, the Scottish nun, died in Ireland.

A.D. 522-526. #

A.D. 527. #

¹ Cerdic and Cynric, for the fourth time, fought against the Britons at Cerdices-leage.

A.D. 528, 529. #

A.D. 530. #

¹ Cerdic and Cynric conquered the Isle of Wight, which they gave to their nephews, Stuf and Wihtgar; on behalf of their nephews, a few men were slain at Wihtgara-birig [Carisbrook Castle].

A.D. 531-533. #

A.D. 534. #

¹ Cerdic, the first king of the West Saxons, died; and after his death his son Cynric was sole king for twenty-six years.

A.D. 535-537. #

A.D. 538. #

¹ There was an eclipse of the sun on the fourteenth day before the calends of March (16 February), from the first to the third hour.

A.D. 539. #

A.D. 540. #

¹ There was an eclipse of the sun on the twelfth day before the calends of July (20 June), and the stars were visible for about half an hour before the third hour of the day.

A.D. 541-543. #

A.D. 544. #

¹ Wihtgar, the nephew of Cerdic, king of the West Saxons, died and was buried at Wihtgara-birig, that is, Wihtgar’s town.

A.D. 545, 546. #

A.D. 547. #

¹ Ida began to rule in the province of the Bernicians and reigned for twelve years. He had six sons born to his queens: Adda, Balric, Theodric, Ethelrie, Theodhere, and Osmar; and six by concubines: Occ, Alric, Ecca, Oswald, Sogor, and Sogether. From these descended the royal line of the Northumbrians. Ida was the son of Eoppa, who was the son of Esa, who was the son of Ingui, who was the son of Angenwit, who was the son of Aloc, who was the son of Benoe, who was the son of Brand, who was the son of Bealdeag, who was the son of Woden, who was the son of Frithelaf, who was the son of Frithulf, who was the son of Finn, who was the son of Godulf, who was the son of Geata.

A.D. 548-551. #

A.D. 552. #

¹ Cynric, king of the West Saxons, fought against the Britons and routed them at a place called Seares-byrig. His father was Cerdic, who was the son of Elesa, who was the son of Esla, who was the son of Gewis, who was the son of Wig, who was the son of Freawine, who was the son of Freothegar, who was the son of Brand, who was the son of Bealdeag, who was the son of Woden.

A.D. 553-555. #

A.D. 556. #

¹ Cynric and Ceaulin fought a battle against the Britons at Beran-byrig and defeated them.

A.D. 557, 558. #

¹ Ælla began to reign in the province of Deira and governed it with the utmost vigour for nearly thirty years. [Gregory I, observing some English youths offered for sale in the Forum at Rome, alluded to the name of this province and said, “Alleluia! [Revelation 19:1] The praise of God the Creator ought to be sung in those parts.”] Meanwhile, while Ælla was living, the following kings reigned in Bernicia: Adda, the eldest son of Ida, for seven years; Clappa, five; Theodulf, one; Theodulf, seven; and Ethelric, two years. On Ælla’s death, and after his son Edwin had been driven from the throne, Ethelric reigned for five years over both provinces. Ælla was the son of Iffa, whose father was Wuscfrea, the son of Wilgils, the son of Westorwalena, the son of Seomel, the son of Swearta, the son of Seafugel, the son of Seabald, the son of Siggeot, the son of Swebdeag, the son of Siggar, the son of Weagdeag, the son of Woden.

A.D. 560. #

¹ Ceaulin, the son of Cynric, succeeding to the kingdom of the West Saxons, reigned for thirty-three years.

A.D. 561. #

¹ Ethelbert, king of Kent, began to reign and, according to Bede, reigned for fifty-six years.

A.D. 562-564. #

A.D. 565. #

¹ Columba, priest and abbot, came from Ireland to Britain and, during the reign of Bride, the most powerful king of the Picts, converted the northern Picts to the faith of Christ. As a result, they granted him the island of Hii for the purpose of building a monastery.

A.D. 566-567. #

A.D. 568. #

¹ Ethelbert, king of Kent, while engaged in war with Ceaulin, king of the West Saxons, and his son Cutha, was driven back by them into Kent, and his two ealdormen, Oslaf and Cnebba, were slain at Wibbandune [Wimbledon].

A.D. 569-570. #

A.D. 571. #

¹ Cuthulf, the brother of King Ceaulin, fought against the Britons at Bedford and, gaining the victory, took from them four royal vills, namely Liganburh [Leighton or Lenbury], Eglesburh [Aylesbury], Bensingtun [Benson], and Egnesham [Eynsham]. He died in the same year.

A.D. 572-576. #

A.D. 577. #

¹ Ceaulin, king of the West Saxons, and his son Cuthwine fought against the Britons at a place called Deorham [2 Samuel 5:6-9?], and, having slain their three kings, Coinmeail, Condidan, and Farinmœil, together with many of their people, took their three cities, Gloucester, Cirencester, and Bath.

A.D. 578-583. #

A.D. 584. #

¹ Ceaulin, king of the West Saxons, and his son Cutha fought against the Britons at a place called Fethanleah. In this battle Cutha fell, fighting bravely where the fighting was fiercest. Nevertheless, Ceaulin gained the victory and, taking much booty, seized many of their vills.

A.D. 585-587. #

A.D. 588. #

¹ Ælla, king of Deira, died in the thirtieth year of his reign, and after him Ethelric, the son of Ida, reigned for five years over both provinces.

A.D. 589. #

¹ The holy father Columban came to Burgundy from Ireland, the island of saints, with St Gall and other tried and faithful disciples. There, with the permission of King Theodoric, he built the monastery of Luxeuil. Driven out from there by Brunhilde, he went to Germany, where he left St Gall; but he himself crossed into Italy, where he founded the monastery of Bobbio and became the founder of many monasteries of monks.

A.D. 590. #

A.D. 591. #

¹ Ceol, the son of Cuthwulf, brother of King Ceaulin, began to reign, and ruled over the West Saxons for five years.

A.D. 592. #

¹ A battle was fought at a place called Wodnes-beorh [Wansborough?], that is, Woden’s Mount. There was a great slaughter, and Ceaulin was driven from his kingdom in the thirty-third year of his reign.

A.D. 593. #

¹ Ceaulin, Cwichelm, and Crida perished. Ethelric, king of Northumbria, died; upon which his son Ethelfrith assumed the reins of government and held them for twenty-four years. He had seven sons, Eanfrith, Oswald, Oslaf, Oswin, Oswy, Offa, Oswudu, and Oslac, and one daughter named Ebbe.

A.D. 594, 595. #

A.D. 596. #

¹ In the 147th year after the arrival of the English in Britain, in the 14th indiction, Pope Gregory, by divine inspiration, sent Augustine, the servant of God, with several other devout monks in his company, to preach the word of God to the English nation. [Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15]

A.D. 597. #

¹ According to Bede, the same teachers arrived in Britain this year and converted Ethelbert, king of Kent, to the faith of Christ in the thirty-fifth year of his reign. The king did not long delay in granting his teacher Augustine an episcopal see in his metropolis of Canterbury, and, with royal assistance, he restored a church which had formerly been erected there through the efforts of the faithful among the Romans and consecrated under the name of St Saviour’s. Ceolwulf, son of Cutha, King Ceaulin’s brother, succeeding to the kingdom of the West Saxons, ruled it for fourteen years, during which he was continually engaged in wars, either with the Angles or the Britons, the Scots or the Picts. Ceolwulf was the son of Cutha, who was the son of Cynric, the son of Cerdic.

A.D. 598, 599. #

A.D. 600. #

¹ St Ive, the apostolic teacher, a truly inspired messenger from heaven and an eminent bishop, departed to the Lord. He came originally from Persia, where he rose like the star in the east [Matthew 2:2], but his course was divinely directed towards the western regions of Britain.

A.D. 601. #

¹ Gregory, writing to Augustine in the nineteenth year of Maurice and the fourth indiction, decreed that the bishops of London and York, receiving the pallium from the Apostolic See, should be metropolitans in the same manner [as the archbishops of Canterbury].

A.D. 602. #

A.D. 603. #

¹ Ethelfrith, a king of great bravery and ambitious of renown, crushed the Britons more than any of the English chiefs who preceded him. Exterminating or subjugating the native inhabitants, he either settled vast tracts of their territories with people of English race or made the Britons tributary to them. Roused by these proceedings, Aedan, king of the Scots, marched against him at the head of a vast army, but, being defeated, only a few accompanied him in his flight. Ethelfrith won this battle at a place called Degsastan [Dalston?], in the eleventh year of his reign and the first year of the Emperor Phocas. Much later, having assembled an army at Chester, which the Britons call Carlegion, and in fulfilment of divine justice, as St Augustine, the archbishop, had predicted [Isaiah 10:5-6], he first slew twelve hundred British priests who had joined the army to offer prayers on their behalf, and then exterminated the remainder of this impious army.

A.D. 604. #

¹ Augustine consecrated Mellitus and Justus as bishops. Mellitus was to preach in the province of the East Saxons, who, having received the word of truth through his teaching, together with their king Sebert, King Ethelbert’s nephew, erected the church of St Paul the Apostle in London, Sebert’s metropolis. Justus was consecrated by Augustine as bishop of Rochester, which the English call Hroveceaster. Having also consecrated the priest Lawrence as archbishop, to succeed him, Augustine shortly afterwards, on Tuesday, the seventh day before the calends of June (26 May), was translated to the heavenly kingdom.

A.D. 605. #

¹ Pope St Gregory, the apostle of the English and the honour of Rome, after having most gloriously governed the see of the Roman and Apostolic Church for thirteen years, six months, and ten days, was translated to an eternal place in the kingdom of heaven on Friday, the fourth day before the ides (12th) of March.

A.D. 606. #

A.D. 607. #

¹ Ceolwulf, king of the West Saxons, made war against the East Saxons.

A.D. 608-610. #

A.D. 611. #

¹ King Ceolwulf died and was succeeded by Cynegils, his brother Ceol’s son. He reigned for thirty-two years, being the son of Ceol, who was the son of Cutha, the son of Cynric, the son of Cerdic.

A.D. 612, 613. #

A.D. 614. #

¹ Cynegils and his son Cuichelm marched an army against the Britons at Beandune [Bampton?] and, engaging them in battle, slew two thousand forty-six of them.

A.D. 615. #

A.D. 616. #

¹ Ethelbert, king of Kent, who was the son of Irmenric, whose father was Octa, the son of Oric, surnamed Oisc, who was the son of Hengist, ascended to the realms of heavenly bliss on 24 February, in the fifty-sixth year of his reign, being the twenty-first year after his conversion to the faith. His son Eadbald succeeded him, but not only refused to embrace Christianity, but also took his father’s widow as his wife. Redwald, king of the East Angles, slew Ethelfrith, king of Deira and Bernicia, in a battle fought near the River Idle. Edwin succeeded him, according to a prediction he had received, and expelled the seven sons of Ethelfrith. Sebert, king of the East Saxons, having departed to the heavenly kingdom, left his three sons, who persisted in heathenism, as heirs to his earthly kingdom. They immediately made open profession of idolatry and drove Mellitus, bishop of London, out of their territory. Mellitus retired into Kent and, after consulting Lawrence, the archbishop, withdrew into Gaul, accompanied by Justus, bishop of Rochester. However, the kings who had driven the herald of truth from their presence were not long permitted to devote themselves to the worship of demons; for, having engaged in an expedition against the Gewisse, they all fell in battle, together with their troops. Lawrence, being on the point of following Mellitus and Justus in their departure, was that very night visited by Peter, prince of the Apostles, who severely scourged him. In the morning, he went to King Eadbald and showed him the extent of the lacerations caused by the stripes. On seeing this, the king was greatly terrified and, forbidding all idolatrous worship under penalty of a curse and repudiating his incestuous marriage, embraced the Christian faith. He then sent to France and recalled Mellitus and Justus. [Exodus 20:3-5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10]

A.D. 617-620. #

A.D. 621. #

¹ St Lawrence, archbishop, departed to the Lord during the reign of Eadbald, on the fourth day before the nones (2 February). He was succeeded by Mellitus, bishop of London, who became the third archbishop of Canterbury after Augustine. Cedd, the brother of Ceadda, succeeded Mellitus in the see of London.

A.D. 622-624. #

A.D. 625. #

¹ Mellitus, the archbishop, having governed the Church for five years, died on the eighth day before the calends of May (24 April), during the reign of Eadbald. He was succeeded by Justus, bishop of Rochester, who consecrated Romanus as bishop in his place.

A.D. 626. #

¹ Paulinus, a man beloved by God, who had been sent by St Gregory with the others to preach in England who in due course became the third bishop of Rochester, having been consecrated by Justus to become archbishop of the Northumbrian people, was sent to Edwin, king of that nation, in attendance on his bride, the daughter of King Ethelbert, by King Eadbald, the maiden’s brother.

A.D. 627. #

¹ An assassin named Eomer, sent by Cuichelm, king of the West Saxons, presented himself at King Edwin’s court on Easter Sunday. Drawing a dagger from beneath his garment, he attempted to stab the king. The blow was intercepted by Lilla, one of Edwin’s most devoted attendants, who protected him by placing his own body between the assassin and the king. However, the assassin plunged his weapon with such force that the king was wounded through the body of his thane, who was killed on the spot. On the night of the same Easter Day, the queen gave birth to a daughter, who was the first of the Northumbrian royal family to be baptised by Bishop Paulinus and was given the name Eanfled.

² Penda succeeded to the kingdom of Mercia in the fiftieth year of his age and governed it for thirty years. He was the son of Wibba, the son of Crida, the son of Cynewald, the son of Cnebba, the son of Icel, the son of Gomer, the son of Angengeat, the son of Offa, the son of Wermund, the son of Wightleag, the son of Waga, the son of Wothelgeat, the son of Woden.

A.D. 628. #

¹ In the sixteenth year of the Emperor Heraclius, the fifteenth indiction, Edwin, the most illustrious king of the English in Britain, who reigned over the nation to the north of the Humber, received the word of salvation with his people through the preaching of Paulinus, the bishop sent from Kent by Archbishop Justus. This occurred in the eleventh year of his reign and about two hundred and thirty years, more or less, after the English tribes arrived in Britain. The king himself founded the episcopal see of York for Paulinus. His temporal power increased as a sign of his embracing the faith and inheriting the heavenly kingdom, for he was the first of the English princes to bring the whole of Britain, except Kent, under his dominion.

² At this time, Pope Honorius wrote a letter refuting the error of the Quartodecimans concerning the observance of Easter, which had originated among the Scots. John, who succeeded Severinus’ successor, disputed the same matter with them. For, before he was elected pope, he wrote to them concerning this question of Easter, as well as the Pelagian heresy, which had revived among them.

³ Cynegils and his son Cuichelm, the kings of the West Saxons, fought a battle near Cirencester with Penda, king of the Mercians. Peace was then made and ratified, and they withdrew their troops.

A.D. 629-631. #

A.D. 632. #

¹ Eorpwald, son of king Redwald, son of Tytel, son of Uffa, was persuaded by king Edwin to abandon his idolatrous superstition and embrace the Christian faith and sacraments with all his people; but he was slain by a pagan named Ricbert.

A.D. 633. #

¹ The illustrious king Edwin, having reigned gloriously for seventeen years over both nations, Britons as well as English, was killed on the fourth day before the ides (12 October), in the forty-eighth year of his age, by Penda, the heathen king of Mercia, a prince of distinguished bravery, and Cedwal, king of the Britons, a still more savage heathen, in a fiercely contested pitched battle on the plain of Heathfield. Affairs in Northumbria being thus thrown into confusion, Paulinus took queen Ethelburga with him and returned to Kent by sea, where he was received with honour by Honorius the archbishop and Eadbald the king.

A.D. 634. #

¹ Cedwal, king of the Britons, having first slain king Osric, king Edwin’s cousin, together with all his army, afterwards put to death Eanfrith, son of king Ethelfrith, who had come to him to sue for peace. After Eanfrith’s death, his brother Oswald advanced with his army, which, though small in number, was strong in the faith of Christ, and slaughtered the impious British chief together with his immense army, which he boasted that nothing could withstand. Oswald then assumed the government of both kingdoms and, in the course of time, received the submission of all the nations and provinces of Britain. At that time the people of Wessex, under their king Cynegils, embraced the Christian faith, the word being preached to them by bishop Birinus. St Wilfrid was born.

A.D. 635. #

¹ King Oswald appealed to the elders of the Scots to send him bishops. Aidan was sent; through him, and through the most illustrious and holy king Oswald himself, the Church of Christ was first founded and established in the province of Bernicia. Birinus was sent by Pope Honorius to preach in England, and through his teaching of the gospel in Wessex, king Cynegils and his subjects became believers; the most victorious king Oswald was his sponsor at the baptismal font. From these kings the same bishop received Dorchester as the seat of his bishopric.

A.D. 636. #

¹ Sigebert, brother of Eorpwald, king of the East-Angles, a prince in every respect most Christian and most learned, early in his reign took measures to ensure that his whole province should partake of the faith and sacraments. Bishop Felix, a native of Burgundy, who had become very close to Sigebert, king of the East-Angles, while he was an exile in France, encouraged his designs and, accompanying him to England after Eorpwald’s death, was appointed by him bishop of the East-Angles. Having converted that province to the faith of Christ and secured the foundation of an episcopal see in the city of Dunwich, he presided over that nation for seventeen years.

² At that time a most holy man named Fursey came from Ireland to East-Anglia and, being received with honour by the same king, preached there the word of life [Philippians 2:16], and, having converted many of the unbelievers to Christ, afterwards built a noble monastery. Meanwhile, the king, having given up the administration of affairs and entrusted them to his cousin Ecgric, retired to the monastery he had founded and, receiving the tonsure, was for a long time enlisted in the service of the King Eternal [1 Timothy 1:17]. But when Penda, the heathen king of Mercia, made war against the East-Angles, he was drawn from the monastery against his will and, being reluctantly led into battle with only a staff in his hand, was slain along with king Ecgric. Anna, son of Eni, succeeded to the throne. Cuichelm, the son of king Cynegils, was baptised by bishop Birinus in the city of Dorchester and died the same year.

A.D. 637, 638. #

A.D. 639. #

¹ Bishop Birinus baptised Cuthred, the son of king Cuichelm, in the city of Dorchester and received him from the font of regeneration [Titus 3:5].

A.D. 640. #

¹ Eadbald, king of Kent, died in the twenty-fifth year of his reign, leaving the government of his kingdom to his son Erconberht. He was the first of the English kings to order that idols should be forsaken and destroyed throughout his whole kingdom, and at the same time he commanded the fast of forty days to be observed. His daughter Ercongote, by his queen St Sexburg, was a virgin endowed with sublime virtues.

A.D. 641. #

A.D. 642. #

¹ The most Christian king Oswald, nephew of king Edwin and son of king Ethelfrith, a prince who was always humble, gracious, and generous to pilgrims and the poor, was slain in the thirty-eighth year of his age and the ninth of his reign by Penda, the heathen king of Mercia, in a great battle fought at a place called Maserfeld.

A.D. 643. #

¹ His brother Oswy, a young man about thirty years of age, shortly afterwards succeeded to his kingdom and maintained himself in it through incessant struggles for twenty-eight years. Cenwalch, son of Cynegils, succeeded in the same year to the kingdom of Wessex, which he held for twenty-one years. He built the church at Winchester, in which the bishop’s seat is situated.

A.D. 644. #

¹ Paulinus, formerly bishop of York but then bishop of Rochester, died on the sixth day before the ides (10 October). He had been a bishop for eighteen years, two months, and twenty-one days. Honorius, the archbishop and successor of Justus, ordained Ithamar bishop of Rochester in place of Paulinus.

A.D. 645. #

¹ Cenwalch, king of Wessex, being attacked by Penda, king of the Mercians, for having divorced Penda’s sister, was dethroned and took refuge with Anna, king of East-Anglia. Likewise, in this same year, king Oswin, son of Osric and first cousin of Edwin, a prince of graceful appearance, tall in stature, courteous and affable, gentle in manner, generous to all, the humblest of kings, and generally beloved, began to reign in the province of Deira and governed it for seven years.

A.D. 646. #

¹ King Cenwalch was baptised in East-Anglia by bishop Felix.

A.D. 647. #

¹ Felix, the first bishop of the East-Angles, died; in his place archbishop Honorius consecrated his deacon, Thomas, who also died after serving as bishop for five years and was succeeded by Boniface.

A.D. 648. #

¹ King Cenwalch returned from East-Anglia to Wessex and, in the same year, made a large grant of lands to his nephew Cuthred, son of king Cuichelm.

A.D. 649. #

A.D. 650. #

¹ Bishop Egilbert, a native of France, was appointed to the see of Wessex by king Cenwalch after the death of Birinus, and exercised episcopal authority in that province for many years.

A.D. 651. #

¹ St Cuthbert entered the monastery of Mailrose, where he was admitted by Eata, the most reverend abbot of that church. Oswin, king of Deira, a man of the deepest humility and eminent piety, was slain in a detestable manner on the thirteenth day before the calends of September (30 August), at the command of king Oswy, by his ealdorman Ethelwin, having been treacherously betrayed by earl Hunwald, in whom he trusted as a devoted friend. He was succeeded by Ethelwold, son of king Oswald. After the murder of king Oswin, bishop Aidan departed to the realms of bliss on the second day before the calends of September (31 August). Cuthbert, an excellent young man, saw his soul carried to heaven by angels. Finan was raised to the bishopric in his place, being consecrated and sent by the Scots.

A.D. 652. #

A.D. 653. #

¹ Benedict, surnamed Biscop, a thane of king Oswin and an Englishman of noble birth, left his home and kindred, his possessions and native country, for the love of Christ [Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:29-30], at the age of twenty-five, and, travelling to Rome, returned advanced in learning. Honorius, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the second day before the calends of October (30 September). He was succeeded in the see, after an interval of a year and six months, by Deusdedit, the sixth archbishop from Augustine, who, having been consecrated by Ithamar, bishop of Rochester, on the seventh day before the calends of April (26 March), governed his church for nine years, four months, and two days.

² The Mid-Angles, under their prince Peada, son of Penda, king of Mercia, received the Christian faith and sacraments, the prince himself being first baptised, together with all his attendants, by bishop Finan at the court of Oswy, king of Northumbria. Afterwards, on his return home, the rest of his people were baptised by four priests, Cedd, Adda, Betti, and Diuma, who accompanied him from Northumbria. At that time Sigebert, king of the East-Angles, who succeeded Sebert, surnamed the Little, having embraced the faith of Christ at the exhortation of king Oswy while visiting him, was baptised by Finan, bishop of the Northumbrians; and on his return to his own seat of government, king Oswy sent with him Cedd the priest, a man of God, to preach the Word to the East-Saxons. Having gathered a numerous church for the Lord, he returned home to confer with bishop Finan and, receiving from him the episcopal dignity, returned to the province and completed with greater authority the work he had begun. On one occasion, when he revisited the province of Northumbria for the purpose of exhortation, Ethelwald, king of Deira and son of king Oswald, asked him to accept a grant of land on which he might build a monastery. In accordance with the king’s wishes, he selected a site at a place now called Leastingaig and, having erected the monastery, established in it the rules of a religious life. Meanwhile, at the instigation of the foe of all good men, Sigebert was slain by his own neighbours because it was too much his practice to pardon his enemies and, with a gentle spirit, to forgive the injuries he had received from them merely upon their asking. Swithelm, son of Sexbald, succeeded to his throne.

A.D. 654. #

¹ Anna, king of the East-Angles, was slain by king Penda and succeeded by his brother Ethelhere. A monastery was built by St Botulph at a place called Ikanhoe.

A.D. 655. #

¹ Penda, the perfidious king of Mercia, who had slain Sigebert, Ecgrig, and Anna, kings of the East-Angles, as well as Edwin and Oswald, kings of the Northumbrians, having mustered thirty legions, with as many noble thanes, advanced northwards into Bernicia to wage a war of conquest against king Oswy. That king, with his son Alfrid, trusting in Christ as their leader, although they had only one legion, met the enemy at a place called Winwidfeld. Battle being joined, the pagans were routed and cut to pieces, nearly all the thirty royal thanes who marched under Penda’s banner being slain. Among them fell Ethelhere, brother and successor of Anna, king of the East-Angles, who had promoted the war. His brother Ethelwald succeeded to his kingdom. Then king Oswy, in acknowledgement of the victory granted to him, devoted to God twelve estates for the building of monasteries, together with his daughter Elfleda, who was to be consecrated as a nun; accordingly, she entered the monastery of Heortesig, of which Hilda was then abbess. This battle was fought by king Oswy in the neighbourhood of Leeds, in the thirteenth year of his reign, on the seventeenth day before the calends of December (15 November), and he converted the nation of the Mercians to the faith of Christ. Through his care, Diuma, already mentioned, was the first to be made bishop of the province of Mercia and of the people of Lindisfarne and Middle-Anglia; the second was Ceollan, a Scotsman by birth. This king reigned for three years over the Mercians and the other peoples of the southern provinces. He compelled the Pictish nation to submit to the dominion of the English, and made his cousin Peada, son of king Penda, king of the Southern Mercians.

A.D. 656. #

¹ King Peada was most foully murdered through the treachery of his wife, at the very time when the feast of Easter was being celebrated.

A.D. 657. #

¹ Cenwalch, king of Wessex, fought with the Britons and drove them as far as the Parret. The abbess St Hilda began to build a monastery at a place called Streoneshealh, in which king Oswy’s daughter was a nun during the earlier part of her life and afterwards became abbess. Her mother, queen Eanfleda, built a monastery called In-Getling on the spot where king Oswine, son of her father’s cousin king Osric, had been unjustly slain, and appointed Trumhere, a man of God and kinsman of the murdered king, as abbot.

A.D. 659. #

¹ Immin, Eaba, and Eadberht, ealdormen of Mercia, rebelled against king Oswy, raising to the throne Wulfhere, the son of Penda, who, having been kept safely in concealment, was now reaching the age of puberty; and thus, under their own king, they enjoyed the liberty of professing Christianity. This king’s first bishop was Trumhere, already named; the second was Jaruman; the third Cedd; and the fourth Winfrid.

A.D. 660. #

¹ King Cenwalch divided the West-Saxon province into two dioceses and made the city of Winchester bishop Wine’s episcopal seat; as a result, bishop Agilbert was so offended that he retired to France and accepted the bishopric of Paris. King Ecgfrith, son of king Oswy, married Etheldritha, the daughter of Anna, king of the East-Angles.

A.D. 661. #

¹ Cuthred, son of king Cuichelm, that is, grandson of king Cynegils and first cousin of the kings Cenwalch and Centwin, together with the tributary king Cenbriht, who was great-grandson of king Ceaulin and father of king Cedwal, died this year. Wulfhere, king of the Mercians, first ravaged Ascesdun and then took possession of the Isle of Wight, which he gave to his godson Ethelwold, king of the South-Saxons, together with the district of Meanvara in Wessex. Finan, bishop of the Northumbrians, died and was succeeded by Colman, who was also sent from Scotland.

A.D. 662, 663. #

A.D. 664. #

¹ In the thirtieth year after Scottish bishops were established in Northumbria, and the twenty-second year of the reign of king Oswy, questions having arisen in that province concerning Easter, the tonsure, and other ecclesiastical matters, it was agreed that a synod should be held at the monastery of Streoneshealh, where Hilda was then abbess. It was attended by the kings Oswy and his son Alfrid, who had succeeded to the kingdom of king Ethelwald, son of king Oswald; as well as by bishop Colman and his clergy, Agilbert, bishop of the West-Saxons, with the priests Agatho and Wilfrid, Cedd, bishop of the East-Saxons, and the abbess Hilda with her officials. After much debate, both the superiors and their subordinates at last agreed to abandon the invalid usages of the Scots and hastened to adopt those which they had found to be better. The controversy being concluded and the questions resolved, Agilbert returned home, and Cedd, abandoning the traditions of the Scots, returned to his own diocese. Colman, silenced by the unanimous decision of the Catholics, rejoined his adherents in Scotland, and when he withdrew to his own country, Tuda was appointed bishop of the Northumbrians in his place; but he ruled the Church only for a short time. Eata, a most reverend man, who was abbot of Mailrose and had previously founded the monastery of Ripon at king Alfrid’s request, was placed over the brethren of Lindisfarne and transferred St Cuthbert from Mailrose to the island of Lindisfarne.

² In the same year, there was an eclipse of the sun on 3 May, at about the tenth hour. It was quickly followed by a pestilence which took Tuda, the priest of the Lord, from the world. The king, on the advice and with the agreement of his father, king Oswy, sent the venerable father Wilfrid, abbot of Ripon, to the king of the Franks, requesting that he should be ordained bishop, being then about thirty years old. The king then sent him for consecration to Agilbert, who, having withdrawn from Britain, had been made bishop of Paris and, assisted by eleven other bishops, performed the ceremony with great solemnity. Deusdedit, the sixth archbishop from Augustine, died on the second day before the ides (14 July). Erconbert, king of Kent, also died in the same year, and his son Egbert ascended the throne. Ceadda, that holy man who was brother of Cedd, bishop and saint, and abbot of the monastery of Leastingaig, was, at the command of king Oswy, consecrated bishop of York by Wine, bishop of Winchester, as Wilfrid was still abroad in foreign lands. Ethelburga, mother of the convent of Barking, a woman beloved by God and the first abbess of that monastery, was released from the prison of the flesh on the fifth day before the ides (11 October). She was the sister of Erconwald, a man of admirable sanctity who afterwards became bishop of London; her life was such that no one who knew her could doubt that, when she died, the gates of the heavenly kingdom were opened to her. She was succeeded as abbess by a nun beloved of God named Hildelith. Shortly afterwards, Cedd, bishop of the East-Saxons, went to his monastery of Leastingaig, where he fell ill and died on the seventh day before the calends of November (26 October). Ethelwald, king of the East-Angles, having died, was succeeded by Aldulf, whose mother was Hereswitha, sister of St Hilda the abbess; their father was Hererie, son of Eadfrith, son of Edwine. Boisilus, a monk of sublime virtues, superior of the monastery of Mailrose, a man inspired with the spirit of prophecy and a priest beloved of God, having been struck by a mortal illness, was raised to the joys of eternal light. Sighere, king of the East-Saxons, together with his part of the people, apostatised from the faith. When this came to the ears of Wulfhere, king of the Mercians, he sent bishop Jaruman, Trumhere’s successor, to correct the error. Sebbi, however, who shared the throne with him as co-heir, preserved the faith he had embraced, together with all the people subject to him.

A.D. 665. #

¹ Benedict, surnamed Biscop, went to Rome for the second time, when Vitalian was pope, and a few months later retired to the island of Lerins. Devoting himself to the monastic life, he received the tonsure and for two years served God under the abbot’s rule, according to the regular discipline.

A.D. 666. #

¹ St Aldhelm was ordained abbot of Malmesbury in the church of SS Peter and Paul by Eleutherius, the fourth bishop of the West-Saxons. Wina, bishop of Winchester, having been driven from his see by king Cenwalch, went to Wulfhere, king of the Mercians, and, receiving from him the see of London, remained bishop of that city for the rest of his life.

A.D. 667. #

¹ The most illustrious English kings, Oswy of the province of Northumbria and Egbert of Kent, with the consent of the holy Church of the English nation, sent to Rome for consecration to the office of bishop a priest named Wihard, one of the clerics of archbishop Deusdedit. But although he reached Rome, he died before he could be consecrated. Ceadda, bishop of York, governed the Church gloriously for three years; he then retired to the supervision of his monastery at Leastingaig, and Wilfrid assumed the episcopal charge of the entire province of Northumbria.

A.D. 668. #

¹ Biscop, also called Benedict, visited Rome for the third time. There was then at Rome a monk named Theodore, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, a man well versed in both secular and ecclesiastical learning, master of both Greek and Latin, of unblemished life, and sixty-six years of age. Pope Vitalian, having consecrated him archbishop on Sunday, the seventh day before the calends of April (26 March), entrusted him to the care of Biscop, as he was a prudent and spirited man, to be conducted to Britain in company with abbot Adrian.

A.D. 669. #

¹ Archbishop Theodore arrived in Kent on Sunday, the sixth day before the calends of June (27 May), and entrusted the government of the monastery of St Peter the Apostle to Benedict, also called Biscop, with the office of abbot. Soon afterwards he travelled throughout the island, consecrating bishops in suitable places, and completed the consecration of Ceadda with new rites according to the Catholic form. In the city of Rochester also, where there had been no bishop since the death of Damianus, he ordained Putta, a man skilled in ecclesiastical discipline; and not long afterwards, on the death of Jaruman, at the request of king Wulfhere and with the agreement of king Oswy, he directed Ceadda to take charge of the united sees of Mercia and Lindisfarne. Ceadda obeyed the command devoted himself to the ministry he had accepted with great purity of life. King Wulfhere granted him fifty hides of land for the purpose of building a monastery at a place called At-Bearuwe.

A.D. 670. #

¹ Oswy, king of the Northumbrians, fell ill and died on the fifteenth day before the calends of March (15 February), in the fifty-eighth year of his age, leaving his son Egfrid as successor to his kingdom. King Cenwalch and the West-Saxons asked Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury, to consecrate Eleutherius, nephew of Agilbert, bishop of Paris, as their bishop, and, having accordingly been consecrated at Winchester, he administered the united diocese for seven years.

A.D. 671. #

¹ There was a pestilence among birds, which destroyed vast numbers. The venerable abbot Benedict, also called Biscop, having presided over the monastery of St Peter the Apostle for two years in the office of abbot, went from Britain to Rome for the third time, with the permission of archbishop Theodore. He was succeeded in the government of the monastery by abbot Adrian, whom we have mentioned before, an African by birth, well read in the sacred writings and an accomplished scholar in both Greek and Latin.

A.D. 672. #

¹ Cenwalch, king of the West-Saxons, died in the thirtieth year of his reign; his queen Sexburga, according to the English Chronicle, reigned after him for one year, but according to Bede, tributary kings divided his kingdom and ruled it for about ten years. Etheldritha, queen of the Northumbrians, repeatedly entreated king Egfrid for permission to free herself from worldly cares and serve the Lord Christ in a monastery; and having at last, with no little difficulty, succeeded, she entered the monastery of St Ebba, the abbess, who was sister of the kings St Oswald and St Oswy, and aunt of king Egfrid, receiving the nun’s veil from the hands of bishop Wilfrid. After bishop Ceadda had gloriously ruled the Church in the province of Mercia for two and a half years, he became very infirm and, having prepared for his end by partaking of the body and blood of our Lord [1 Corinthians 11:23-26], passed to eternal bliss on the sixth day before the nones (2 March). As he was departing from this world, the most reverend father Egbert, who had been his fellow student in Ireland, saw the spirit of St Chad, the bishop, Ceadda’s brother, descend from heaven with a host of angels and bear Ceadda’s spirit upwards with them on their return to the realms of bliss. His deacon, Winfrid, was consecrated by Theodore and became the successor of his master, the bishop. Benedict Biscop returned from Rome and, on landing in Britain, went to his own people and native soil. Egfrid, king of the nations beyond the Humber, whose court he visited, immediately granted him a domain containing seventy families so that he might build a monastery at the mouth of the river Wear.

A.D. 673. #

¹ Egbert, king of Kent, died in the month of July, in the ninth year of his reign; he was succeeded by his brother Hlothere, who reigned for eleven years and seven months. Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury, convened an episcopal synod at a place called Hertford, at which Wilfrid, bishop of the Northumbrians, was represented by his own legates. Present at this synod were Putta, bishop of Rochester, Eleutherius, bishop of the East-Saxons, and Winfrid, bishop of the Mercians; to these must be added Bisi, bishop of the East-Angles, successor of Boniface already mentioned. He was a very holy and devout man and had been consecrated by Theodore a short time before the synod; afterwards, being prevented by severe infirmities from performing the duties of his office, two bishops, Æcci and Badwine, were ordained during his lifetime to act on his behalf. St Etheldritha was made abbess in the district called Elge (Ely), where, having built a monastery for nuns, this virgin became their mother in the heavenly life through both her example and her teaching.

A.D. 674. #

¹ According to the English Chronicle, Escwine succeeded this year to the kingdom of Wessex. He was the son of Cenfus, who was son of Cenferth, who was son of Cuthgils, who was son of Ceolwulf, who was son of Cynric, who was son of Cerdic. (Ireland, the island of saints, was gloriously filled with holy men and wonderful works.) Biscop . . . . . (built a monastery) at the mouth of the river Wear, in the second indiction.

A.D. 675. #

¹ Wulfhere, king of Mercia, and Escwine, king of Wessex, fought a battle at a place called Beadenhead. In the same year, the seventeenth of his reign, king Wulfhere himself passed to heaven. He was the first of the Mercian kings to receive the faith and the washing of holy regeneration [Titus 3:5]; and, abolishing and utterly rooting out the worship of idols among all his people, he caused the name of Christ to be proclaimed throughout his dominions and built churches in many places. His queen, St Ermengilda, was the daughter of Erconbert, king of Kent, and his queen, St Sexburga, the daughter of Anna, king of the East-Angles, and sister of St Etheldritha. St Werburga, Wulfhere’s daughter by Ermengilda, a virgin of exemplary virtue, renounced the world after her father’s death and, resolving to take the habit of a nun, entered the monastery of her mother’s aunt, St Etheldritha, where by God’s help she performed many miracles. Her uncle, king Ethelred, hearing reports of her sanctity, appointed her, with the rank of abbess, to preside over several monasteries of virgins devoted to God. Living in and among them according to monastic rules, and lovingly caring for their welfare in all things, she laboured in the service of Christ her King until the end of her life; and, dying in one of her monasteries called Trentham, the blessed virgin was espoused and taken to her heavenly bridegroom. Her body was carried to the monastery at Hanbury, as she had directed during her lifetime, and, being buried with great honour, remained incorrupt until the time when the heathen Danes laid waste the provinces of England with cruel slaughter and barbarous ravages. King Wulfhere’s brothers were these: Ethelred, who succeeded him in his kingdom; Peada, who, as we briefly mentioned, was king of the Southern Mercians; and Merewald, who ruled in the western part of Mercia. Merewald’s queen, Ermenburga, bore him three daughters, St Mildburg, St Mildrith, and St Mildgith, and one son, Merefin, a young man of eminent piety.

² Archbishop Theodore, being offended with Winfrid, bishop of the Mercians, because of an act of disobedience, deposed him from his bishopric and ordained in his place Saxulf, the founder and abbot of the monastery called Burg, in the territory of the Girvii. After his deposition, Winfrid retired to his monastery of Bearwe and there ended his days in a life of holiness. Theodore also appointed Erconwald bishop of the East-Saxons, who were then under Sebbe and Sighere, with London as his see, where his predecessor Wine had held his episcopal seat. Erconwald’s life and conduct, both before and after he was made bishop, are said to have been most holy. He founded two monasteries, one for himself and the other for his sister; his own, called Chertsey, he filled with monks and richly endowed with the aid of the sub-king Frithewold; his sister’s monastery was called Barking, and she became its first abbess. Waldhere succeeded Erconwald, and after him came Inguald, the last bishop of London mentioned by Bede in his History of England. Moreover, Hildelith succeeded Ethelburga, St Erconwald’s sister, and it was to her that St Aldhelm addressed his book “On Virginity”. Wulfhildis succeeded Hildelith as abbess in the time of king Edgar.

A.D. 676. #

¹ Benedict Biscop went from Britain to Rome for the fourth time, accompanied by Ceolfrid, a pious monk, and brought back a bull of privileges, accepted not only with the licence and concurrence, but at the express desire and request of king Egfrid, whereby the independence and immunities of his monastery were secured for ever. He also obtained the services of John, precentor of the church of St Peter the Apostle, bringing him to Britain to teach his monks the course of chanting throughout the year.

² Escwine, king of Wessex, died, and Centwine, who was son of Cynegils, son of Ceol, succeeded him. Ethelred, king of the Mercians, ravaged Kent, destroying the city of Rochester in the general devastation. Putta, its bishop, being exposed to this calamity, took refuge with Saxulf, bishop of the Mercians, and, accepting the charge of a church which he gave him, ended his days there in peace. Theodore consecrated Cuichelm as bishop in Putta’s place, but as he retired from the see shortly afterwards because it had been stripped of its possessions, Theodore appointed Gebmund bishop in his stead. On the death of Eleutherius, bishop of the West-Saxons, Hæddi assumed his episcopal duties, having been consecrated by Theodore at London. St Cuthbert devoted himself to a life of solitude and contemplation as a hermit.

A.D. 677. #

¹ In the eighth year of Egfrid’s reign, a comet appeared in the month of August. In the same year, as a result of a dispute between king Egfrid and the most reverend bishop Wilfrid, the bishop was expelled from his see, and two bishops were appointed in his place, namely Bosa, a reverend monk of the monastery of the abbess Hilda, who governed the province of Deira, and Eata, the venerable abbot of Mailrose, who governed Bernicia. The one established his episcopal seat in the city of York, the other in the church of Hagulstad (Hexham), or at Lindisfarne; and both were taken from their monasteries to be raised to the episcopate. Eathræd was also made bishop with them in the province of Lindisfarras (Lindsey), which king Egfrid had very recently taken possession of after defeating Wulfhere in battle and driving him out of the country. This was the first bishop of its own that the province had; the second was Ethelwine, the third Edgar, and the fourth Cyneberht. Before this, it had been governed by Saxwulf, who was also bishop at the same time of the Mercians and East-Angles. Consequently, after his expulsion from Lindsey, he continued to govern the latter two provinces. Eathæd, Bosa, and Eata were consecrated at York by archbishop Theodore.

² Wilfrid, having been driven from his bishopric, intended to go to Rome, but after embarking he was driven by a westerly wind to Friesland, where he was the first to do the work of an evangelist [2 Timothy 4:5]; and, converting many thousands of barbarians to the faith, he spent the winter there with great joy among the newly converted people of God.

A.D. 678. #

¹ The holy Bede was born.

A.D. 679. #

¹ A severe battle was fought between Egfrid, king of Northumbria, and Ethelred, king of Mercia, on the river Trent, in which king Alfwine, brother of king Egfrid, was slain. His sister Osfrith was married to king Ethelred.

² Bishop Wilfrid, departing from Friesland, proceeded to Rome and, having been cleared of the charges against him and judged fit for his office by Pope Benedict and several bishops, returned to Britain and converted the province of the South-Saxons to the faith of Christ. St Etheldritha, the virgin and abbess of Ely, was taken to the Lord from the midst of her flock on the ninth day before the calends of July (23 June). Her sister Sexburga succeeded her as abbess.

A.D. 680. #

¹ In the sixth year of the reign of Ethelred, king of Mercia, in the eighth indiction, archbishop Theodore convened a synod of the bishops and great numbers of learned men at a place called Heathfield, so that he might ascertain what doctrines they each held, as he had been directed by Pope Agatho through John the precentor, who was present at this synod. During this king’s reign, the province of Mercia was divided into five dioceses, and consequently Tatfrith, a man of profound learning who belonged to the monastery of abbess Hilda, was chosen to be bishop of the Hwiccii; but he died suddenly before he could be consecrated, and therefore the reverend man Bosel was shortly afterwards ordained bishop of that province.

² Hilda, the devout handmaid of the Lord, abbess of the monastery of Streoneshalh (Whitby), and daughter of Hereric, king Edwin’s grandson, having done the work of heaven upon earth, passed from this world to receive the rewards of life in heaven on the fifteenth day before the calends of December (17 November), in the sixty-sixth year of her age. She founded two monasteries, Streoneshalh and Hacanos (Hackness), in which she taught justice, devotion, continence, and other virtues, but chiefly peace and charity. In a monastery governed by this abbess lived Cedmon, that celebrated monk, who received from heaven the free gift of poetic inspiration. Oshere, the sub-king, with the permission of his suzerain, Ethelred, the most excellent king of the Mercians, gave a domain containing thirty households at a place called Rippel to Frithewald, a monk of bishop Winfrid’s who has already been mentioned, so that he might establish the monastic rule there.

A.D. 681. #

¹ Bede was only seven years old when, being a boy of great promise, his relatives entrusted him to the most reverend abbot Biscop to be brought up by him. Three years after Wilfrid had withdrawn, archbishop Theodore ordained Tunbert to the church of Hexham, while Eata continued at Lindisfarne, and Trumwine as bishop of the territory of the Picts. Eathæd, having returned from Lindsey because king Ethelred had recovered possession of that province, was placed over the church of Ripon.

A.D. 682. #

¹ Centwine, king of Wessex, drove the Britons of the West at sword-point as far as the sea. The most reverend abbot Benedict Biscop chose his cousin Eusterwine, a priest of eminent piety and one of his own monks, and placed the monastery under his rule as abbot. King Egfrid, for the redemption of his soul, gave another domain of forty families to abbot Benedict, who sent twenty-two monks there and appointed abbot Ceolfrid, his most vigorous supporter on all occasions, as their superior, founding a monastery by the king’s command at a place called Girvum (Jarrow).

A.D. 683. #

A.D. 684. #

¹ Egfrid, king of Northumbria, sent Berht in command of an army to Ireland, where he cruelly ravaged the inoffensive inhabitants. A synod having assembled at Twyford near the river Alne, at which king Egfrid was present and archbishop Theodore presided, Tunbert was deposed from his see, and Cuthbert was unanimously elected bishop of Hexham; but as he preferred to oversee the church of Lindisfarne, he was permitted to take that bishopric, with Eata returning to Hexham. Benedict Biscop left Britain for Rome for the fifth time.

A.D. 685. #

¹ Hlothere, king of Kent, having received a wound in battle with the East-Saxons, died while it was healing, on Monday, the eighth day before the ides (6 February). He was succeeded by Edric, son of his brother Egbert, who reigned for one year and a half. Britain was swept by a pestilence which carried death into every quarter, and abbot Eusterwine, beloved of God, falling victim to it, was taken to the Lord; in his place the brethren, after consulting abbot Ceolfrid, chose as their abbot Sigefrid, a deacon belonging to the same monastery, eminent for his sanctity and profound study of the Scriptures. Biscop returned from Rome laden with gifts for ecclesiastical use and foreign valuables. The consecration of St Cuthbert took place on Easter Day, in the presence of king Egfrid; seven bishops assisted at the solemnity, of whom archbishop Theodore was primate. King Egfrid, having rashly led an army to ravage the territory of the Picts, was slain on Saturday, the thirteenth day before the calends of June (20 May), in the fortieth year of his age and the fifteenth of his reign. He was succeeded by his brother Alfrid, a prince well read in the Scriptures. At the beginning of his reign, on the death of the most holy bishop Eata, John, a man of sanctity, was appointed bishop of Hexham. Bishop Trumwine, that devoted servant of the Lord, returned with his companions from the country of the Picts and, choosing Streoneshalh as his future home, spent the rest of his life there, to his own spiritual benefit and that of many others; dying there also, he ascended to the kingdom of heaven. Ceadwalla, a most gallant young man of the royal blood of the Gewissæ, slew Ethelwalh, king of the South-Saxons, having taken him by surprise at the head of an army; but he was shortly afterwards driven out by the ealdormen Berhtun and Ethelhun, who thereafter assumed the government of the kingdom.

² Centwine, king of the East-Saxons, died and was succeeded by Ceadwalla, just mentioned, who was the son of Cynebert, who was son of Ceadda, who was son of Cutha, who was son of Ceaulin, who was son of Cynric, who was son of Cerdic.

A.D. 686. #

¹ Bishop Wilfrid, after a long exile, returned to his see and bishopric of the church of Hexham at the invitation of king Alfrid. On the death of Bosa, a most holy and humble man, John succeeded him as bishop of York. Ceadwalla, king of the Gewissæ, slew Beorthun, ealdorman of Sussex, and reduced that province to severe servitude. He and his brother Mull then ravaged Kent; and afterwards king Ceadwalla himself seized the Isle of Wight, the whole of which had until then remained lost in idolatry; and although he had not yet himself been regenerated in Christ, he offered bishop Wilfrid the fourth part of the island, containing three hundred families, to be devoted to the Lord’s service. Wilfrid accepted the grant and, entrusting its superintendence to his nephew Berwin, sent ministers of the Word into the island. Bishop Cuthbert, the man of God, having spent two years in his episcopal duties, retired again, following a divine warning, to the island of Farne. On the death of Edric, king of Kent, that kingdom was for some time divided among kings of doubtful claim or foreigners.

A.D. 687. #

¹ The Kentish people, having cruelly surrounded Mull, brother of Ceadwalla, king of the West-Saxons, with fire and burnt him to death along with twelve of his soldiers, so aroused king Ceadwalla’s indignation that he again devastated Kent. The most reverend father Cuthbert died on the island of Farne on Wednesday, the thirteenth day before the calends of April (20 March), in the fifteenth indiction; but his body was carried to the island of Lindisfarne and buried in the church. Wilfrid, bishop of Hexham, administered Cuthbert’s see for a year. His successor in the solitary life of his hermitage was Ethelwold, a venerable man whose merits and manner of life were demonstrated by the countless miracles he performed. (St Kilian, a Scot born in Ireland bishop of Wurtzburg, became eminent.)

A.D. 688. #

¹ Ceadwalla abdicated and retired to Rome, and Ina, a prince of the royal line who built the monastery of Glastonbury, succeeded him in his kingdom. He was the son of Cenred, the son of Ceolwald, the son of Cutha, the son of Cuthwine, the son of Ceaulin. Eadbert was consecrated in place of Cuthbert; he was distinguished for his knowledge of the holy Scriptures, as well as for his observance of the divine precepts, and above all for his generous distribution of alms. The abbots Benedict Biscop and Sigefrid, worn out by prolonged illness, both took to their beds; consequently, shortly afterwards, Benedict, having consulted the brethren, sent for Ceolfrid, to whom he had entrusted the government of the monastery of St Paul the Apostle, and appointed him abbot of both monasteries, in the fourth indiction, on the fourth day before the ides (12 May). The venerable abbot Sigefrid, beloved of God, was admitted to the enjoyment of eternal rest and entered the mansions of the everlasting kingdom amid sacrifices of endless praise [Hebrews 13:15], on Saturday, the eleventh day before the calends of September (22 August) of the same year. On the death of Putta, bishop of Hereford, he was succeeded by Tyrhtell.

A.D. 689. #

¹ Benedict Biscop, the successful combatant against every vice and a pattern of virtue, after a lingering illness during which he constantly gave thanks to God, was admitted to the rest and brightness of the heavenly life on the second day before the ides (12 January). Ceadwalla, king of the West-Saxons, was baptised on Holy Saturday of Easter (10 April), when Sergius was pope; and he died at Rome on Tuesday, the twelfth day before the calends of May (20 April), in the third indiction, being about thirty years of age. His epitaph, composed by command of Pope Sergius, was as follows:

² “High rank and power, kinship, a royal crown,
The spoils of war, great triumphs and renown;
Nobles, and cities walled to guard his realm,
His palaces and his accustomed seat;
Whatever skill and valour made his own,
And what his great forefathers handed down, etc.”

A.D. 690. #

¹ Archbishop Theodore, of blessed memory, died on Monday, the thirteenth day before the calends of October (19 September), in the eighty-eighth year of his age and the twenty-second of his episcopacy. (Until this time the archbishops of Canterbury had been Romans, but henceforth they were Englishmen.)

A.D. 691. #

¹ Wilfrid, bishop of Hexham, being again accused and expelled from his see by king Alfrid and several bishops, shortly afterwards sought refuge with Ethelred, king of Mercia, by whom he was appointed to the bishopric of the Mid-Angles. At this time, Bosel, bishop of the province of the Hwiecas, was afflicted with such bodily infirmities that he was unable to perform his episcopal duties in person; consequently, Oftfor, a man of singular merit and eminent sanctity, who had long served as a priest in abbess Hilda’s monastery but was now a preacher of the Word in the aforementioned province, was ordained bishop as Bosel’s substitute by bishop Wilfrid, of blessed memory, at the command of king Ethelred, because archbishop Theodore was then dead and no prelate had been consecrated in his place. Wihtred, son of Egbert, king of Kent, being established on the throne, freed his subjects from foreign intruders. Swebheard reigned jointly with him over part of the kingdom.

A.D. 692. #

¹ The venerable Egbert, a name always to be mentioned with honour, was an Englishman by birth, but, having led the life of a pilgrim in Ireland in order to secure a place in the heavenly country [Hebrews 11:13-16], he formed the intention of preaching in Germany. Being unable to carry it out, as it was contrary to the Divine will, he sent there some holy and diligent men to perform the work of the gospel, of whom Willibrord was the most eminent, both in merit and in priestly rank. They were favourably received by Pepin the Elder, chief of the Franks, who sent them to preach in Here Friesland. Following their example, two priests named Hewald, Englishmen by birth, went into Old Saxony so that by their preaching they might gain souls for Christ in that province; but as soon as the barbarians discovered that they were of a different religion, they seized them and subjected them to martyrdom on the fifth day before the nones (3 October). Willibrord, having received permission to preach from prince Pepin, went to Rome to obtain from Pope Sergius licence to begin the work of evangelising the heathen; this being granted, he returned to his mission.

² Berthwald, abbot of the monastery of Raculf (Reculver), near the northern mouth of the river Inlade, a man well versed in the Scriptures and thoroughly acquainted with the rules of both monastic and ecclesiastical discipline, was chosen bishop in Theodore’s place. On the death of Oftfor, bishop of the Hwiccas, he was succeeded by St Egwine, who, in the course of a few years, with the permission and support of king Ethelred, began to build the Abbey of Evesham.

A.D. 693. #

¹ Berthwald was consecrated by Godwin, the metropolitan bishop of France, on Sunday, the third day before the calends of July (29 June). Among many other bishops consecrated by Godwin was Tobias, who was ordained bishop of Rochester on the death of Gebmund. Bede, the monk, was admitted to the order of deacon by John, bishop of York.

A.D. 694. #

¹ The Kentish people made peace with Ina, king of Wessex, by paying him three thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds as a fine for having burnt his brother Mull, mentioned above.

A.D. 695. #

¹ The body of St Etheldritha the Virgin was found incorrupt, as was the clothing in which it was wrapped, after having been buried for sixteen years.

A.D. 696. #

¹ St Willibrord, who was born in Britain of an English family, was, at the request of Pepin, chief of the Franks, ordained archbishop of the Frisians by Pope Sergius on the feast of the Nativity of St Cecilia the Virgin (22 November).

A.D. 697. #

¹ St Guthlac, at the age of twenty-four, renounced worldly pomp and relinquished all his property, went to the monastery of Hrepandun (Repton), and there received the tonsure and monastic habit under abbess Alfryth. Osthryth, queen of Ethelred, king of Mercia, was slain by the South-Humbrians.

A.D. 698. #

¹ The body of St Cuthbert was found, eleven years after its burial, to be as free from decay as it had been at the hour of his death, as was the robe in which he had been buried; it was therefore exhumed and, being wrapped in a new shroud and placed in a new coffin, was deposited on the floor of the sanctuary. Very shortly afterwards, bishop Eadbert, the friend of God, was struck by an acute illness and died not long afterwards, on the day before the nones (6 May). His body was placed in the tomb of St Cuthbert, upon the chest in which the incorrupt remains of that father had recently been enclosed. Eadfrid, a man of God, succeeded Eadbert in the bishopric.

A.D. 699. #

¹ St Guthlac retired to the isle of Croyland on the eighth day before the calends of September (25 August) and began to lead the life of a hermit.

A.D. 700-702. #

A.D. 703. #

¹ Bede, in his book De Temporibus, wrote as follows in the year in which he composed it:—“If you wish to know how many years there are, according to Dionysius, since our Lord’s Incarnation, reckon the number of indictions since the fifth year of Tiberius, which is forty-six; these, multiplied by fifteen, make six hundred and ninety. Always add the regular number of twelve, because, according to Dionysius, our Lord was born in the fourth indiction, and also the indiction of whatever year you choose, as, for instance, one in the present year, and the total is seven hundred and three. That is the year of our Lord according to Dionysius.” These are the words of Bede.

A.D. 704. #

¹ Ethelred, king of the Mercians, became a monk in the thirtieth year of his reign, resigning his kingdom to his nephew Cynred. The venerable monk Bede, at the command of Cealfrid his abbot, received the order of priesthood from the holy John, bishop of York.

A.D. 705. #

¹ Alfrid, king of the Northumbrians, died at Driffeld on the nineteenth day before the calends of January (14 December), having not quite completed the thirtieth year of his reign. He was succeeded in his kingdom by his son Osred, a boy about eight years old, who held it for eleven years. At the beginning of his reign, Hædda, bishop of the West-Saxons, passed to life in heaven; on his death, the bishopric of that province was divided into two dioceses, one of which was given to Daniel and the other to Aldhelm, abbot of the monastery called Mailduff (Malmesbury); both were well versed in ecclesiastical affairs and in knowledge of the Scriptures.

² St Aldhelm was consecrated by the blessed Berthwald, archbishop of Canterbury.

A.D. 706. #

A.D. 707. #

¹ Bede, having received priestly orders in the thirtieth year of his age, began to devote himself diligently to writing the work, to the composition of which twenty-nine years of his life were devoted.

A.D. 708. #

¹ Cynred, king of Mercia, and Offa, king of the East-Saxons, son of king Sighere, left their wives, their lands, their kindred, and their country for Christ’s sake and the gospel’s [Mark 10:29-30] and, having received the tonsure and become monks, persevered in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving at the threshold of the apostles until the end of their days; and thus at last were admitted to the vision of the blessed apostles in heaven, which had so long been the object of their desires. St Egwine, bishop of the Hwiecas, accompanied them to Rome at their invitation and, having petitioned Pope Constantine to issue a bull securing the monastery he had built in the territory of Worcester against unjust claims, had his request granted.

A.D. 709. #

¹ Cynred was succeeded in his kingdom by Ceolred, son of king Ethelred, who had reigned before Cynred. St Aldhelm, bishop of Wessex, a man of very extensive learning, died. Forthred (Forthere), his successor in the bishopric, was also deeply learned in the holy Scriptures.

² “Here Wilfrid’s virtues earned him the name of Great;
Long tossed by perils in this mortal state;
Three times fifteen years a bishop’s life he spent,
Then to the realms above in triumph went.”

³ His remains were buried with great ceremony in the church of St Peter the Apostle, in his original monastery of Ripon. On his death, his priest Acca received the bishopric of Hexham. He was a man of great vigour, honourable in the sight of both God and man [Luke 2:52], a skilful chanter, deeply learned in sacred literature, strict in the true confession of the Catholic faith, a model of continence, and a perfect master of the rules of monastic discipline; he had formerly been a pupil of Bosa, bishop of York, beloved by God.

A.D. 710. #

¹ Berhtfrid, commander of king Osred’s army, fought a battle with the Picts, in which he was victorious. Ina, the warlike king of the Gewissæ, and his kinsman Nun waged war against Gwent, king of the Britons, defeated him, and put him to flight. The most reverend father Adrian, abbot of the monastery of St Peter the Apostle, died and was buried in that monastery. He was succeeded by his disciple Albinus, who was as proficient in Greek and Latin as he was in English, his native tongue. On the death of Tyrhtell, bishop of Hereford, he was succeeded by Forthere.

A.D. 711-713. #

A.D. 714. #

¹ Guthlac, the brother of Christ’s dear virgin Pegia, that most exemplary hermit and faithful priest of God, who performed countless miracles, breathed out his spirit, which was borne to the joys of eternal triumph, on the third day before the ides (11 April), being the fourth day of Easter, in the twelfth indiction. He was succeeded by Cissa, who had for a long time been an idolater but was afterwards baptised in Britain.

A.D. 715. #

¹ Gregory II became the eighty-eighth pope and occupied the apostolic see for seventeen years and ten months. He was chaste and wise, and ordained Boniface to the bishopric of Mentz, from whom Germany received the word of salvation [Acts 13:26]. Ina, king of the West-Saxons, and Ceolrid, king of the Mercians, fought a battle at a place called Wodnesbeorh.

A.D. 716. #

¹ Egbert, the man of God mentioned before, persuaded the monks of Hii to adopt the Catholic usages concerning Easter and the ecclesiastical tonsure. When Osred was slain, Cenred, son of the illustrious Cuthwine, succeeded to the government of the kingdom of Northumbria. Ceolred, king of the Mercians, died and was buried at Litchfield. Ethelbald, his cousin, that is, the son of Alwine, who was the cousin of his father king Ethelred, became king, as St Guthlac, inspired by a spirit of prophecy, had foretold to him. Ethelred, formerly king of the Mercians but afterwards abbot of the monastery of Bardney, which he had himself founded, died and entered into the joys of eternal happiness, serenity, and light. Abbot Ceolfrid, a man of eminent holiness and devotion, died while on pilgrimage at the city of Langres in Burgundy, and was buried in the church of the fellow martyrs, SS Speusippus, Eleusippus, and Meleusippus. At the time of his death he was seventy-four years of age, had been in the priesthood for forty-seven years, and had held the office of abbot for thirty-five years.

A.D. 717. #

¹ St Egwine, the third bishop of the Hwiccas, died on Thursday, the third day before the calends of January (30 December), in the fifteenth indiction. Wilfrid, a man of eminent piety, succeeded to the bishopric of the church of Worcester, having been elected during Egwine’s lifetime.

A.D. 718. #

¹ Cenred, king of the Northumbrians, died, and Osrie was raised to the throne. Ingils, brother of Ina, king of the West-Saxons, died. His sisters were St Cuenburh and St Cuthburh, who founded a monastery for nuns at a place called Winburne. Aldfrith, king of the Northumbrians, married Cuthburh, but they both renounced marital relations before her death, for the love of God.

A.D. 721. #

¹ Daniel, bishop of Winchester, went to Rome. In the same year, king Ina slew Cynewulf the Etheling. The holy John, bishop of York, being prevented by the weight of age from properly performing his episcopal duties, consecrated his friend Wilfrid to act on his behalf and, retiring to his monastery, called “In the Wood of Deira”, died there on the nones (7 May), having spent the closing years of his life in a manner pleasing to God. Eadfrid, bishop of Lindisfarne, died and was succeeded by Ethelwald, priest and abbot of Mailrose.

A.D. 722. #

¹ Queen Ethelburh levelled to the ground the castle of Taunton, which had been built some time before by king Ina, who fought a battle with the South-Saxons in the same year.

A.D. 723, 724. #

A.D. 725. #

¹ Wihtred, king of Kent, son of Egbert, died on the ninth day before the calends of May (23 April), leaving three sons, Ethelbert, Eadbert, and Alric, as heirs to his kingdom, which he had held for thirty-four and a half years. King Ina, in a second battle with the South-Saxons, slew the Etheling Aldbriht, whom he had previously driven out of Wessex.

² In this year Bede, the chronologer, composed his “Lesser Book of Computation”; for he writes as follows: “If you wish to know the epact for any year, take the year of our Lord, whatever it may be, according to Dionysius, as in the present eighth indiction, seven hundred and twenty-five; divide by nineteen, multiply nineteen by thirty, and you have five hundred and seventy, and nineteen multiplied by eight produces one hundred and fifty-two: subtracting these, three remain; three multiplied by eleven make thirty-three; subtract thirty, and three remain, which is the epact for the present year.” These are Bede’s words.

A.D. 726. #

¹ Tobias, bishop of Rochester, died; he had learnt Greek and Latin so perfectly that he knew those languages as well, and could use them as fluently, as his native English. He was succeeded by Aldulf.

A.D. 727. #

A.D. 728. #

¹ King Ina, having abdicated and resigned his crown to Ethelward, a descendant of king Cerdic, journeyed to the threshold of the blessed apostles in the time of Pope Gregory II, wishing to spend some time as a pilgrim near the holy places on earth, so that from there he might secure a readier admission into the fellowship of the saints in heaven. In the same year, a battle was fought between king Ethelhard and Oswald the Etheling, who was son of Ethelbald, son of Cynebald, son of Cuthwine, son of Ceaulin.

A.D. 729. #

¹ In the month of January, two comets appeared around the sun and remained visible for nearly two weeks. Egbert, the man of God whom we have often mentioned, died on Easter Day of this year, which fell on the eighth day before the calends of May (24 April). Shortly afterwards, when Easter was past, on the seventh day before the ides (9 May), Osrie, king of the Northumbrians, also died, having declared Ceolwulf, brother of his predecessor Kenred, his heir. It was to king Ceolwulf that Bede, the servant of God, priest and monk, dedicated his Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation. Ceolwulf was the son of Cutha, who was son of Cuthwine, who was son of Egwald, who was son of Aldhelm, who was son of Occa, who was son of Ida, who was son of Eoppa.

A.D. 730. #

¹ Oswald the Etheling, a most valiant prince, died.

A.D. 731. #

¹ Archbishop Berthwald, worn out with old age, died on the fifth day before the ides (9 January). Pope Gregory II died on the third day before the ides (11 February). Tatwine, a priest of the monastery of Brindun (Breedon, Worces.), in the province of Mercia, was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury to succeed Berthwald, on Sunday, 10 June, by the following bishops: Daniel of Winchester, Inguald of London, Aldwine of Litchfield, and Aldulf of Rochester. He was eminent for piety and wisdom, and richly endowed with knowledge of sacred literature. About the year 282 after the arrival of the Angles in Britain, Tatwine and Aldulf were bishops of the churches in Kent; Inguald was bishop of the East-Saxons; Eadberht and Hathulae were bishops of the province of East-Anglia, and Daniel and Forthere of the province of Wessex; Aldwine was bishop of the province of Mercia; Walhstod of the people who lived beyond the river Severn towards the west; Wilfrid of the province of the Hwiccias; and Kynebert of the province of Lindisfarne. The bishopric of the Isle of Wight belonged to Daniel, bishop of Winchester. The bishopric of the South-Saxons having now been vacant for some years, the bishop of the West-Saxons had been invited to perform the episcopal duties there. All these provinces, and the others south of and as far as the river Humber, with their respective kings, were subject to Ethelbald, king of the Mercians. As for the province of the Northumbrians, of which Ceolwulf was king, it was divided into four bishoprics, of which Wilfrid held the church at York, Ethelwold at Lindisfarne, Acca at Hexham, and Pectelm at that which is called Candida-Casa (Whitherne). The Britons were for the most part reduced to servitude under the English.

A.D. 732. #

A.D. 733. #

¹ There was an eclipse of the sun on the eighteenth day before the calends of September, at about the third hour of the day, so that nearly its whole disc seemed to be covered by a very black and fearful spot. Acca, bishop of Hexham, was driven from his see.

A.D. 734. #

¹ On the second day before the calends of February (31 January), at about cock-crow, the moon turned blood-red for nearly an hour; then it changed to black, and afterwards regained its natural brightness. Tatwine, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the third day before the calends of August (30 July). Nothelm, a priest of the church of London, succeeded him as archbishop. The most holy Bede, the venerable priest, the monk worthy of all praise, and the admirable chronologer, died in this year according to the English Chronicles, but in the following year, A.D. 735, according to his disciple Cuthbert, who wrote an account of his death and was present with many others when he died. It took place on the Wednesday before the feast of our Lord’s Ascension, that is, the eighth day before the calends of June (25 May), at about the tenth hour, when he breathed his last in a devout and tranquil state of mind and so departed joyfully to the realms above. He composed, in a clear style, an account of most of the events that occurred in his own country down to this period, and his life and his history ended together. We too, with God as our guide, have thought it worthwhile to bequeath to our faithful successors a record of events from the time of his blessed death, gathered from the English Chronicles or from the credible accounts of trustworthy persons, as well as those which we ourselves have heard reported as undoubted facts and, in some cases, have seen with our own eyes and accurately recorded.

A.D. 735. #

¹ Pectelm, bishop of Whitherne, died and was succeeded in the bishopric by Frithowald.

A.D. 736. #

¹ Nothelm, archbishop of Canterbury, received the pallium from Gregory III, the eighty-ninth pope.

A.D. 737. #

¹ Forthere, bishop of Sherborne, and Frithogith, queen of the West-Saxons, went as pilgrims to Rome.

A.D. 738. #

¹ Ceolwulf, king of Northumbria, having abdicated his kingdom and transferred it to his cousin Eadbert, son of Eata, became a monk.

A.D. 739. #

¹ Ethelwold, bishop of Lindisfarne, and Acca, bishop of Hexham, died. Cynewulf succeeded Ethelwold, and Acca was succeeded by Frithoberht.

A.D. 740. #

A.D. 741. #

¹ Ethelhard, king of Wessex, died and was succeeded by his kinsman Cuthred, who harassed Ethelbald, king of Mercia, through continual hostilities. On the death of Nothelm, archbishop of Canterbury, on the sixteenth day before the calends of November (17 October), Cuthbert, who was the fifth bishop of Hereford, was raised to the archbishopric. Aldwulf, bishop of Rochester, also died, and Dunn was consecrated in his place.

A.D. 742. #

A.D. 743. #

¹ Ethelbald, king of Mercia, and Cuthred, king of Wessex, fought a battle with the Britons. Wilfrid, bishop of the Hwicii, died and was succeeded by Mildred. (St Boniface, archbishop of Mentz, flourished.) Stars were seen apparently falling from heaven.

A.D. 744. #

¹ (St Boniface founded the abbey of Fulda in the wilderness of Bochon.) Wilfrid the younger, archbishop of York, died on the third day before the calends of May (29 April), and Egbert, brother of king Edbert, was raised to the archiepiscopal throne. Daniel, bishop of Winchester, venerable for his great age, voluntarily resigned his office and chose to retire in the same city, and Hunfrith was appointed bishop in his place.

A.D. 745. #

¹ Daniel died in the forty-third year since his consecration as bishop, after long struggles in his heavenly warfare.

A.D. 746. #

¹ Selred, king of the East-Saxons, was slain.

A.D. 747. #

A.D. 748. #

¹ Cynric, the Etheling of the West-Saxons, was slain. Eadbert, king of Kent, died, and his brother Ethelbert was raised to the throne.

A.D. 749. #

A.D. 750. #

¹ (Pepin was anointed emperor by Boniface, archbishop of Mentz, by decree of Pope Zachary, and consequently the bishops of Mentz are considered to rank next to the popes.) Cuthred, king of the West-Saxons, fought a battle with the fierce ealdorman Ethelhun.

A.D. 751. #

A.D. 752. #

¹ Cuthred, king of Wessex, in the twelfth year of his reign, fought a severe battle with Ethelbald, king of the Mercians, near Beorhtford (Burford).

A.D. 753. #

¹ King Cuthred fought again with the Britons and slew many of them.

A.D. 754. #

¹ Cuthred, king of the West-Saxons, died, and his kinsman Sigebert, son of Sigeric, succeeded him. On the death of Hunfrith, bishop of Winchester, Cynehard was appointed in his place. Canterbury was destroyed by fire.

A.D. 755. #

¹ St Boniface, the archbishop, while preaching the word of God in Friesland, suffered martyrdom in company with many others on the nones (5 June). Cynewulf, a descendant of king Cerdic, with the support of the West-Saxon nobles, expelled their king Sigebert because of his many unjust acts and reigned in his place; but Cynewulf granted him a district called Hampshire, which he held until he unjustly slew Cumbran, the ealdorman, who had remained loyal to him longer than any of the others. After this, king Cynewulf himself marched against him and drove him into a wood which the English called Andred. He remained there for a long time, but at last was run through with a spear at a place called Privet’s-Flood by a certain herdsman, in revenge for the ealdorman’s death. The same king, Cynewulf, very often defeated the Britons in great battles. Ethelbald, king of the Mercians, was killed at Secceswald, and his body was taken to Repton and buried there. His kingdom was usurped by the tyrant Beornred, who held it for a short time with little joy or comfort, and then lost his crown and his life together. On his death he was succeeded by Offa, grandson of a cousin of Ethelbald, king of the Mercians, being the son of Thingferth, who was son of Eanwulf, who was son of Osmond, who was son of Eoppa, who was son of Wybba, the father of king Penda.

A.D. 756. #

¹ (Lullus succeeded Boniface in the archbishopric of Mentz, which he held for thirty-two years.)

A.D. 757. #

¹ Eadbert, king of the Northumbrians, resigned his crown for love of his heavenly country and received the tonsure of St Peter the Apostle. Oswulf, his son, assumed the government of the kingdom and, after reigning for one year, was slain by the Northumbrians on the ninth day before the calends of August (24 July).

A.D. 758. #

¹ Cuthbert, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the seventh day before the calends of November (26 October). At this time Swithred was king of the East-Saxons, Osmund of the South-Saxons, and Beorn of the East-Angles.

A.D. 759. #

¹ Breogwin, Cuthbert’s successor, was consecrated archbishop on the feast of St Michael. Moll Ethelwald was raised to the throne of Northumbria.

A.D. 760. #

¹ Ethelbert, king of Kent, died, and Ceolwulf, the most devout monk, formerly the illustrious king of the Northumbrians, passed to the joys of eternal light.

A.D. 761. #

¹ The winter of this year was very severe; and Moll, king of the Northumbrians, slew Oswine, a most noble Etheling, near Edwin’s-cliff, on the eighth day before the ides (6 August).

A.D. 762. #

¹ Breogwin, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the ninth day before the calends of September (24 August); he was succeeded by Jainbert, abbot of St Augustine’s.

A.D. 763. #

¹ Jainbert was enthroned as archbishop on the feast of the Purification of St Mary (2 February). In the same year Frithowald, bishop of Whitherne, died on the nones (7 May); Pehtwine, having been consecrated in the district called Elfete on the nineteenth day before the calends of August (17 July), succeeded Frithowald in the see.

A.D. 764. #

¹ Archbishop Jainbert received the pallium from Pope Paul, brother of his predecessor Pope Stephen.

A.D. 765. #

¹ Moll, king of the Northumbrians, relinquished his throne and was succeeded by Alhred, son of Eanwine, who was son of Byrnhom, who was son of Bosa, who was son of Bleacman, who was son of Ealrie, who was son of Ida.

A.D. 766. #

¹ Egbert, archbishop of York, died at York on the thirteenth day before the calends of December (19 November) and was succeeded by Ethelbert. Frithobert, bishop of Hexham, died and was succeeded by Allmund.

A.D. 767. #

A.D. 768. #

¹ Eadbert, formerly the most illustrious king of the Northumbrians and afterwards a monk of eminent piety, died on the thirteenth day before the calends of September (20 October), and was buried in the same porch in which his brother Egbert the archbishop lies.

A.D. 769-773. #

A.D. 774. #

¹ A red sign in the shape of a cross was visible in the heavens after sunset. The Mercians and the Kentish people fought a battle at Ottanford. Horrible snakes were seen in Sussex, to the wonder of all. During the feast of Easter (3 April), the Northumbrians drove their king Alhred, king Moll’s successor, from York and raised Ethelbert, son of Moll, to the throne.

A.D. 775. #

¹ Milred, bishop of the Hwiccas, died, and Wermund succeeded him in the bishopric.

A.D. 776. #

¹ Pehtwine, bishop of Whitherne, died on the thirteenth day before the calends of October (19 September).

A.D. 777. #

A.D. 778. #

¹ Ethelbert, having been expelled from his kingdom by the Northumbrians, was succeeded on the throne by Alfwold. Cynewulf, king of Wessex, and Offa, king of Mercia, fought a desperate battle near Bensington; but Offa, having gained the victory, took possession of the town and retained it. Wermund, bishop of the Hwiccas, died and was succeeded by abbot Tilhere. Ethelbert was ordained bishop of York on the twentieth day before the calends of July (15 June) at Whitherne.

A.D. 779. #

¹ Alhmund, bishop of Hexham, died on the seventh day before the ides (7 September); in his place Tilbert was consecrated on the tenth day before the nones (2 October), and Higbald was ordained bishop of Lindisfarne at Soccabirig in place of Cynewulf. King Alfwold sent envoys to Rome to request the pallium for Eanbald from Pope Adrian.

A.D. 780. #

A.D. 781. #

¹ Tilhere, bishop of the Hwiccias, having died, Heathored succeeded to his episcopal office. Ethelbert, archbishop of York and Egbert’s successor, died and was succeeded by Eanbald. He had been a pupil of Alhwine, the tutor of the emperor Charles. A synod was held at Acley. Cynewulf, bishop of Lindisfarne, and Werburga, queen of Ceolred, formerly king of the Mercians, died.

A.D. 782, 783. #

A.D. 784. #

¹ When Cynewulf, king of Wessex, was taking measures to expel Cynehard, who, being king Sigebert’s brother, was the Etheling, it happened that he came with only a few attendants to a vill called Merton in English, to visit a certain woman. The Etheling, learning of this, immediately gathered a band of his retainers and hastened to the spot with great eagerness. On his arrival, finding everyone asleep, he had the chamber in which the king lay closely surrounded on all sides by his followers. The king, being alarmed, leapt from the bed and, seizing his weapons, opened the chamber door and fought stoutly against his assailants. At length, catching sight of the Etheling, he rushed out to attack him and inflicted a severe wound upon him. Seeing this, the whole band of the Etheling’s soldiers fell upon the king and wounded and slew him. The woman, uttering cries of terror and grief, filled the chamber with her lamentations. The few troops who were attending the king ran to the spot and found their master, whom they had only shortly before left alive, lying dead. At this they were roused to such fury that, drawing their swords, they made a desperate attack upon his murderers. The Etheling tried to pacify them, promising each of them a large sum of money, as well as their lives, if they would withdraw; they rejected his offers, however, and continued the fight until they all perished except one British hostage, who was desperately wounded. When morning came and news of the king’s death spread abroad, his ealdorman Osric, who was deeply attached to him, and Wiferth, his most faithful thane, hastened to the spot with all the forces the king had left behind the previous day; but they found all the gates barred. While they were trying to break them open, the Etheling boldly came forward and promised that he would gladly heap upon them gold, silver, honours, and whatever else each of them desired, if only they would raise him to the royal throne. He also pointed out that many of their relatives were on his side and were ready to follow him to the death rather than be persuaded on any grounds to abandon him. The royal troops rejected his offers and earnestly begged their kinsmen to desert their lord and return home safely with all possible haste. But the Etheling’s party replied: “What you offer us, we offered to your comrades who fell with the king; but since they would not heed our summons, neither will we obey yours now.” On receiving this answer, the royal troops advanced, forced open the doors, broke down the barricades, and put the Etheling and all his followers, eighty-four in number, to the sword, except only his young son, who was severely wounded. The king’s body was taken to Winchester for burial; the Etheling’s was buried in the monastery at Axminster.

A.D. 785. #

¹ A synod was held at a place called Cealch-hythe in English, where, after much dispute, archbishop Jainbert lost a small portion of his diocese. Berthun, bishop of Dorchester, having died, Higbert was chosen by Offa, king of Mercia, to succeed him in his bishopric; and Offa’s son Egfert was consecrated king.

A.D. 786. #

A.D. 787. #

¹ Brihtric, king of Wessex, married Eadburga, king Offa’s daughter; in his time, Danish pirates came to England with three ships. The king’s reeve, hearing of their arrival, hastened to meet them with a few followers and, being entirely ignorant of who they were or where they came from, tried to drive them, unwilling as they were, to the royal vill, but they immediately slew him. These were the first Danes to land in England.

A.D. 788. #

¹ A synod was held at Pincanhale (Finchall) in Northumbria on the fourth day before the nones (2 September).

A.D. 789. #

¹ Alfwold, king of the Northumbrians, was infamously assassinated by a man named Sigan on the ninth day before the calends of October (23 September), and was buried in the church of St Peter at Hexham. A strong light from heaven was frequently seen at the place where he was murdered. He was succeeded in his kingdom by his nephew Osred, son of king Alchred.

A.D. 790. #

¹ Jainbert, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the second day before the ides (12 August), and Ethelhard succeeded him. Osred, having been dethroned and driven out by the Northumbrians, was replaced by Ethelred, Alfwold’s brother, who was restored to his kingdom.

A.D. 791. #

¹ Beadulf was ordained bishop of Whitherne on the sixteenth day before the calends of August (17 July).

A.D. 792. #

¹ Osred, who had been expelled from his kingdom by the Northumbrians, was seized and barbarously put to death on the eighteenth day before the calends of October (14 September). He was buried in the monastery at the mouth of the river Tyne.

A.D. 793. #

¹ Ethelbert, the most glorious and holy king of the East-Angles, whose eminent virtues made him acceptable to Christ, the true King, and who was courteous and affable to all men, lost both his kingdom and his life at once, being beheaded by the detestable command of Offa, the mighty king of Mercia, at the infamous suggestion of Offa’s own wife, queen Cynefrith; but though unjustly slain and deprived of his kingdom, the king and martyr entered the courts of the blessed spirits, while the angels rejoiced in triumph. The consecration of archbishop Ethelhard was celebrated on the twelfth day before the calends of August (21 July).

A.D. 794. #

¹ Ethelred, king of the Northumbrians, was slain by his subjects; consequently, Ceolwulf, bishop of Lindisfarne, and bishop Eadbold left the kingdom. Eadbert, surnamed Pren, began to reign in Kent. Offa, king of Mercia, died on the fourth day before the calends of August (29 July), and his son Egbert succeeded to the glory of his kingdom, but reigned for only one hundred and forty-one days, dying in the same year. He was succeeded by Kenulf, a magnificent prince who was blessed with saintly offspring and ruled the kingdom with peace, justice, and piety.

A.D. 795. #

A.D. 796. #

¹ Kenulf, king of Mercia, ravaged nearly all of Kent and, taking its king Pren prisoner, carried him away in chains to Mercia.

A.D. 797. #

A.D. 798. #

¹ The body of St Wihtburg the Virgin, daughter of Anna, king of the East-Angles, and sister of the saintly virgins Sexburga, Ethelburga, and Etheldritha, was discovered incorrupt after having been buried for nearly fifty-five years at the vill called Dyrham. Heathored, bishop of the Hwiccias, died, and Deneberht was chosen and consecrated in his place.

A.D. 799. #

¹ Ethelhard, archbishop of Canterbury, and Kineberht, bishop of Winchester, went to Rome.

A.D. 800. #

¹ Brihtric, king of Wessex, died and was succeeded by Egbert. It happened that on the very day Brihtric died, Ethelmund, ealdorman of Mercia, led an expedition out of Mercia and crossed the ford called Cymeresford in English. On hearing of his advance, Weohstan, ealdorman of Wiltshire, marched against him with the men of Wiltshire and, after a hard-fought battle in which many fell on both sides and both ealdormen were slain, the Wiltshire men gained the victory. Alhmund, son of Alhred, king of Northumbria, was killed.

A.D. 801. #

A.D. 802. #

¹ Higbald, bishop of Lindisfarne, died, and Egbert, having been elected his successor, was consecrated by Eanbald, archbishop of York, on the third day before the ides (2 June). Wermund, bishop of Rochester, died, and Beornmod was consecrated in his place.

A.D. 803. #

¹ Ethelhard, archbishop of Canterbury, died and was succeeded by Wulfred.

A.D. 804. #

¹ Archbishop Wulfred received the pallium from Pope Leo.

A.D. 805. #

¹ The church of St Alban’s was dedicated on 1 December in this year. Cuthred, king of Kent, Heaberht the ealdorman, and Ceolburga, abbess of Berkeley, died.

A.D. 806-811. #

A.D. 812. #

¹ Wulfred, archbishop of Canterbury, and Wiberht, bishop of Sherborne, went to Rome.

A.D. 813. #

¹ Archbishop Wulfred returned to his see with the benediction of Pope Leo. In the same year, Egbert, king of Wessex, ravaged the Western Britons along their eastern frontier.

A.D. 814, 815. #

A.D. 816. #

¹ The English school at Rome was destroyed by fire.

A.D. 817, 818. #

A.D. 819. #

¹ St Kenulph, king of Mercia, after a life spent in good deeds, passed to eternal bliss in heaven, leaving his son St Kenelm, a boy seven years old, as heir to his kingdom. Only a few months had passed when, betrayed through the schemes of his sister Quendryth, whose conscience was hardened by her fierce ambition, the young king was violently attacked and secretly murdered by Ascebert, his cruel guardian, beneath a thorn tree in a vast and dense wood; but as heaven alone had witnessed his murder, so heaven revealed it through the testimony of a column of light. Kenelm’s innocent head fell to the ground, as pure and milk-white as it had been at his birth; from it a milk-white dove soared to heaven on golden wings. After his blessed martyrdom, Ceolwulf succeeded to the kingdom of Mercia. Egbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, died and was succeeded by Heathored.

A.D. 820. #

A.D. 821. #

¹ Ceolwulf, king of Mercia, was deprived of his kingdom.

A.D. 822. #

¹ Burhelm and Muca, two most resolute ealdormen, were slain. A synod was held at a place called Clovesho. Deneberht, bishop of the Hwiccas, died and was succeeded by Heaberht.

A.D. 823. #

¹ The Britons were defeated at a place called Gavulford (Camelford?) by the men of Devonshire. Egbert, king of Wessex, and Beornwulf, king of Mercia, fought a battle at Ellandune, that is, Ealla’s-hill, and Egbert gained the victory with great slaughter. Consequently, he soon afterwards sent his son Ethelwulf, Ealhstan, bishop of Sherborne, and his ealdorman Wulfhard, with a large army into Kent, where, immediately upon their arrival, they drove Baldred, king of that province, from his kingdom. After these successes, the people of Kent and Surrey, Sussex and Essex, voluntarily submitted to king Egbert; those provinces had in former times been wrested from the hands of his kinsmen and reluctantly compelled to submit to the yoke of foreign kings for several years. The East-Angles also, together with their king, sent envoys to Egbert, king of Wessex, imploring him to be their protector and tower of defence against the hostile incursions of the Mercians; he granted their request and promised them his ready assistance in every emergency. Beornwulf, king of Mercia, however, treated this agreement with contempt and, assembling a considerable army, entered the territory of the East-Angles in a hostile manner and began to put their principal men to death; but their king advanced against the enemy at the head of his forces and, giving them battle, put king Beornwulf and the greater part of his army to the sword. His kinsman Ludecan succeeded to his kingdom.

A.D. 824. #

A.D. 825. #

¹ Ludecan, king of Mercia, having assembled his forces, marched his army into the province of the East-Angles to avenge the death of his predecessor Beornwulf. The people of that country, together with their king, quickly encountered him, and a desperate battle was fought, in which Ludecan and five of his ealdormen, together with great numbers of his troops, fell, while the rest fled. Witilaf succeeded to the honours of his kingdom.

A.D. 826. #

A.D. 827. #

¹ There was an eclipse of the moon on the holy night of the Nativity of our Lord. In the same year, Egbert, king of Wessex, brought the kingdom of Mercia under his dominion. He then extended his expedition to the further side of the river Humber. The Northumbrians met him peacefully at a place called Dore and offered him terms of alliance and humble submission; and so they parted with great satisfaction on both sides.

² This king Egbert was the eighth among the kings of the English nations to rule over all their southern provinces, separated by the river Humber and neighbouring boundaries from those lying to the north. The first to hold this extended dominion was Ælla, king of the East-Saxons; the second was Celin, king of the West-Saxons, called Ceaulin in their dialect; the third was Ethelbert, king of Kent; the fourth was Redwald, king of the East-Angles, who governed that people as ealdorman even during Ethelbert’s lifetime; the fifth was Edwin, king of the Northumbrian tribes, that is, those who lived north of the river Humber, the most powerful of all the settlers in Britain. Redwald’s dominion extended over the whole population, both English and British, except that of Kent; and he subjected to English rule the Menavian islands which lie between Ireland England. The sixth monarch of all England, himself the most Christian king of Northumbria, was Oswald. The seventh was Oswy, who for a time maintained his supremacy within nearly the same limits and, to a very great extent, subjugated the Picts and Scots who inhabited the northern extremities of Britain, making them tributaries. The eighth, as we have already stated, was king Egbert. In his time, as it is reported, St Swithin was born, who, descended from a noble line of ancestors, was admitted to holy orders by St Helmstan, bishop of Winchester, after his youth had passed. King Egbert also entrusted his son Ethelwulf to Swithin’s care for instruction in sacred learning.

³ [##### A.D. 828.

⁴ King Witglaf was restored to his kingdom of Mercia. Heathored, bishop of Lindisfarne, died and was succeeded by Ecgred. Egbert, king of Wessex, led an army into the territory of the Northern Britons and, despite their resistance, reduced them to subjection.

A.D. 829. #

¹ Wulfred, archbishop of Canterbury, died.

A.D. 830. #

¹ Ceolnoth was elected and consecrated archbishop.

A.D. 831. #

A.D. 832. #

¹ The Danish pirates, greedy for plunder, ravaged the isle of Sheppey.

A.D. 833. #

¹ Egbert, king of Wessex, engaged the pirates at Carrum (Charmouth), who had thirty-five ships, but after great slaughter in the battle the Danes remained victorious.

A.D. 834. #

A.D. 835. #

¹ The Danes descended with a powerful fleet upon the territory of the Britons in the West, which is called Curvallia (Cornwall); the Britons formed an alliance with them and, uniting their forces, laid waste the borders of king Egbert’s dominions. On receiving news of this, Egbert assembled his troops in great haste and, giving battle to the enemy at a place called Hengestesdun, that is, Hengist’s-mount, slew many of them and put the rest to flight.

A.D. 836. #

¹ Egbert, king of Wessex, died. Before he became king, he had been driven out of England by Offa, king of Mercia, and Berhtric, king of Wessex, and went to France, where he remained for three years; he then returned to England, on Berhtric’s death, assumed the government of Wessex, as already mentioned. After Egbert’s death, his son Ethelwulf began to reign in Wessex and made his son Athelstan king over the people of Kent, Essex, Surrey, and Sussex.

A.D. 837. #

¹ Wulfhard, the ealdorman, attacked a piratical fleet of thirty-four ships at Hamtun (Southampton) and gained the victory with great slaughter; he died soon afterwards. Ethelhelm, the ealdorman, with the assistance of the people of Dorsetshire, fought a battle with the Danes in the territory of Port (Portland Island) and forced them into a long retreat, during which he received a mortal wound, and the Danes gained the victory. In the reign of king Ethelwulf, St Helmstan, the bishop, died; and by the king’s command St Swithin became his successor.

A.D. 838. #

¹ Hereberht, the ealdorman, and vast numbers of the Mercians were slain at the same time by the heathen Danes. In the same year, multitudes were put to the sword by the same people in the province of Lindsey, in East-Anglia, and in Kent. Witglaf, king of Mercia, died and was succeeded by Beorhtwulf.

A.D. 839. #

¹ There was an eclipse of the sun on the third day before the nones (5 May), being the eve of Ascension Day, between the eighth and ninth hour. The pagans, so often mentioned, slaughtered great numbers in London, Cwentawic, and Rochester.

A.D. 840. #

¹ Ethelwulf, king of Wessex, engaged thirty-five ships at Charmouth, but the fortunes of the Danes prevailed over the Saxons.

A.D. 841-844. #

A.D. 845. #

¹ Eanwulf, the ealdorman, with the men of Somerset and Ealhstan, bishop of Sherborne, and Osrie the ealdorman, with the men of Dorset, fought the Danish army at the mouth of the river Pedridan (the Parret) and, having inflicted great slaughter upon them, gained the victory. Eegrid, bishop of Lindisfarne, died and was succeeded by Eanbert.

A.D. 846, 847. #

A.D. 848. #

¹ Heaberht, bishop of the Hwiccas, died, and Alhhun succeeded him.

A.D. 849. #

¹ Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, was born at the royal vill called Wanating (Wantage), in Berrocescire, which is so called from the wood of Berroc, where the box tree grows in great abundance. His genealogy runs in the following order: Alfred was the son of king Ethelwulf, who was the son of Egbert, who was the son of Alhmund, who was the son of Eafa, who was the son of Eoppa, who was the son of Ingils. Ingils and Ina, the famous king of Wessex, were brothers; Ina went to Rome and, ending his earthly life there in great honour, departed to his country in heaven to reign with Christ. These two were the sons of Coenred, who was the son of Ceolwald, who was the son of Cutha, who was the son of Cuthwine, who was the son of Ceaulin, who was the son of Cynric, who was the son of Creoda, who was the son of Cerdic, who was the son of Elesa, who was the son of Esla, who was the son of Gewis, from whom the Britons call the whole nation Gewisse. Gewis was the son of Wig, who was the son of Freawine, who was the son of Freothegar, who was the son of Brand, who was the son of Bealdeag, who was the son of Woden, who was the son of Frithowald, who was the son of Frealaf, who was the son of Frithwulf, who was the son of Finn, who was the son of Godulf, who was the son of Geata, who was formerly worshipped by the pagans as a god. Geata was the son of Tætwa, who was the son of Beaw, who was the son of Sceldwea, who was the son of Heremond, who was the son of Itermod, who was the son of Hathra, who was the son of Wala, who was the son of Beadwig, who was the son of Shem, who was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech, who was the son of Methuselah, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was the son of Malaleel, who was the son of Cainan, who was the son of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam [Genesis 5:1-32]. His mother’s name was Osburh; she was a woman of eminent piety, noble both in mind and lineage, being the daughter of Oslac, the renowned cup-bearer of king Ethelwulf; this Oslac was of Gothic race. He was descended from the Goths and Jutes, being descended from Stuf and Whitgar, two brothers and also earls, who, having received dominion over the Isle of Wight from their uncle Cerdic and his son Cynric, their cousin, massacred the few British inhabitants they found on the island at a place called Whitgaraburh (Carisbrook). The rest of the native inhabitants of the island had either been slain before or driven into exile.

A.D. 850. #

¹ Berhtferth, son of Beorhtwulf, king of Mercia, unjustly put to death his cousin St Wigstan on the calends (1 June), being the eve of Whitsuntide. He was the grandson of two kings of Mercia, his father Wigmund being the son of king Wiglaf, and his mother Elfrida the daughter of king Ceolwulf. His body was carried to a monastery famous in that age called Repton and buried in the tomb of his grandfather, king Wiglaf. Miracles from heaven were not lacking as testimony to his martyrdom; for a column of light rose to heaven from the spot where the innocent saint was murdered and remained visible to the inhabitants of that place for thirty days.

A.D. 851. #

¹ Ceorl, the ealdorman, with the men of Devonshire, fought against the pagans at a place called Wieganbeorh (Wemburg), and the Christians gained the victory. In the same year, the pagans wintered for the first time on the isle of Sheppey, which means the Island of Sheep. It is situated in the river Thames, between Essex and Kent, but nearer Kent than Essex, and a noble monastery stands there. In the same year, a great army of pagans came with three hundred and fifty ships into the mouth of the river Thames and ravaged Canterbury, the chief city of Kent, and London, which stands on the north bank of the river Thames, on the borders of Essex and Middlesex, though in truth that city belongs to Essex. They put to flight Beorhtwulf, king of Mercia, who had advanced with all his forces to give them battle. After these events, the same body of pagans crossed into Surrey, which lies on the south bank of the river Thames, west of Kent; and Ethelwulf, king of Wessex, and his son Ethelbald, with their whole army, fought a prolonged battle with them at a place called Ockley, which means the Field of Oaks. The armies on both sides fought for a long time with the greatest ardour and animosity, but at last the greater part of the pagan host was utterly routed and put to the sword; so much so that we have never heard of so many of them being slain anywhere in a single day, either before or since. The Christians gained a glorious victory and remained masters of the field of death. In the same year also, king Athelstan and Ealhere, the ealdorman, defeated a large body of pagans in Kent at a place called Sandwich and captured nine ships of their fleet; the rest escaped by flight.

A.D. 852. #

¹ King Beorhtwulf of Mercia died, and Burhred succeeded to the throne.

A.D. 853. #

¹ Burhred, king of Mercia, sent envoys to Ethelwulf, king of Wessex, begging him to give him aid in subduing the Britons who inhabited the central districts between Mercia and the western sea and stoutly resisted him. Ethelwulf, on receiving this message, lost no time in setting his army in motion, advancing into the territory of the Britons together with king Burhred; and as soon as he entered it, he laid waste the country and forced the people to submit to Burhred’s dominion. Having accomplished this, he returned home.

² In this same year, king Ethelwulf sent his son Alfred, mentioned above, to Rome with great pomp and a numerous retinue of both nobles and commoners. Pope Leo, at his father’s request, consecrated and anointed him king and, receiving him as his adopted son, confirmed him.

³ In the same year also, Ealhere, the ealdorman, with the men of Kent, and Huda, with those of Surrey, fought vigorously and courageously against the pagan army on the island called Tenet in the Saxon language, but Ruim in the British. At first the Britons had the advantage, but as the struggle continued, many on both sides were killed on the spot, while others were driven into the water and drowned; and both ealdormen perished. Moreover, in the same year, Ethelwulf, king of Wessex, gave his daughter in marriage as queen to Burhred, king of Mercia, the wedding being celebrated with princely pomp at the royal vill called Cippenham.

A.D. 854. #

¹ On the death of Eanbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, he was succeeded by Eardulph.

A.D. 855. #

¹ A great army of the pagans spent the whole winter on the same isle of Sheppey. In the same year, king Ethelwulf released a tenth part of his whole kingdom from all royal service and tribute and, by a charter signed with Christ’s Cross, offered it for ever to the One and Triune God, for the redemption of his soul and those of his predecessors. He then went to Rome in great state, taking with him his son Alfred, whom he loved more than the others and who now went there for the second time; and he remained there for a whole year. At its end, he returned to his own country, bringing with him Judith, daughter of Charles, king of the Franks. Meanwhile, however, during the short period of king Ethelwulf’s stay overseas, a disgraceful affair, contrary to all Christian rules, occurred at Selwood in the west of England. For king Ethelwald, together with Eahlstan, bishop of Sherborne, and Eanwulf, ealdorman of Somersetshire, is said to have formed a conspiracy to prevent king Ethelwulf from resuming the government of his kingdom if he ever returned from Rome. This unfortunate affair, the like of which had never been heard of in any earlier age, is attributed by very many people to the bishop and ealdorman alone, who, they assert, devised the scheme. Many people, however, say that it arose solely from the king’s haughtiness, for, as we have heard it related by some, the king obstinately persisted in this as well as in many other perverse dispositions, as the outcome of the affair proved. For when king Ethelwulf returned from Rome, his aforementioned son, together with his counsellors, or rather intriguers, attempted to commit the grievous crime of forcibly refusing the king readmission to his own dominions. But God did not permit it, nor would the united Saxon nobles agree to the proposal; for, to prevent Saxony (Wessex) from being exposed to the irreparable danger of hostilities between father and son, or indeed the whole nation taking up arms for one or the other, with such a civil war growing fiercer and bloodier every day, the kingdom, which until then had been a single realm, was, through Ethelwulf’s great mildness of temper and with the agreement of the nobles, divided between father and son; the eastern districts were allotted to the father and the western to the son. Thus, where by every rule of justice the father ought to have reigned, the unjust and wilful son established his power, for the western part of Saxony had always held pre-eminence over the eastern. So, when king Ethelwulf returned from Rome, all the people were rightly so delighted at the return of their old king that, if he had permitted it, they wished to deprive his obstinate son Ethelwald and his advisers of any share in the kingdom. But he, as we have already said, moved by his excessive gentleness and by prudent counsel, would not allow this to be done, in order to prevent danger to the kingdom; instead, he caused Judith, daughter of king Charles, whom he had received from him in marriage, to sit beside him on the royal throne for as long as he lived, without any dispute or hostility from his nobles, contrary to the perverse custom of that nation. For the West-Saxon people did not allow a queen to sit beside the king, nor even give her the title of queen, calling her only the king’s wife; this controversy, or stigma, arose from a certain obstinate and evil-minded queen of that nation, as our elders relate:—There was recently in Mercia certain powerful king named Offa, whose daughter Eadburh was married, as we have said before, to Berhtric, king of Wessex. She very soon began to behave tyrannically, doing everything hateful to God and man, and accusing everyone she could before the king so that she might treacherously deprive them of their life or power; and if she could not obtain the king’s consent, she would have them removed by poison. This is known to have happened to a certain young man who was greatly loved by the king, whom she poisoned because the king would not listen to her accusations against him. It is also said that king Berhtric unknowingly tasted some of the poison, although she had not intended it for the king but only for the young man; but the king took the cup first, and so they both perished. As a result of this queen’s atrocities, all the inhabitants of that country swore together that they would not allow any king to reign over them who permitted his queen to sit beside him on the throne. Berhtric being dead, and the queen no longer able to remain among the Saxons, she sailed across the sea with immense treasures and went to the court of Charles, the renowned king of the Franks. As she stood in the presence chamber offering him rich gifts, Charles said to her, “Choose, Eadburh, which you prefer, me or my son who stands beside me in the chamber.” She foolishly replied without a moment’s thought, “If I am to have my choice, I prefer your son, because he is younger than you.” Charles replied with a smile, “If you had chosen me, you would have had my son; but since you have chosen him, you shall have neither of us.” Nevertheless, he gave her a large abbey of nuns, where, having laid aside her secular dress and assumed the monastic habit, she performed the duties of abbess for only a few years; for, having been seduced by a certain layman, she was expelled from the monastery by king Charles’s order and spent the rest of her days in poverty and misery.

² King Ethelwulf lived for two years after his return from Rome; during this time, among many other good works in this present life, reflecting upon his departure according to the way of all flesh [1 Kings 2:2], and wishing to prevent his sons from quarrelling shamefully after his death, he ordered a testament to be written in which he divided his kingdom between his two eldest sons, Ethelbald and Ethelbert, and his private inheritance among all his sons and his daughter, as well as his relatives. In the same document he also gave instructions for the proper distribution of the money he might leave behind, for the good of his soul and among his sons and nobles. For the good of his soul, which he had carefully considered on every occasion from his earliest youth, he ordered that his heirs should, from every two families on his hereditary estates, provide one poor person, whether native or foreign, with food, drink, and clothing for ever afterwards, until the Day of Judgement, provided that the land remained inhabited and stocked with cattle and did not lie waste. He also directed that three hundred mancuses should be sent annually to Rome, to be distributed there in the following manner: one hundred mancuses, in honour of St Peter, to be used especially for purchasing oil to fill all the lamps of the apostolic church on Easter Eve and also at cock-crow; one hundred mancuses in honour of St Paul the Apostle, for the same purpose; and one hundred mancuses to the Catholic and apostolic pope.

³ King Ethelwulf, having died on the ides (18 January) and been buried at Winchester, was succeeded by his son Ethelbald, who, contrary to the divine prohibition [Leviticus 18:8; Deuteronomy 22:30], Christian honour, and even the customs of all pagan nations, took his father’s wife and married Judith, daughter of Charles, king of the Franks; and thus licentiously governed the kingdom of Wessex for two and a half years after his father’s death.

⁴ St Edmund, a man accepted by God and descended from the Old-Saxon race, who was most truly devoted to the Christian faith, affable and courteous to all, remarkable for his humility, a generous benefactor to the poor, and a most kindly father to orphans and widows, assumed the government of the province of East-Anglia.

A.D. 856-859. #

A.D. 860. #

¹ King Ethelbald died and was buried at Sherborne; and his brother Ethelbert, as was right, united Kent, Surrey, and Sussex with his own kingdom. In his days, a large army of pagans came up from the sea and assaulted and sacked the city of Winchester; but as they were returning to their ships laden with plunder, Osrie, the ealdorman of Hants, with his people, and Ethelwulf, the ealdorman, with the men of Berks, boldly encountered them. Battle being joined, the pagans were put to the sword in every direction and, being unable to resist any longer, fled like women, while the Christians remained masters of the field of death. Ethelbert, having governed his kingdom for five years in peace, with the love and respect of his subjects, went the way of all flesh [1 Kings 2:2], to their universal sorrow, and was honourably buried at Sherborne, where he lies beside his brother.

A.D. 861. #

A.D. 862. #

¹ St Swithin was translated to heaven on Thursday, the sixth day before the nones (2 July).

A.D. 863. #

A.D. 864. #

¹ The pagans wintered on the Isle of Thanet and made a firm alliance with the people of Kent, who promised to pay them tribute if they kept the agreement; but the pagans, breaking the treaty, slipped out of their camp by night like foxes and, disregarding the promised tribute because they knew they could gain more by secret plunder than by keeping the peace, ravaged the whole eastern coast of Kent.

A.D. 865. #

A.D. 866. #

¹ Ethered, brother of king Ethelbert, succeeded to the kingdom of Wessex. In the same year, a large fleet of pagans came to Britain from Denmark and wintered in the kingdom of the East-Angles, which is called East Engle in the Saxon tongue, and there the greater part of their troops obtained horses.

A.D. 867. #

¹ The army of pagans mentioned above marched from among the East-Angles to the city of York, which stands on the north bank of the river Humber. At that time great dissensions had arisen among the Northumbrians through the devil’s instigation, as always happens to a people who have incurred God’s wrath. For the Northumbrians had then, as we have related, driven out their rightful king Osbriht and raised to the throne a tyrant named Ælla, who was not of the royal line; but by Divine Providence, and through the efforts of the nobles for the common good, the discord was somewhat eased as the pagans approached, and Osbriht and Ælla, uniting their forces and assembling an army, marched to York. The pagans fled at their approach and attempted to defend themselves within the city walls. The Christians, seeing their flight and alarm, pressed forward in pursuit and began to break down the walls, which they succeeded in doing, for the city was not strongly fortified with walls at that time. The Christians, having succeeded in making a breach in the wall, and great numbers of them having entered the town pell-mell with the enemy, the pagans, driven to desperation, charged them fiercely and overthrew, routed, and cut them down both within and outside the walls. Almost all the Northumbrian troops, together with the two kings, fell in this battle; the remainder who escaped made peace with the pagans.

² In the same year Ealhstan, who had been bishop of Sherborne for fifty years, died and was buried there.

A.D. 868. #

¹ A comet was very plainly visible this year. Alfred, the revered king, who then held a subordinate position, sought and obtained in marriage a Mercian lady of noble birth, the daughter of Ethelred, surnamed Mucil, ealdorman of the Gaini. Her mother’s name was Eadburh, of the royal line of the Mercian kings, a much-venerated lady who, for many years after her husband’s death, remained a most chaste widow until the end of her days.

² In the same year, the aforementioned army of pagans left Northumbria, entered Mercia, and advanced to Nottingham, called Tigguocobaue in the British tongue, but in Latin, “The House of Caves”, and they spent the winter there. On their approach, Burhred, king of Mercia, and all the nobles of that nation immediately sent messengers to Ethered, king of Wessex, and his brother Alfred, earnestly entreating them to provide sufficient aid to enable them to give battle to the same army. Their request was readily granted; for the brothers, making no delay in fulfilling their promise, assembled a vast army from all parts and, entering Mercia, advanced to Nottingham, unanimously desiring battle. But the pagans, sheltering within the fortifications, refused to fight, and as the Christians were unable to breach the wall, peace was made between the Mercians and the pagans, and the two brothers, Ethered and Alfred, returned home with their troops. The oratory of St Andrew the Apostle at Kemsege was built and consecrated by Alhun, bishop of Worcester.

A.D. 869. #

¹ The same pagan cavalry rode back to Northumbria, reached York, and was quartered there for a whole year.

A.D. 870. #

¹ The aforementioned army of pagans passed through Mercia into East-Anglia and spent the winter there at a place called Thetford.

² In the same year, Edmund, the most holy and glorious king of the East-Angles, was martyred by king Inguar, an inveterate heathen, on the twelfth day before the calends of December (20 November), being Sunday, in the second indiction, as we read in his Passion. In this year also, Ceolnoth, archbishop of Canterbury, died and was buried in peace in that city; he was succeeded by that reverend man Ethered.

A.D. 871. #

¹ The pagan army, of hateful memory, left East-Anglia and entered the kingdom of Wessex, coming to the vill of Reading, situated on the south bank of the river Thames in the district called Berkshire. There, on the third day after their arrival, two of their chiefs, with a large part of their forces, rode out to plunder the country, while the rest were throwing up a rampart between the rivers Thames and Kennet, on the right of the said royal vill. They were encountered by Ethelwulf, ealdorman of Berkshire, and his men at a place called Englefeld in English, and in Latin, “The Field of the Angles”, where both sides fought bravely; but after both armies had held their ground for a long time, one of the pagan chiefs was slain and the greater part of their army cut to pieces, while the rest saved themselves by flight, and the Christians gained the victory, remaining masters of the field of death. Four days after these events, king Ethered and his brother Alfred, having assembled troops and united their forces, marched to Reading; and, having succeeded in forcing their way to the castle gate by slaying and overthrowing all the pagans they encountered outside the fortifications, the pagans nevertheless sallied out like wolves from all the gates and fought with the utmost desperation. The combat was long and fiercely contested on both sides; but, sad to say, the Christians at last turned their backs, and the pagans, gaining the victory, remained masters of the field of blood. Ethelwulf, the aforementioned ealdorman, was among the slain. Roused by grief and shame at this defeat, the Christians four days later renewed the battle against the same army, with all their forces and great determination, at a place called Æscesdun, which signifies in Latin “The Mount of the Ash” (Ashdown). The pagans divided themselves into two bodies and drew up in two equal columns, for they had with them two kings and many earls, assigning the centre of the army to the two kings and the rest to the earls. The Christians, observing this, also arrayed their troops in two divisions, losing no time in forming their columns. Alfred was the first to lead his men promptly to the field of battle, for his brother, king Ethered, was then engaged in his devotions in his tent, hearing Mass, and he firmly declared that he would not leave until the priest had finished the Mass, nor abandon the service of God to attend to his duty to man. He persisted in this, and the faith of the Christian king availed him greatly with God, as will appear more fully in what follows. Now the Christians had determined that king Ethered, with his division, should attack the two pagan kings, while his brother Alfred was instructed to face all the pagan earls with his own troops. Matters having been arranged in this way on both sides, and the king still being engaged in his devotions while the pagans advanced rapidly under arms towards the field of battle, Alfred, who was second in command, found that he could no longer withstand the enemy’s advance without either retreating or charging them in turn before his brother’s arrival. At last, placing himself courageously at the head of the Christian forces drawn up as previously arranged, he formed them into a close column without waiting for the king and, relying on God’s counsel and support, advanced his standards against the enemy. At length king Ethered, having finished his prayers, came up and, invoking the aid of the Mighty Ruler of the world, plunged into the fight. But here we must inform those unfamiliar with the locality that the battlefield was not equally favourable to both armies, for the pagans occupied the higher ground, while the Christians had to advance from a lower position. We may also note that a solitary thorn tree of stunted growth stood on the spot—I have seen it with my own eyes—around which the opposing armies engaged in combat with loud cries: the one side to accomplish their wicked purposes, the other to fight for their lives, their country, and those dear to them. After both armies had fought bravely and with great fierceness for a considerable time, the pagans, by the judgement of God, were no longer able to withstand the attacks of the Christians and, having lost the greater part of their forces, retreated in disgrace. One of their two kings and five of their earls fell on the battlefield, and many thousands of their army were scattered and slain across the whole plain of Ashdown. Thus perished king Bagsecg, earl Sidroc the elder, earl Sidroc the younger, earl Osbern, earl Fræna, and earl Harold; and the whole pagan army fled until nightfall, and even throughout the following day, until they reached the stronghold from which they had sallied forth.

² Fourteen days later, king Ethered and his brother Alfred, having again united their forces to give battle to the pagans, marched to Basing, and when the armies met, after a long engagement, the pagans gained the victory. Again, after two months had passed, king Ethered and his brother Alfred fought against the pagans, who were drawn up in two divisions at Merton, and for a long time the Christians had the advantage, having routed the enemy; but the pagans rallied and gained the victory, remaining masters of the field of death after great slaughter on both sides.

³ In the same year, after Easter, on the ninth day before the calends of May (23 April), king Ethered went the way of all flesh [1 Kings 2:2], having governed his kingdom bravely, honourably, and with good repute for five years, through much tribulation. He was buried at Winborne, where he awaits the coming of the Lord and the first resurrection with the just [Revelation 20:5-6]. On his death, the aforementioned Alfred, who until then, while his brothers were alive, had held only a subordinate rank, at once succeeded to the throne of the whole kingdom, to the complete satisfaction of all the people. I think it appropriate to insert here a brief account of his childhood and youth.

⁴ He was exceedingly beloved by both his father and mother, even more than his brothers, and not only by them, but was generally favoured by people of every rank; and, being never separated from his parents, was brought up entirely at his father’s court. As he grew older, through infancy and youth, he became more handsome in form and more graceful in appearance, as well as in all his words and actions, than the rest of his brothers; but, alas, through the neglect of his parents and tutors, he did not learn to read until he was twelve years old. Yet he listened attentively, day and night, to the Saxon poems frequently recited to him by others, and readily committed them to his receptive memory. He was more skilled and successful than all his rivals in every branch of the huntsman’s craft, as in all the other gifts bestowed upon him by God. On one occasion, therefore, his mother was showing him and his brothers a book of Saxon poetry which she held in her hand said, “I will give this book to whichever of you first learns to read it.” Inspired by this offer, or rather by heaven, and attracted by the beautifully illuminated initial letter of the volume, Alfred said to his mother, “Will you really give that book to whichever of us can first understand it and repeat it to you?” She smiled and replied, “I will indeed give it to him.” At this he took the book from her hand, went to his master, and began to read it; and when he had read it through, he brought it back to his mother and recited it to her. After this he learnt the daily course, consisting of certain psalms and a number of prayers; these were collected in a volume which he carried with him in his bosom for his devotions by day and by night throughout the fleeting course of this present life. But, sadly, he was unable to satisfy his most ardent desire to learn the liberal arts, since at that time there were no grammarians anywhere in the kingdom of the West-Saxons.

⁵ While he was still in the flower of youth and sought to strengthen his resolve to observe the Divine laws, but felt that he could not entirely free himself from carnal desires, it was his custom, so that he might not incur God’s displeasure by doing anything contrary to His will, to rise very often in secret at cock-crow and at the hour of matins and go to the churches and relics of the saints to pray. There, kneeling for a long time, he begged Almighty God in His mercy to strengthen his determination to devote himself to His service by afflicting him with some infirmity which he could endure, but which would neither disgrace him nor make him unfit for his worldly duties. Having often prayed earnestly for this, he was a short time afterwards, God granting his prayer, afflicted with piles; and over the years the disorder became so severe that even his life was despaired of. It happened providentially, however, that while hunting in Cornwall he turned aside to offer his devotions in a certain church where the remains of St Gueriir rest and where St Neot also lies. Prostrating himself for a long time in silent prayer, he implored God’s mercy that, in His boundless love, He would relieve him of the torments of his present painful disease and give him instead some lighter infirmity, provided that it did not appear outwardly, lest he become an object of contempt and be rendered unfit for active service. Having finished his prayer, he continued on his way and shortly afterwards found himself, by Divine aid, completely cured of his disorder, in accordance with his prayers. But, alas, when he was relieved of that affliction, another still more severe one seized him on the day of his marriage and continually tormented him day and night from his twentieth to his forty-fifth year, and beyond.

⁶ By his aforementioned wife, Ealswitha, he had the following sons and daughters: Ethelflede, his first-born child, then Edward, then Ethelgeovu, afterwards Elfthryth, and then Ethelward. Ethelflede, when she reached marriageable age, was married to Ethered, ealdorman of Mercia; Ethelgeovu, having made a vow of chastity and become a nun, devoted herself to the service of God according to the rules of monastic life. Ethelward, the youngest of all, by the king’s holy purpose and admirable provision, was placed under the care of diligent masters, as were also the nobles of nearly the whole kingdom and many of the lower ranks, so that they might receive instruction in the liberal arts before they were old enough for the affairs of the world. Edward and Elfthryth were brought up at their father’s court, but they received a liberal education and, besides their worldly exercises and studies, carefully learnt the Psalms and Saxon books, and especially Saxon poems.

⁷ Amid wars and the frequent hindrances of this present life, the incursions of the pagans, and his daily bodily infirmities, king Alfred, single-handed and as far as his strength allowed, devoted himself unremittingly to the government of his kingdom; to the practice of hunting in its various forms; to overseeing his goldsmiths and other craftsmen, as well as those who had charge of his falcons, hawks, and hounds; to constructing, with the aid of machinery invented by himself, buildings more stately and costly than any erected by his predecessors in the style of their age; to reading Saxon books, and especially committing Saxon poems to memory, and encouraging those around him to pursue the same studies. He heard Mass daily, together with certain psalms and prayers, and observed the canonical hours of devotion by day and night; and he was accustomed to go out alone at night and visit churches for prayer, avoiding the notice of his attendants. He was a generous giver of alms, affable and agreeable to everyone, and a diligent investigator of hidden matters. Many Franks, Frisians, Gauls, pagans, Britons, Scots, and Armoricans, both nobles and commoners, came voluntarily and gave him their allegiance. He treated them all as his native subjects, governing, loving, and honouring them, and bestowing power and wealth upon them according to their rank and worth. He showed remarkable regard for his bishops and the whole ecclesiastical order, his ealdormen and nobles, his lesser officers, and all who were attached to his court; and he had as much affection for their sons, who were brought up in the royal household, as for his own, devoting time by day and night, amid his other duties, to instilling in them virtuous habits and a love of learning.

⁸ About a month after he began his reign, with great reluctance, I may say—for he felt that without Divine aid he could never resist single-handedly the severity of the pagan incursions, since even while his brothers were alive he had suffered great losses—king Alfred, with a small and very inadequate force, fiercely attacked the whole army of the pagans on a hill called Wilton, on the south bank of the Guilou, from which river the whole country takes its name. After both sides had fought vigorously and bravely in different positions for much of the day, the pagans, seeing that they were in imminent danger and could no longer withstand the enemy’s impetuosity, took flight; but, sad to relate, they took advantage of the excessive boldness of their pursuers and, turning back, renewed the fight and thus snatched victory, remaining masters of the field of death. Let no one be surprised that the Christian force in this engagement was so small, for the ranks of the Saxons had been thinned in the eight battles they had fought against the enemy in the course of a single year; in those battles one pagan king and eight earls were slain, together with vast numbers of their troops, not to mention the countless attacks by day and night with which king Alfred and the various ealdormen of the nation with their followers, as well as many of the king’s thanes, had incessantly harassed the pagans. God alone knows how many thousands of the enemy were destroyed in these scattered attacks, besides those slain in the eight battles already mentioned. In the same year, the West-Saxons made peace with the pagans on condition that they should leave their country, which condition they observed.

⁹ On the death of Cineferth, bishop of Litchfield, Tunberht succeeded him.

A.D. 872. #

¹ Alchun, bishop of the Hwiccas, having died, Werefrith, a man learned in the Scriptures who had been brought up in the holy church of Worcester, was ordained bishop by Ethered, archbishop of Canterbury, on the seventh day before the ides (7 June), being Whitsunday. At king Alfred’s command, he made the first translation of the books of Dialogues of Pope St Gregory from Latin into the Saxon tongue, a work which he carried out with great accuracy and elegance. The king persuaded him, as well as Plegmund, a learned and venerable man and a native of Mercia, who in course of time became archbishop of Canterbury, together with Ethelstan and Werwlf, two well-educated Mercian priests, to leave that province and come to him; and he raised them to high honours and positions so that they might assist him in his great aim, the acquisition of learning. He also sent envoys to France and invited over the venerable St Grimbald, priest and monk, who was an excellent chanter, thoroughly versed in the Holy Scriptures and ecclesiastical discipline, and exemplary in conduct. To him was added John, also a priest and monk, a man of the most acute intellect, and Asser, who was summoned from the monastery of St David, on the furthest western border of Britain. Under the teaching of all these learned men, the object of the king’s desire advanced and was accomplished daily, so that in a short time he acquired universal knowledge. The aforementioned army of pagans went to London and wintered there; and the Mercians made peace with them.

A.D. 873. #

¹ The army so often mentioned left London and, marching as far as the province of Northumbria, wintered there in the district of Lindsey, and the Mercians renewed their treaty of peace with them.

A.D. 874. #

¹ Leaving Lindsey, the pagan army entered Mercia and wintered at Repton. It also compelled Burhred, king of Mercia, by force to abandon his kingdom, and, crossing the sea, he went to Rome in the twenty-second year of his reign. He did not long survive his arrival at Rome, and, dying there, received honourable burial in the church of St Mary in the Saxon School, where he awaits our Lord’s advent and the first resurrection of the just [Revelation 20:5-6]. After his expulsion, the pagans reduced the whole kingdom of Mercia to subjection. They nevertheless placed the province, now in a miserable condition, in the keeping of a weak thane named Ceolwulf, on condition that he should surrender it peacefully to them whenever they required. He gave them hostages as security for fulfilling this condition and swore that he would in no way act contrary to their will, but would submit to their commands on every occasion.

A.D. 875. #

¹ The often-mentioned army left Repton in two divisions. One of them went with Halfdene into the country of the Northumbrians and, wintering there near the river Tyne, reduced the whole of Northumbria under its dominion and ravaged the lands of the Picts and Strathclyde Britons. The other division, under Guthruy, Oskmtel, and Amund, three kings of the pagans, marched to a place called Grantebryege (Cambridge) and wintered there. In the same year, king Alfred fought a naval battle against six ships of the pagans and captured one of them, while the rest withdrew.

A.D. 876. #

¹ The often-mentioned army of the pagans sallied forth from Cambridge by night and took possession of a stronghold called Wareham, where there was an abbey of nuns, between the two rivers Fraw and Terente (Frome and Trent), in the district called Thornsæt (Dorset) by the Saxons. The site is very strong, except on the western side, which is open to the land. King Alfred made a firm treaty with this army, on condition that they should leave his dominions; and they gave him as many hostages as he demanded without dispute, and swore upon all the relics in which the king placed most trust after God, and upon which they had previously refused to swear to any people, that they would leave his kingdom as soon as they could. Nevertheless, false as ever and heedless of their oaths, hostages, and pledged faith, they broke the treaty and, killing all the king’s cavalry, suddenly slipped away to another place called Exanceastre in the Saxon tongue, but in Latin the city of Exe, standing on the eastern bank of that river near the southern sea which flows between France and Britain. King Alfred, having assembled troops, went in pursuit, but they had already entered the place before he could overtake them. Nevertheless, he exacted from them hostages of whatever rank and in whatever numbers he chose, and made a firm treaty with them, which they faithfully observed for some time; and there they wintered. In the same year, the pagan king Halfdene divided the territory of Northumbria between himself and his followers and established colonies of his soldiers there. Rollo and his band landed in Normandy on the fifteenth day before the calends of December (17 November).

A.D. 877. #

¹ The pagan army which had been left with the fleet at Wareham sailed to Exeter, but before they reached that place, one hundred and twenty of their ships were lost in a storm. As autumn approached, part of the pagans settled at Exeter; another division went into Mercia and gave portions of it to Ceolwulf, to whose keeping, as we have already said, they had entrusted the province. Some parts they divided among themselves.

A.D. 878. #

¹ The often-mentioned army, abandoning Exeter, marched to Chippenham, a royal vill situated on the left side of Wiltshire, where it wintered, compelling by their incursions many of the people of that district to take ship and cross the sea in poverty and consternation; but the greater part of the inhabitants were reduced to submission under their yoke. At that time king Alfred, with a few of his nobles and some of his vassals, lived in fear and severe distress in the woods and marshes of Somersetshire, for he had no means of subsistence except what he seized in frequent incursions, either by lying in wait or by open violence, from the pagans and even from those Christians who had submitted to them. In the same year, the brother of Inguar and Halfdene, having wintered in Demetia and inflicted great devastation upon the Christians, crossed over with twenty-three ships to the coast of Devon, and there was slain, together with twelve hundred of his followers, who thus perished miserably in their wicked aggression before the stronghold of Cynuit, in which many of the king’s thanes had shut themselves up with their families as a place of refuge. But the pagans, seeing that the place was wholly unprepared and had no fortifications except ramparts thrown up in our manner, made no attempt to breach it because it was naturally impregnable on every side except the east, as I have myself observed. Instead, they besieged it, supposing that, since there was no water near the fort, the defenders would soon be compelled by hunger, thirst, and the blockade to surrender. But events did not turn out as they expected, for the Christians, divinely inspired, before they were reduced to such extremities and preferring either death or victory, sallied out against the pagans before dawn and, taking them by surprise at the first assault, cut to pieces the king and most of his army, only a few escaping to their ships. In the same year, after Easter, king Alfred, with his slender force, constructed a fortress at a place called Aethelingaeig (Athelney); and from that fort, together with his Somersetshire vassals, maintained an incessant war against the pagans. Again, in the seventh week after Easter, he rode to Egbert’s Stone, in the eastern part of the forest of Selwood, which means in Latin “the Great Wood”; and there he was met by all the people of Somerset, Wilts, and Hants who had not been driven across the sea through fear of the pagans. These people, seeing the king come to life again, as we might say, after suffering such great tribulations, were filled with immeasurable joy, as well they might be, and encamped there for one night. At dawn, the king moved his camp from that place and came to a spot called Eeglea (ley), where he encamped for the night. The following day he unfurled his standards and marched to a place called Ethandun (Heddington), where, at the head of his troops drawn up in close order, he fought a desperate battle with the pagans and, maintaining the struggle courageously for a long time, at last, with God’s help, gained the victory with great slaughter of the pagans, pursuing the fugitives to their fortress. Everything he found outside the fortifications—men, horses, and cattle—he seized, putting the men to death. He then boldly encamped his army before the gates of the pagan fortress and, having remained there for fourteen days, the pagans, suffering from cold, hunger, and terror and at last driven to despair, sued for peace on the terms that the king should receive as many hostages as he pleased, naming them himself, while giving none in return—terms of peace such as they had never conceded before. The king, having heard their proposal, was moved to pity and selected as many hostages as he thought proper; and after they had been delivered, the pagans also swore that they would immediately leave the king’s territories. Moreover, king Guthrum undertook to embrace Christianity and receive baptism at king Alfred’s hands, all of which he and his men fulfilled as they had promised; for seven weeks later, Guthrum, king of the pagans, together with thirty of his principal warriors, came to king Alfred at a place called Aalr (Aller), near Athelney, and there the king, receiving him as his adopted son, raised him from the font of holy baptism and gave him the name Athelstan. The removal of his chrism took place on the eighth day at the royal vill called Wedmore. He remained with the king for twelve nights after his baptism, the king providing him and all his attendants with spacious and handsome lodgings.

A.D. 879. #

¹ The same army of Pagans, leaving Chippenham as they had promised, moved to Cirencester, which is situated in the southern part of the Wiccian territory, and there they remained for one year. In the same year, a large army of Pagans sailed from foreign parts and, entering the Thames, joined the former army; but they wintered at Fulham, near the River Thames. The same year there was an eclipse of the sun between nones and vespers, but nearer to nones. Dunberht, bishop of Winchester, died and was succeeded by Denewlf. This man, if the report may be trusted, was in the early part of his life not only illiterate but also a swineherd. King Alfred, when he had taken refuge in a forest while yielding to the fury of his enemies, happened upon him as he was feeding his swine. Noticing his intelligence, the king had him taught letters and, when he was sufficiently educated, made him bishop of Winchester; something that may almost be considered miraculous.

A.D. 880. #

¹ The often-mentioned Pagan army, leaving Cirencester, marched into East Anglia and, dividing up the country, began to settle there. The same year, the Pagan army that had wintered at Fulham left the island of Britain and, sailing across the sea again, reached the eastern part of France, where they remained for a year at a place called Gendi, that is, Gand (Ghent).

A.D. 881. #

¹ The often-mentioned army of Pagans penetrated into France, and the Franks fought against it; after the battle, the Pagans supplied themselves with horses and became mounted troops.

A.D. 882. #

¹ The same army of Pagans dragged their ships up the River Mese (Meuse), far into France, and wintered there for one year. In the same year, King Alfred fought a sea battle against the Pagan fleet, from which he captured two ships, having slain all who were on board; and the commanders of two other ships, together with their crews, exhausted by fighting and wounds, laid down their arms and, on bended knees and with humble supplications, surrendered themselves to the king.

A.D. 883. #

¹ The same army dragged their ships against the current up the river called Scaldad (Scheldt), to a convent of nuns called Cundath (Condé), and there remained for a whole year. Asser, bishop of Sherborne, died and was succeeded by Swithelm, who carried King Alfred’s alms to St Thomas in India and returned safely from there.

A.D. 884. #

¹ Marinus was the hundred and seventh pope. For the love he bore Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, and at his earnest request, he graciously freed the school of the Saxons living at Rome from all tolls and taxes. He also exchanged many gifts with the king; among those he sent him was a considerable portion of the most holy cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ hung [John 19:17-18] for the salvation of mankind. The same army of Pagans entered the mouth of the River Summe (Somme), sailed up it as far as Embene (Amiens), and remained there for one year.

A.D. 885. #

¹ The same army of Pagans was divided into two bodies, one of which went into East France, while the other crossed over to Britain, landed in Kent, and laid siege to the city called in Saxon Hrofceastre (Rochester), which stands on the eastern bank of the River Medway. The Pagans built a strong fort before the city gate, but were unable to storm the place, as the citizens made a stout resistance until King Alfred came to their relief with a powerful force. On the king’s sudden arrival, the Pagans abandoned their fort, leaving behind all the horses they had brought with them from France; and, releasing most of their prisoners, fled to their ships. The Saxons immediately secured the captives and horses left by the Pagans, who, compelled by stern necessity, returned to France that same summer. In the same year, Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, sailed with a fleet full of troops from Kent to East Anglia for the sake of plunder; and when they were off the mouth of the River Stour, they encountered sixteen of the Pagans’ ships. A naval engagement followed, and after desperate fighting on both sides, all the Pagans were slain, and the ships and all their treasure became the prize of the victors. But while the royal fleet was retiring in triumph, the Pagans who lived in the eastern part of England, having gathered ships from all quarters, met it at sea near the mouth of the river, and after a naval battle the Pagans gained the victory.

² Carloman, king of the Western Franks, came to a miserable end while hunting boar, being torn by the tusk of an exceptionally savage beast which he had attacked alone. His brother Lewis, who was also a king of the Franks, had died three years earlier. They were both sons of Lewis, king of the Franks, who died in the year in which the eclipse of the sun already mentioned took place. This Lewis was the son of Charles, king of the Franks, whose daughter Judith, Ethelwulf, king of Wessex, had made his queen with her father’s consent. In the present year also, a vast army of Pagans poured out of Germany into Old Saxony; but those Saxons, joining their forces with the Frisians, fought bravely against them twice in one year and, by God’s mercy, gained the victory in both battles. Moreover, in the same year, Charles, king of the Alemanni, succeeded to the kingdom of the Western Franks and to all the kingdoms between the Tuscan Sea and the gulf that separates Old Saxony from Gaul; all the nations voluntarily submitted to him except those of Armorica (Brittany). This Charles (Charles-le-Gros) was the son of King Lewis, who was the brother of Charles (the Bald), king of the Franks, who was the father of the aforementioned Judith; the two brothers were sons of Lewis (Le Debonnaire), and Lewis was the son of Charles the Great, the ancient and wise, who was the son of Pepin. In this year also, the army of Pagans that had settled in East Anglia disgracefully broke the peace they had made with King Alfred.

A.D. 886. #

¹ The army of Pagans, so often mentioned before, left East France and came again into the country of the Western Franks; entering the mouth of the Seine, they sailed a long way upstream as far as the city of Paris, where they wintered. They besieged that city throughout the whole year, but by the merciful intervention of God they were unable to break through its defences. In the same year, Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, after the burning of cities and slaughter of the people, nobly rebuilt the city of London and made it habitable again; he entrusted its custody to Ethered, earl of Mercia. All the Angles and Saxons who had previously been scattered everywhere, or who lived among the Pagans without being bondsmen, came to the king and voluntarily placed themselves under his dominion.

A.D. 887. #

¹ The above-mentioned army of Pagans, leaving the city of Paris unharmed when they found they could not succeed, rowed their fleet a long way up the Seine against the current until they reached the mouth of the Malerne (Marne), where they left the Seine and entered the Marne. After a long and toilsome voyage up that river, they came at last to a place called Chezy, that is, ‘the Royal Vill’, where they passed the winter of that year. In the following year they entered the mouth of the River Yonne, causing no small damage to that country, and there they remained for a whole year. In this year Charles, king of the Franks, died; but six weeks before his death he had been expelled from his kingdom by Arnulf, his brother’s son. As soon as Charles was dead, five kings were appointed, and the kingdom was divided into five parts; but the highest rank fell to Arnulf, justly and deservedly, except for his disgraceful treatment of his uncle. The other four kings promised fealty and obedience to Arnulf, as was right, for none of them except Arnulf had any hereditary claim to the throne on his father’s side. Although, therefore, five kings were appointed immediately after Charles’s death, Arnulf held the empire. The dominions were divided as follows: Arnulf had the country east of the Rhine; Rodolph had the interior of the kingdom; Oda (Eudes) had the western states; and Beorngar (Berenger) and Witha (Guido) had Lombardy and the territories on that side of the mountains. But despite possessing such vast and important kingdoms, they did not remain at peace, for they fought two pitched battles and often ravaged one another’s territories, and each in turn drove the other out of his kingdom.

² In this year, Athelelm, ealdorman of Wiltshire, carried the alms of King Alfred and the Saxons to Rome. In the same year, on the feast of St Martin, bishop of Tours, Alfred, the often-named king of the Anglo-Saxons, by God’s assistance, first began to translate books as well as to read them. This king, although seated upon a throne, was afflicted by many sorrows; for, as we have already said, from his twentieth to his forty-fifth year and beyond, he suffered continually from severe attacks of an unknown disease, so that he was not free for a single hour either from the pain it caused or from the fear of its return. Besides this, he was continually harassed by the constant invasions of foreigners, which he had to resist vigorously both by land by sea, without a moment’s rest. What shall I say of his frequent expeditions against the Pagans, of his battles, of his unceasing cares in governing his kingdom, in restoring cities and towns and building others where there had been none before; of buildings incomparably adorned with gold and silver under his own supervision; of royal halls and chambers, both of stone and wood, admirably erected at his command; or of royal vills built of stone, which he caused to be removed from their former sites and handsomely rebuilt in more suitable places? Although he stood alone, yet with God as his helper he never allowed the helm of government, to which he had once put his hand, to waver or become unsteady, though it was tossed by the waves and storms of this present life. For he unceasingly and most wisely used gentle instruction, admonition, and command to win over his bishops, ealdormen, and the better sort among his favourite thanes and officers to his own wishes and to the public good; and where these methods failed, after long forbearance, he resorted to severe chastisement of the disobedient, holding common stupidity and obstinacy in utter abhorrence. If the royal commands were not obeyed, and through the people’s sluggishness the works that had been ordered were not completed, or were begun so late that in time of need they were of little use because they had not been properly finished—for instance, the castles he ordered to be built, which were either not begun at all or undertaken so late that the enemy’s forces broke in by sea and land before they were completed—then those who had opposed the royal ordinances repented when it was too late, and bitterly regretted having heedlessly neglected his orders; and, praising the king’s foresight, they applied themselves with the utmost zeal to carrying out what they had previously disregarded.

³ Among this king’s other good deeds, he ordered two monasteries to be built: one for monks, at a place called Athelney, where he gathered monks of various kinds and appointed John, a priest and monk and a native of Old Saxony, as the first abbot. He also ordered a monastery suitable for the residence of nuns to be built near the east gate of Shaftesbury, of which he made his own daughter, Ethelgeovu, who was already a consecrated virgin, abbess; and he richly endowed these two monasteries with landed possessions and wealth of every kind. Moreover, he vowed that he would religiously and faithfully dedicate to God one half of all the money that flowed into his coffers each year and had been justly acquired; and he made it his serious business to fulfil this vow willingly. He also, by a divinely inspired plan, commanded his officers to divide his yearly revenues into two equal parts. When this had been done, he ordered one of these parts to be divided into three portions. One of these he bestowed annually upon his noble officers, who continually took turns attending upon his person and performing various duties. For the king’s attendants were most judiciously divided into three companies, so that one should be on duty at court, night and day, for a month; at the end of that month, when another company arrived, the first returned home and remained there for two months, attending to their private affairs. At the end of the second month, it was relieved by the arrival of the third and returned home for two months. In the same way, the third company, when relieved by the first, also spent two months at home. By this rotation, service at court was carried out in turns throughout the king’s life. The second portion was paid to the craftsmen who flocked to him in vast numbers from different nations, or were hired by him, men skilled in every kind of construction. The third portion was cheerfully distributed with admirable judgement among the foreigners who came to his court from all countries, near and far, whether they asked him for money or not. As for the other half, consisting of half of all the means derived from his yearly revenues, he ordered his ministers to divide it precisely into four equal portions, so that the first portion should be discreetly bestowed upon the poor of every nation who came to him; the second upon the two monasteries he had founded and those who served God in them; the third upon the school in which he had gathered with the utmost care not only many of the sons of the nobility of his realms but also others of lower rank; and the fourth he distributed among neighbouring monasteries throughout the whole of Saxony and Mercia, and even, in some years and by turns, among the churches of Britain (Wales), Cornwall, France, Brittany, Northumbria, and Ireland, according to his means. Having put these affairs in order, he undertook, so far as his infirmity and resources allowed, earnestly to devote to God one half of his service, both of mind and body, by day and by night. Consequently, he began to consider how he might regularly keep his vow until his death. At length he shrewdly devised a useful plan and, sending for a quantity of wax, had it weighed against pennies. When there was wax in the scales equal to the weight of seventy-two pennies, he caused his chaplains to make six candles of equal size, each candle being twelve inches long, with the inches marked upon it. By this arrangement, six of these candles were sufficient to burn for twenty-four hours, night and day, being set up before the relics of different saints, which he always took with him wherever he went.

⁴ Moreover, the king made the strictest enquiries into the administration of justice, as well as into all other matters, reviewing with great shrewdness nearly all the judgements pronounced throughout the kingdom at which he had not himself been present, in order to consider whether they were just or unjust. If he perceived any injustice in these decisions, he gently remonstrated with the judges, either personally or through trusted friends, about their unrighteous decrees, asking whether they had arisen from ignorance or malice—that is, from favour, fear, or ill will towards others—or from greed for profit. In short, if the judges maintained that they had given such judgements because they knew no better, he discreetly and gently reproved their inexperience and ignorance in words such as these: ‘I greatly marvel at your presumption, in that, having by God’s favour and my own taken upon yourselves an office and position belonging to wise men, you have neglected the study and practice of wisdom. Either, therefore, immediately resign the exercise of the temporal authority now entrusted to you, or apply yourselves to the study of wisdom far more earnestly than you have done until now. Such are my commands.’ Filled with consternation at words such as these, the ealdormen and presiding officers would strive with all their power to devote themselves to the study of justice, just as though they had been most severely punished. Thus almost all the ealdormen and judges, however illiterate they had been from their youth, applied themselves remarkably to learned studies, preferring to undergo a new discipline as scholars rather than resign their offices. If, however, anyone could make no progress in learning, either because of advanced age or because of the dullness of an intellect unused to such exertions, the king required his son, if he had one, or some kinsman, or, if no one else was available, one of his liegemen, whether freeman or serf, for whom he had long before provided the means of instruction, to read Saxon books to him by day or night whenever he had leisure. The old men sighed deeply and bitterly regretted that they had not devoted themselves to such studies in their youth, considering the young men of the present generation fortunate in having such excellent opportunities for instruction in the liberal arts, and lamenting their own unhappy lot in having neither studied them while young nor being able to acquire them in old age, however ardently they might desire to do so.

A.D. 888. #

A.D. 889. #

¹ Beocca, a noble ealdorman, conveyed the alms of King Alfred and the West Saxons to Rome. In the same year Ethelswitha, queen of Burhred, king of Mercia, died and was buried at Ticinum (Pavia). In this year also, Ethelwold, the ealdorman, and Ethered, archbishop of Canterbury, died in the same month. Ethered was succeeded by Plegmund, a man of deep learning.

A.D. 890. #

A.D. 891. #

¹ Abbot Beornhelm carried the alms of King Alfred and the West Saxons to Rome. Guthrum, king of the Northmen, who, as we mentioned before, was raised by Alfred from the holy font and received the name Athelstan, died this year. He and his followers were settled in East Anglia, and were the first to take possession of and colonise that province after the death of St Edmund, martyr and king. In the same year, the often-mentioned Pagan army departed from the Seine and stationed themselves at a place called Santlaudan (St Lô), situated between France and Brittany. The Bretons fought against them and, having put some to the sword and the rest to flight, some of whom were drowned in the river, remained masters of the field.

A.D. 892. #

¹ The same Pagan army moved from East to West France; but before their fleet could join them, Emperor Arnulf, with the Eastern Franks, the Old Saxons, and the Bavarians, attacked the land army and routed it. Three Scotsmen, Dusblan, Mahbethu (Macbeth), and Malinmumin (Maclinnon?), wishing to lead a pilgrim’s life for the Lord’s sake, secretly fled from Ireland, taking with them a week’s provisions and embarking in a coracle made of nothing but two and a half hides. They reached Cornwall after an extraordinary voyage of seven days, without sails or rigging, and afterwards visited King Alfred. In the same year Swifneh, the most learned doctor among the Scots, died. In this year also, a star called a comet was seen around the time of the Rogation days.

A.D. 893. #

¹ The fleet and cavalry of the Pagans, leaving East France, came to Boulogne and crossed from there to Kent with their horses in two hundred and fifty ships, landing at the mouth of the River Limen (Lyme), which flows out of the great forest called Andred. Having dragged their ships four miles from the river mouth into this forest, they demolished a half-built fort inhabited by a few churls and built a stronger one for themselves at a place called Appledore. Not long afterwards, the Pagan king entered the mouth of the River Thames with eighty galleys and built a fortress for himself in the royal vill called Middletun (Milton).

A.D. 894. #

¹ The Pagans who had settled in Northumbria made a lasting peace with King Alfred, which they confirmed with their oaths; so also did those who dwelt in East Anglia, and, in addition, delivered six hostages. But they broke the treaty, and whenever the army stationed in Kent sallied forth from its stronghold to plunder the country, they also either joined them or plundered whatever they could on their own account. When this became known, King Alfred, at the head of part of his army and leaving the rest at home, as was his custom, while some were stationed as garrisons in the castles and cities, marched in all haste to Kent. There he pitched his camp between the two Pagan armies on a spot which was naturally strong, being surrounded on all sides by water flowing with strong eddies, with high rocky banks and overhanging woods; so that, if the enemy took the field for the purpose of plundering or fighting, he could give them battle without delay. They, however, went about plundering in bands, sometimes on horseback and sometimes on foot, seeking their prey in those districts which they had ascertained were not occupied by the king’s troops. But not only some of the royal army, but also those who were in the towns, attacked them by surprise, night and day, with much slaughter, and harassed them so severely that, abandoning Kent after ravaging it again, they all broke up from their quarters together, for they had gone out together to plunder when they first settled in those parts. But this time they swept off a more valuable booty and resolved to cross the River Thames with it into Essex and there meet their fleet, which they had sent ahead. But the king’s army got ahead of them, gave them battle near Farnham, and, putting them to flight, recovered the booty and took the horses which they had brought from overseas. Crossing the Thames where there were no guards, they took refuge in an island surrounded by the windings of the River Colne, where they were blockaded until provisions ran out in the king’s army and the time came for the troops to be disbanded and another force to relieve them. Those troops therefore returned home, and when King Alfred brought up the other half of his army in all haste, the Pagans, because their king was so severely wounded that they could not move him, held their ground. While, however, King Alfred was on his march to attack the enemy, news was brought that the Pagans of Northumbria and East Anglia had gathered a fleet of two hundred ships, of which one hundred had sailed around the south coast of England, while another division of forty ships had sailed for the northern coast of Devonshire to lay siege to some castle there, while the former besieged Exeter with a powerful force. When the king heard this, he was not alarmed by the enemy’s bold manoeuvres, though he was very indignant that his people should be at the mercy of the besieging armies. Collecting therefore all his cavalry without delay, he rode to Exeter, leaving a small force to oppose the enemy against whom he had previously been marching. This force proceeded to London and, being joined by the citizens and those who had come to their aid from the west of England, marched to Benfleet; for they had heard that a large detachment of the army stationed at Appledore had concentrated there with King Hæsten, who, advancing with his force from Milton, had built a fortified camp in that position. But in the meantime they heard that he had again gone on a plundering expedition. This king had shortly before made peace with King Alfred, given several hostages, and allowed his two sons to be regenerated in the laver of baptism, as King Alfred desired, one of them being held at the font by the king himself and the other by the illustrious ealdorman Ethered. But on his arrival at Benfleet, King Hæsten quickly fortified his camp and immediately began to ravage the borders of the kingdom of his son’s godfather. A severe battle was therefore fought with the Pagans, and the Christians put them to flight at the first onset, destroyed their works, and seized and carried off all they could find, together with their wives and children, to London. Some of their ships they broke up, others they burnt, and they took the rest either to London or Rochester. They also captured Hæsten’s wife and two sons before he returned to Benfleet from plundering; and these they carried to King Alfred, but he did them no harm because, as we said before, one of the boys was his own godson and the other Ethered’s. Instead, he renewed the peace, took hostages, and not only restored Hæsten his wife and sons, as he requested, but also gave him a large sum of money.

² Afterwards the king went to Exeter at the earnest entreaty of his people there; and the Pagans, terrified by his coming, retired to their ships and then, returning to their old quarters, began to ravage the country near Chichester in the province of the South Saxons. But they were driven away from the city by the townsmen, great numbers of them having been killed and wounded, and many of their ships were taken. Meanwhile, the Pagan army, having been expelled by the Christians from Benfleet, as we mentioned, went to a town called in Saxon Sceobyrig (Shoebury), and there built a strong fortress for themselves. Many of the Pagans from East Anglia and Northumbria joined them, and they plundered first the banks of the Thames and then those of the Severn. The noble earldormen Ethered, Athelm, and Athelnoth, and other of the king’s thanes to whom he had entrusted the custody of the forts, towns, and cities, not only on the eastern side of the Parret but also westward of Selwood, and not only to the north but also to the south of the Thames, resenting their fierce incursions, assembled a considerable force against the enemy. The Welsh who dwelt on the banks of the Severn came to their aid. These troops being united, they marched in pursuit of the enemy and caught up with them at Buttington, on the banks of the Severn, and immediately laid siege to the fortress into which they had withdrawn, from both sides of the river. After many weeks had passed, some of the Pagans died of hunger; others, having devoured their horses, broke out of their fortress and attacked the enemy’s division stationed on the other side of the river. But vast numbers of the Pagans were slain this engagement, and the rest took flight, leaving the Christians masters of the field of death. In this battle, Ordeah, a nobleman of the highest rank, and many of the king’s thanes fell. The Pagans who fled retreated to Essex and reached their fortresses and ships; and, as winter approached, they again gathered a large army from East Anglia and Northumbria. Giving their wives, their wealth, and their ships into the charge of the settlers in East Anglia, they left their fortresses and, making a forced march, took possession of the city of the Legions, called in Latin Legeceaster (Chester), which was at that time deserted, arriving there before the troops of King Alfred and Ethered the sub-king, who were pursuing them, could overtake them. Nevertheless, they cut off and slew some of these troops, rescued some of the cattle and sheep they had seized while foraging, and besieged the city for two days, burning part of the crops of corn and giving the rest to their horses. These events took place within a year after the Pagans came from the coast of France to the mouth of the River Limene.

A.D. 895. #

¹ The often-mentioned Saxon army, having no means of subsistence because the Christians had taken everything from them, made an incursion into the territories of the North Britons and, ravaging them far and wide, carried off an immense amount of plunder. Not daring to return through Mercia, for fear of the Mercians, they went first through Northumbria and the country of the Mid-Angles, and, having rejoined their wives and ships in East Anglia, betook themselves to a little island in the sea called Theresig (Mersey), on the eastern coast of Essex. In the same year, the same party drew their ships up the River Thames and afterwards up the River Lea, and began to build themselves a fort near that river, twenty miles from London.

A.D. 896. #

¹ In the summer, a large part of the citizens of London, assisted by numbers from the neighbouring places, endeavoured to demolish the fortress which the Pagans had built for themselves; but they met with stout resistance, and the Christians were compelled to withdraw after four of King Alfred’s thanes had been slain. The king himself, in the autumn, pitched his camp not far from the city, in order to prevent the Pagans from carrying off the crops of the country people. One day, as he rode along the riverbank, he considered where he could obstruct the channel so as to prevent the Danes from getting their ships out; and without delay ordered a dam to be made from both sides across the bed of the river. When the Pagans discovered this, they again placed their wives in safety in East Anglia and, abandoning their ships, made a forced march on foot as far as a place called Quattbryege, where they built themselves a fortress and spent the winter. Meanwhile, the Londoners brought some of their ships to London and broke up the rest.

A.D. 897. #

¹ In the summer, part of the Pagan army which had wintered at Quattbrycge went into East Anglia, and the other part as far as Northumbria. Some remained there, but others procured ships and crossed over to the River Seine already mentioned. Oh! with what constant attacks, with what grievous sufferings, in what a dreadful and lamentable manner, was the whole of England harassed, not only by the Danes who had settled in various parts of it before that time, but also by these roving children of Satan. It suffered still more for three years from a murrain among the cattle and a mortality among the nobility, many of whom, especially the king’s principal officers, died during that period. Among these were Sutihulf, bishop of Rochester; Ealhrard, bishop of Dorchester; Ceolmund, ealdorman of Kent; Beorhttwlf, ealdorman of Essex; Eadulf, the king’s reeve in Sussex; Beornwulf, the vice-reeve of Winchester; Eegwulf, the king’s horse-thane; and many others; but these were of the highest rank. In this same year, the army of Pagans who were settled in East Anglia and Northumbria grievously harassed the territory of the West Saxons, making piratical descents and pillaging along the coast, principally in long, swift ships which they had built some years before. To oppose these, King Alfred caused ships to be constructed twice as long, swifter, loftier, and better trimmed, so that they might be more than a match for the enemy’s navy in action. On sending them to sea, the king ordered them to take as many prisoners as they could and to kill such of the enemy as they could not take alive. The result was that in the same year twenty ships of the Danish pirates were captured; of their crews, some were slain and others brought alive before the king and hanged on the gallows.

A.D. 898. #

A.D. 899. #

A.D. 900. #

¹ Healhstan, bishop of London, died and was succeeded by Theodred. Eardulf, bishop of Lindisfarne, died, and the pious Cuthard succeeded him.

A.D. 901. #

¹ Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, son of the most religious King Ethelwulf, died on Wednesday, the fifth day before the calends of November [28 October], in the fourth indiction, after a reign of twenty-nine years and six months. He was buried at Winchester in the New Minster, where he awaits being clothed with blessed immortality and sharing in the glory of the resurrection of the just. That renowned, warlike, and victorious king was the zealous guardian of widows and the fatherless, orphans, and the poor. He was a perfect master of Saxon poetry, dearly loved by his own subjects, most affable and generous to all the world; endowed with prudence, fortitude, justice, and temperance, he was a model of patience under his inveterate disease, acute and impartial in the administration of justice, and vigilant and devout in the service of God. His son Edward, surnamed the Elder, who succeeded to the throne, was inferior to his father in learning, but surpassed him in dignity, might, and grandeur. For, as will be clearly shown in what follows, he extended the frontiers of his kingdom far beyond their limits in his father’s reign, built many cities and towns, and raised others from their ruins; wrested from the power of the Danes all Essex, East Anglia, Northumbria, and several districts of Mercia, which had long been in their hands; and, after the death of his sister Ethelfleda, took possession of the whole of Mercia and retained it in his own hands. He also reduced to subjection the king of the Scots, the Cumbrians, and the Strathclyde and Western Britons; and defeated and slew many kings and chiefs. He had Athelstan, his first-born son by a woman of very noble birth named Egwina. His queen Edgiva also bore him three sons, Edwin, Edmund, and Edred; a daughter named Edberga, a most devout virgin; and three other daughters. One of these was married to Otho, emperor of the Romans, the eighty-ninth in succession; another to Charles, king of the Western Franks, whose aunt, the daughter of the Emperor Charles, was the wife of Ethelwulf, king of Wessex; and Sihtrie, king of Northumbria, married the third daughter. The etheling Ethelwold, first cousin of King Edward, seized a royal vill called Tweoxebeam without the licence of the king or his witan; he also took another called Winburne and strengthened it with gates and bolts. It was there that, as we have mentioned before, St Cuthburg, sister of King Ina, founded a monastery of nuns. On hearing of this outrage, King Edward assembled an army and encamped at a place near Winburne called Baddanbyrig (Badbury). The king lost no time in summoning the etheling to evacuate the place; but he refused, saying that he would live or die there. But these were idle words, for, terrified by the size of the king’s army, he escaped by night and, hastening into Northumbria, entreated the Danes to accept him as a comrade, allowing him to join their company as such and not as a commander. However, they shortly afterwards raised him to the throne. King Athelstan was severely mortified at Ethelwold’s escape and ordered instant pursuit, but, finding it impossible to overtake him, he arrested the nun whom the etheling had married without his permission and that of the bishops, and caused her to be taken back to her convent at Winburne.

A.D. 902. #

A.D. 903. #

¹ Athulf, a very brave ealdorman, the brother of Queen Elswitha, King Edward’s mother, died this year; as did Virgilius, a venerable Scottish abbot; likewise Grimbald, the priest, a man of great sanctity and one of King Alfred’s teachers, ascended to the bliss of the heavenly kingdom.

A.D. 904. #

¹ The men of Kent fought against a numerous band of Danish pirates at a place called Holme and remained victorious. The etheling Ethelwold returned to England from foreign parts with a large fleet of ships which he had either bought or gathered in East Anglia.

A.D. 905. #

¹ There was an eclipse of the moon. The etheling Ethelwold persuaded the Danes who inhabited East Anglia, by promising them a large share of the booty, to join him in a predatory incursion on the borders of Mercia. On agreeing to this, they quickly burst into the Mercian territory under their king Eric, in union with Ethelwold, and, eager for plunder, carried fire and sword through the country, penetrating as far as Creceanford (Cricklade), where they crossed the River Thames, and traversing the wood called in the Saxon tongue Bradene, seized the surrounding vills, plundering everything they could lay their hands on. Being now loaded with rich booty, they hurried homewards in triumph; but in vain, for the invincible King Edward pursued them with such troops as he could gather in haste, and laid waste their lands situated between the boundary territory of St Edmund the king and the River Ouse. When he was about to withdraw his army from the work of devastation, he ordered them all to retire together; but the men of Kent remained behind in spite of the order. The king sent them no fewer than seven messages, commanding them to retreat; but they, having no fear of an attack, persisted in their enterprise in blind security. The Danes, learning this, quickly assembled in a body and fell upon the men of Kent; and a severe battle ensued, in which many perished on both sides. On the side of the Kentish men were slain Siwulf, the ealdorman, and his son Seberht, Sigelm, the ealdorman, Edwold, the king’s thane, abbot Kenulf, and many others. On the side of the Danes were slain Eric, their king, the etheling Ethelwold, who had been elected king, and very many more than fell on the side of the English; but they remained masters of the field of death. The devout handmaid of Christ, Queen Elswitha, King Edward’s mother and the foundress of a monastery for nuns at Winchester, died.

A.D. 906. #

¹ A comet-star was seen. The Pagan army from East Anglia and Northumbria, finding that King Edward was invincible, made peace with him at a place called in the English tongue Yttingaford.

A.D. 907. #

A.D. 908. #

¹ The city called in the British tongue Karlegion, and in the Saxon Legeceastre (Chester), was rebuilt by order of Ethered, the ealdorman, and Ethelfleda.

A.D. 909. #

¹ Denulf, bishop of Winchester, died.

A.D. 910. #

¹ St Frithestan succeeded to the bishopric left vacant by the death of Denulf. The bones of St Oswald, king and martyr, were translated from Bardney to Mercia. The Danes, having broken the peace recently concluded, the invincible King Edward sent an army of West Saxons and Mercians into Northumbria, which, having completed its march, laid waste the country for nearly forty days without interruption, put numbers of the Danes to the sword, and brought back a crowd of captives and immense booty, compelling their kings, however reluctantly, to renew with King Edward the peace they had broken.

A.D. 911. #

¹ A glorious battle was fought between the English and the Danes at a place called Teotanhele, in the province of Stafford, and the English gained the victory. In the same year, the victorious King Edward assembled a hundred ships and, embarking chosen troops in them, ordered them to meet him in Kent, where he intended to go by land. Meanwhile, the Danish settlers in Northumbria again broke the peace they had made and, rejecting the terms of settlement proposed by King Edward and his witan, audaciously ravaged the lands of the Mercians, believing that their naval power was so superior that they could go wherever they pleased without encountering an enemy. When the king was informed of this incursion, he sent the West Saxon troops, united with those of Mercia, to drive them out. They overtook the Danes as they were returning from the country they had ravaged, on a plain called in English Wodnesfield, and slew their two kings, Eowils and Halfdene, brothers of King Hinguar, together with two of their earls, Ochter and Scurf, nine of their principal nobles, and many thousands of men besides; and, putting the rest to flight, recovered all the spoil. Ethelfleda, the lady of the Mercians, built the town of Bramsbury.

A.D. 912. #

¹ Ethered, ealdorman and ‘patrician’, lord and sub-king of the Mercians, a man of distinguished excellence and not lacking in worthy deeds, died this year. After his death, his wife Ethelfleda, King Alfred’s daughter, ruled the kingdom of Mercia with firmness, except for London and Oxford, which her cousin King Edward retained in his own hands.

A.D. 913. #

¹ Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, came with an army on the second of the nones [6 May] to a place called Scœrgate and built a fortress there; marching from there, she built another at a place called Bricge (Bridgnorth), on the western bank of the River Thames. Around the feast of St Martin [11 November], a city was built by order of King Edward between the Memera, Ficcea, and Lyge (Lea), to the north of Hertford.

A.D. 914. #

¹ After Easter [17 April], a Pagan army from Northampton and Leicester came plundering into the province of Oxford and slew great numbers of people in the royal vill of Hockernetune (Hockerton), and in many other vills. Shortly after they returned home, another expedition was equipped, consisting of horsemen, and sent into the province of Hertford towards Ligetun (Leighton?); but the people of the country gathered together to oppose them and, slaying many of them and putting the rest to flight, took some of their horses and most of their weapons, also recovering the booty they had collected. After Rogation days [23 May], King Edward detached part of his troops to build a town on the south side of the River Lea and, marching the rest into Essex, pitched his camp at Maldienne (Maldon?). He took up his quarters there while a town was being built at Witham, which was afterwards fortified; and a great many of the inhabitants who were held in bondage by the Pagans submitted themselves to him, with all they possessed. In the early part of the summer, Ethelfleda, the lady of the Mercians, led her people to Tamworth and, by God’s help, rebuilt that town; from there she went to Stafford and built or raised a fort on the north bank of the River Sowe. The following winter was exceedingly long and severe. Athelm, bishop of Wells, being promoted to the archbishopric of Canterbury, was succeeded by Wulfhelm.

A.D. 915. #

¹ On the death of Wereferth, bishop of the Hwiccas, a man of deep learning and piety, he was succeeded by Ethelhun, abbot of Berkeley. At the beginning of summer, Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, built the town called Eddesbury, and at the close of autumn another called Warwick. The Pagan pirates, who nearly nineteen years before had crossed over to France, returned to England from the province called Lydwiccum (Brittany), under two chiefs, Ochter and Hroald (Thorold?), and, sailing around the coast of Wessex and Cornwall, at length entered the mouth of the River Severn. Without any delay, they fell upon the country of the Northern Britons and carried off almost everything they could find on the banks of the river. Having seized Cymelgeac, a British bishop, on a plain called Yrcenefeld, they dragged him with no little joy to their ships. King Edward redeemed him shortly afterwards for forty pounds of silver. Before long, the whole army landed and made for the plain already mentioned in search of plunder; but the men of Hereford and Gloucester, with numerous bands from the neighbouring towns, suddenly fell upon them, and a battle was fought in which Hroald, one of the enemy’s chiefs, the brother of Ochter, the other chief, and a great part of the army were slain. The rest fled and were driven by the Christians into an enclosure, where they were besieged until they gave hostages as a pledge that they would depart as quickly as possible from King Edward’s dominions. The king therefore stationed detachments of his army in suitable positions on the south side of the Severn, from Cornwall to the mouth of the River Avon, to prevent the pirates from ravaging those districts. But, leaving their ships on the shore, they prowled through the country by night, plundering eastward of Weced (Watchet), and on another occasion at a place called Porlock. However, on both occasions the king’s troops slew all of them except those who made a disgraceful retreat to their ships. The latter, dispirited by their defeat, took refuge on an island called Reoric, where they remained until many of them died of hunger; and, driven by necessity, the survivors sailed first to Deomed and afterwards, in the autumn, to Ireland. After these events, the invincible King Edward marched his army to Buckingham, where he remained for thirty days, causing forts to be built on both banks of the River Ouse; and, as a result, Turketil, one of the Danish chiefs, together with all the better sort from Bedford and many from Northampton, was compelled to submit to the king. On the death of Cuthard, bishop of Lindisfarne, he was succeeded by Tilred.

A.D. 916. #

¹ The victorious King Edward went to Bedford before the feast of St Martin [11 November], and the place and its inhabitants submitted to him. He remained there for thirty days and caused a town to be built on the south side of the River Ouse. After Christmas, Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, built two towns, Cyricbirig (Cherbury) and Weadbyrig; she had also built a third, Runcofan (Runcorn), before that feast.

A.D. 917. #

¹ The victorious King Edward went as far as Maldon before the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist and rebuilt the town, placing a garrison of soldiers in it before he departed. In the same year, Turketil, the chief already mentioned, crossed over to France with all his band, with King Edward’s approval and assistance. The venerable abbot Egbert was unjustly slain on the sixth day before the calends of July. Three nights afterwards, Ethelfleda, the lady of the Mercians, sent an army into the territory of the Britons to capture the castle at Brycenanmere (Brecknock); and, having stormed it, they carried the wife of the British king captive to Mercia, together with thirty-four men. Rollo, the first duke of Normandy, died and was succeeded by his son William.

A.D. 918. #

¹ By King Edward’s command, the city called Towcester was built before Easter, and another after Easter, around the Rogations, at Wigmore. After the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, the Pagans of Northampton and Leicester, in violation of the peace, marched to Towcester and assaulted it throughout an entire day, attempting to storm it; but the defenders of the place made a stout resistance from within, and their neighbours hastened to their relief, so the Pagans all took to flight. They afterwards made night attacks in the province of Buckingham upon those who were off their guard, carrying away men as well as cattle, and slaughtered many of the inhabitants between Birnwood and Aylesbury. At the same time, the army of Pagans who had colonised East Anglia and Huntingdon abandoned their fortress at Huntingdon and built themselves a stronger one at a place called Wigingamere, thinking that hostilities from that quarter would enable them to recover the lands that had been wrested from them. They then set out to assault Bedford; but as soon as their approach was discovered, those who guarded the town went out to engage them, and, when battle was joined, the enemy were defeated and put to flight with great loss. After a short interval, the Pagans again assembled in a body from East Anglia, Essex, and Mercia, and marched to a town called Wigingamere, which they assaulted throughout an entire day; those within defended it manfully, and the enemy withdrew, sweeping off a vast amount of booty as they retreated. After this, in the same summer, the people assembled in great numbers from the nearest towns and districts under King Edward’s dominion and laid siege to Tempsford; they assaulted, stormed, burnt, and destroyed it, putting to the sword the king of the Pagans, together with their general Toglear and his son, Earl Mannan, and his brother, and all who offered any resistance; the rest they took prisoner and carried off all they could find.

² From that time the power of the Danes gradually declined, while that of the English increased daily. On the calends [1 August], Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, took Derby by assault and became mistress of that district; but four of her most trusted thanes were slain while fighting bravely at the city gate. In the following autumn, a great multitude of people from Kent, Surrey, Essex, and the neighbouring towns and districts assembled together and marched in a body to Colchester, where they laid siege to the place and remained before it until they captured it. They slew all who were in it, except a few who escaped, and plundered everything it contained. The Danes of East Anglia, greatly incensed by this loss, were bent on revenge and, joined by some pirates whom they had taken into their pay, hastened to Maldon, which they besieged until the people of the neighbourhood came to the aid of the English, whereupon the Danes abandoned the siege and withdrew. Seeing this, the English pursued them with great impetuosity, slew many thousands of the pirates and the others, and routed the rest. Shortly afterwards, the invincible King Edward placed himself at the head of an expedition from Wessex to Passanham and remained there while Towcester was fortified with a stone wall built around it. As a result, the Danish earl Thurferth, finding that he could no longer resist the king’s vigour, submitted to Edward, together with the citizens of Northampton and the people of that neighbourhood, both Danish and English. After this, the king returned home and sent another army to Huntingdon, with orders to repair and rebuild the place and leave a garrison there. When this had been accomplished, all the people of that province who had survived the cruelties of the Danes, rejoicing to shake off their yoke, sought peace and protection from the king and offered him their allegiance. After an interval of a few days, the king assembled the army of Wessex and marched to Colchester, where he repaired the walls of the town and stationed a garrison of hired soldiers. Meanwhile, many of the English in East Anglia and Essex, who had been enslaved by the brutal Danes for more than thirty years, joyfully submitted to King Edward; and even the Danish colonists of East Anglia came to him and swore that in future they would do nothing to his harm, either by sea or by land. The army from Cambridge also came and chose him as their lord and patron, confirming their submission by oaths as he required.

A.D. 919. #

¹ At the beginning of this year, Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, gained possession of Leicester peacefully, and nearly all the Danes belonging to the place submitted to her. The Danes also who predominated at York pledged, some on their word and others on oath, to submit to her will and pleasure in all things. After Rogations [31 May], the victorious King Edward the Elder led his army to Stamford and built a strong castle on the south bank of the River Welland, and not only the Danes who held the fort on the north bank of that river, but all who were connected with the place, paid him homage. While the king was thus occupied, that is, on the nineteenth day before the calends of July, his sister Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, a woman of incomparable prudence and eminent for her just and virtuous life, died, eight years after the sole government of the Mercians had fallen to her, during which time she had ruled them with firmness and equity. She left Elfwina, her only daughter by Ethered the sub-king, as heiress to her territories; her body was carried to Gloucester and honourably buried in the church of St Peter. As soon as news of his sister’s death reached the king, he hurried to Tamworth and reduced it to submission. Then, moving his army to Nottingham, which was surrendered to him, he ordered it to be repaired and settled in it a united body of Danes and English. In due course, he received the submission first of all the Mercians and Danish inhabitants of Mercia, and afterwards of three British kings, Howel, Clyttwic, and Juthal, with all their subjects.

A.D. 920. #

¹ In the autumn, the invincible King Edward proceeded to Thelwall and built a town there, leaving some of the bravest of his soldiers as a garrison. He also sent troops into Northumbria, with orders to repair the town of Manchester and station some good soldiers there. After that, he deprived his niece Elfwina of all her authority in the kingdom of Mercia and caused her to be taken to Wessex.

A.D. 921. #

¹ The invincible King Edward the Elder went to Nottingham with a body of troops before the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, and built a town on the southern bank of the River Trent, opposite the town standing on the other bank, and gave orders for a strong bridge to be built connecting the two towns. From there he proceeded with his force to Beadecanwella (Bakewell) and, having built a town nearby, stationed some stout soldiers in it. At that time, the king of the Scots, with all his people; Regnald, king of the Danes, with the English and Danes of Northumbria; and the king of the Strathclyde Britons, with his subjects, chose King Edward the Elder as their father and lord and made a firm alliance with him.

A.D. 922. #

¹ Ethelward, the etheling, King Edward’s brother, died on the seventeenth day before the calends of November [16 October], and was carried to Winchester and buried there. Ethelhun, bishop of the Hwiccas, died and was succeeded by Wilferth.

A.D. 923. #

A.D. 924. #

¹ Edward the Elder, the invincible king of England, who reigned gloriously over all the peoples of Britain, whether English, Scots, Cumbrians, Danes, or Welsh, died at the royal vill called Fearndun (Farringdon), in the fifteenth indiction and the twenty-fourth year of his reign, after many great achievements, leaving the government to his son Athelstan. His body was carried to Winchester and buried in the New Minster with royal pomp. His son Alfward died shortly afterwards at Oxford and was buried with his father. Athelstan’s accession was inaugurated at Cingestone, which signifies the King’s town, and he was crowned with due ceremony by Athelm, archbishop of Canterbury. The resolute Dunstan, a native of Wessex, was a boy in his time.

A.D. 925. #

¹ The valiant and glorious King Athelstan gave his sister in marriage, with great pomp and magnificence, to Sihtric, king of the Northumbrians, who was of Danish origin.

A.D. 926. #

¹ Fiery lights in the northern part of the heavens were visible throughout the whole of England. Shortly afterwards, Sihtric, king of Northumbria, died, and King Athelstan expelled Guthferth, his son and successor, and united the kingdom with the others under his imperial rule, for he defeated in battle and put to flight all the kings throughout Albion; namely, Howel, king of the West Britons (the Welsh), and afterwards Constantine, king of the Scots, and Wuer (Owen), king of the Wenti (q. Gwent). He also expelled Aldred, the son of Eadulf, from his royal town called by the English Bebbanbyrig (Bamborough). All these, finding that they could no longer resist his power, sued for peace and, assembling at a place called Eamot on the fourth day of the ides [12 July], ratified a solemn treaty by their oaths.

A.D. 927. #

A.D. 928. #

¹ Tilred, bishop of Lindisfarne, died and was succeeded by Withred. On the death of Tunberht, bishop of Lichfield, Elle succeeded him.

A.D. 929. #

¹ Wilferth, bishop of the Hwiccias, died and was succeeded by Kinewold.

A.D. 930. #

A.D. 931. #

¹ Eadulf, bishop of Devon, died and was buried at Crediton.

A.D. 932. #

¹ Frithestan, bishop of Winchester, a man of eminent piety, continued to reside at Winchester after the pious Byrustan became bishop in his place. St Frithestan sang mass daily for the repose of the souls of the departed, and at night went around the cemeteries, chanting psalms for their relief. On one occasion, when he was thus occupied and had concluded the service with the words, ‘May they rest in peace!’ he heard, as though from countless hosts, the response ‘Amen’ issuing from the graves.

A.D. 933. #

¹ St Frithestan died.

A.D. 934. #

¹ Athelstan, the valiant king of England, led an expedition into Scotland, consisting of a powerful fleet and a large body of cavalry, after Constantine, king of the Scots, had broken the peace he had made. King Athelstan ravaged a great part of the country, and Constantine was compelled to give him his son as a hostage, together with suitable presents; and, peace having been restored, the English king returned to Wessex. St Byrnstan, bishop of Winchester, died in the same year.

A.D. 935. #

¹ The holy monk Elphege, surnamed the Bald, a kinsman of St Dunstan, was appointed to the bishopric of Winchester.

A.D. 936. #

A.D. 937. #

¹ Otho, the nineteenth emperor of the Romans, reigned for thirty-six years and ten months. Athelstan, king of England, gave him one of his sisters in marriage.

A.D. 938. #

¹ Anlaf [Olaf], the Pagan king of Ireland many other islands, at the instigation of his father-in-law Constantine, king of the Scots, entered the mouth of the Humber with a powerful fleet. King Athelstan and his brother Edmund the etheling encountered him at the head of their army at a place called Brunanburgh, and the battle, in which five tributary kings and seven earls were slain, lasted from daybreak until evening and was more sanguinary than any that had ever been fought before in England. The victors retired in triumph, having driven Kings Anlaf and Constantine to their ships; overwhelmed with sorrow at the destruction of their army, they returned to their own countries with very few followers.

A.D. 939. #

A.D. 940. #

¹ Athelstan, the brave and glorious king of England, died at Gloucester on Wednesday, the sixth day before the calends of November [27 October], in the fourteenth indiction and the sixteenth year of his reign. He was carried to Maidulph (Malmesbury) and buried there with great honour; his brother Edmund succeeded to the throne in the eighteenth year of his age.

A.D. 941. #

¹ The Northumbrians, faithless to the allegiance they owed to Edmund, the great king of England, elected Olaf, a king of the Northmen, as their own king. In the same year Alfred, bishop of Sherborne, died.

A.D. 942. #

¹ Edmund, the great king of England, wrested the ‘Five Burghs’, namely Lincoln, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, and Stamford, from the hands of the Danes and brought the whole of Mercia under his dominion. He established his supremacy and acquired this glory by calling to his counsels Dunstan, the servant of God, who, besides other offices of dignity to which he was advanced, was abbot of Glastonbury, where he had been brought up. William, duke of Normandy, the son of Rollo, was slain on the sixteenth day before the calends of January [17 December]; he was succeeded by his son Richard.

A.D. 943. #

¹ At the moment when St Elfgiva, the queen of King Edmund the Great, was giving birth to a son, St Dunstan, the abbot, heard voices on high singing thus: ‘Peace shall be to the English Church in the time of the child who is now born and of our own Dunstan.’ This year the king of England received King Olaf, already mentioned, from the sacred laver of regeneration [Titus 3:5] and gave him a royal gift; and soon afterwards he presented Regnald, king of Northumbria, to the bishop for confirmation, adopting him as his son.

A.D. 944. #

¹ Edmund, the great king of England, expelled the two kings of Northumbria, namely Olaf, son of Sihtric, and Regnald, son of Guthferth, and took that kingdom into his own hands. Withred, bishop of Lindisfarne, died and was succeeded by Uhtrie; on his death, Sexhelm was ordained to take his place, and when he too died a few months afterwards, Aldred was consecrated in his stead.

A.D. 945. #

¹ Edmund, the great king of England, laid waste Cumberland gave it to Malcolm, king of the Scots, under fealty and military service by sea and land.

A.D. 946. #

¹ On the feast of St Augustine, the doctor of the English, being Tuesday, the seventh day before the calends of June [26 May], in the fourth indiction, Edmund, the great king of England, was stabbed to death at the royal vill called Pucklechurch by Leof, a ruffianly thief, while attempting to defend his steward from being murdered by the robber. The king thus died after a reign of five years and seven months; his body was carried to Glastonbury and buried by St Dunstan the abbot. Edred, his brother and next heir, immediately succeeded him in due course and was crowned at Kingston by St Odo, archbishop of Canterbury, on Sunday, the seventeenth day before the calends of September [16 August]. King Edred reduced the entire kingdom of Northumbria to allegiance, as his brother had done before, and the Scots swore fealty to him.

A.D. 947, 948. #

A.D. 949. #

¹ St Wulfstan, archbishop of York, and all the great men of Northumbria swore fealty to Edred, the illustrious king of England, at the vill called Taddens-clyff (Tadcaster), but they soon broke their oath and made one Eric, of Danish origin, their king.

A.D. 950. #

¹ On the revolt of the Northumbrians, Edred, king of England, laid waste the whole of Northumbria; and, in the course of this devastation, the monastery of Ripon, founded by St Wilfrid, was burnt to the ground. While, however, the king was withdrawing, a body of troops sallied forth from York and inflicted great losses on the rear of his army at a place called Chesterford. The king was so angered by this affront that he was on the point of turning his forces back and utterly devastating the whole country, when the Northumbrians, alarmed by the news, deposed Eric, whom they had elected king, satisfying the king’s honour by humble submission and compensating him for his losses with their offerings; it cost them a large sum of money to appease his anger.

A.D. 951. #

¹ St Elphege, bishop of Winchester, surnamed the Bald, who had received St Dunstan’s profession as a monk and raised him to the order of priesthood, died and was succeeded in the bishopric by Alfsin.

A.D. 952. #

¹ Edred, the renowned king of England, closely imprisoned Wulfstan, archbishop of York, at Juthanbyrig, on certain charges that had frequently been brought against him. He also ordered several of the inhabitants of Thetford to be executed as punishment for their cruel murder of Abbot Aldelm.

A.D. 953. #

¹ Ethelgar, bishop of Crediton, died in Christ in the twenty-first year after his appointment to the see and was buried at Crediton. On the advice of St Dunstan, the abbot, the venerable Alfwold was made bishop in his place.

A.D. 954. #

¹ Wulfstan, archbishop of York, was released from prison, but his episcopal functions were transferred to Dorchester.

A.D. 955. #

¹ Edred, the illustrious king of England, fell ill in the tenth year of his reign, so that his life was despaired of; upon which a messenger was dispatched with great urgency to summon Dunstan, the king’s confessor. The holy abbot was hastening to the palace and had completed half his journey when he heard these words distinctly spoken by a voice from above: ‘King Edred now rests in peace.’ At this sound, the horse on which he was riding, struck with awe at the angel’s voice, fell lifeless to the ground, but St Dunstan was unharmed. The king’s body was carried to Winchester and buried by Abbot Dunstan himself in the New Minster with the highest honours. Edwy, the etheling, his nephew, being the son of King Edward by St Elfgiva, his queen, succeeded him in his sole and imperial government and was crowned that same year at Kingston by Odo, archbishop of Canterbury. In the same year Lewis, king of the Western Franks, son of King Charles by a daughter of Edward the Elder, king of England, died. Liutolf also, son of the Emperor Otho by another daughter of the same King Edward, died this year and was buried in the choir of the Abbey of St Alban at Mentz.

A.D. 956. #

¹ St Dunstan, the abbot, on being summoned to judgement by Edwy, king of England, crossed the sea and, being honourably received by Arnulf, a man of royal descent, was given lodgings in the abbey of Blandin (St Peter’s, at Ghent). Wulfstan, archbishop of York, died on the seventh day before the calends of January [26 December] and was buried at Oundle. Oskytel, a reverend man, succeeded him.

A.D. 957. #

¹ The people of Mercia and Northumbria renounced their allegiance to Edwy, king of England, disgusted by the folly of his government, and elected his cousin, the etheling Edgar, as king. Thus the kingdom was divided between the two kings in such a way that the River Thames formed the boundary between their respective dominions. It was not long before Edgar, king of Mercia, recalled St Dunstan, the abbot, with honour and distinction. A short time afterwards, Coenwald, pastor of the church of Worcester, a man of deep humility and also a monk, died, and St Dunstan, the abbot, was promoted to the vacant bishopric and consecrated by Odo, archbishop of Canterbury. In the following year, Edgar, king of Mercia, entrusted him with the government of the church of London on the death of its pious pastor.

A.D. 958. #

¹ Alfsi, bishop of Dorchester, died; he was succeeded by Byrhthelm, a mild, modest, humble, and benevolent man. St Odo, archbishop of Canterbury, separated Edwy, king of Wessex, and Elgiva, either because, as report says, she was closely related to him, or because he was enamoured of her instead of his wife. In the same year, the archbishop, a man eminent for his talent, worth, and virtues, and gifted with a prophetic spirit, died and was borne on angels’ wings to paradise. He was succeeded by Ælfsige, bishop of Winchester, and Byrhthelm, the fifth bishop of Wells, was translated to the see of Winchester in Alfsin’s place.

A.D. 959. #

¹ Elfsige, archbishop of Canterbury, while travelling to Rome to obtain the pallium, was frozen to death in the ice and snow while crossing the Alps. Edwy, king of Wessex, died after a reign of four years and was buried at Winchester in the New Minster. His brother Edgar, king of Mercia, then in the sixteenth year of his age, was chosen to succeed him by the unanimous voice of the Anglo-Britons, in the 510th year from the arrival of the Angles in Britain and the 263rd year after St Augustine and his companions landed in England; and the divided kingdoms were thus reunited. Byrhthelm, bishop of the people of Somerset (of Wells), was elected to the archbishopric of Canterbury, but, as it was generally considered that he was poorly qualified for so high a dignity, he returned to the church he had lately left. Then, St Dunstan, nephew on his brother’s side of Archbishop Athelm, and abbot of Glastonbury and afterwards bishop of Worcester and London, was by divine grace and the advice of the council chosen to be primate and patriarch of the metropolis of England. Guided by his prudent counsels and those of other wise men, Edgar, king of England, suppressed wickedness everywhere, severely punished the rebellious, cherished the just and humble, restored and enriched the ruined houses of God, and, clearing the dwellings of the clergy of everything frivolous and trifling, assembled communities of monks and nuns to the glory of the great Creator, establishing them in more than forty monasteries built by his command. He honoured all these as brethren and loved them as dear children, admonishing with his own mouth the pastors he set over them to exhort their flocks to live according to the monastic rule and without reproach, and so to be well-pleasing in all things to Christ and his saints. He was discreet, mild, humble, kind, liberal, merciful, powerful in arms, and warlike, defending the rights of his kingdom in royal fashion by military force. He taught the people to submit readily to their lords, and the lords to govern the people with justice. He enacted good laws, and his reign was most peaceful. He neither provoked war anywhere nor was compelled by any provocation to engage in it; but, by God’s aid, he guarded the frontiers of his kingdom with prudence, courage, justice, and moderation. In his wrath he was fierce as a lion against his enemies, so that not only the princes and lords of the islands held him in awe, but the kings of many nations were either struck with terror and alarm by reports of his wisdom and might, or loved, honoured, and praised him for his generosity. Emperor Otho the First, who had married his aunt, sent him splendid gifts and concluded a treaty of lasting peace with him.

A.D. 960. #

¹ St Dunstan went to Rome in the third indiction and, having received the pallium from Pope John, returned to his own country by a peaceful journey. After a few months had passed, he went to court and, appealing to the king’s piety, suggested and humbly requested that he raise to the see of Worcester St Oswald, nephew of his predecessor Odo, a devout, meek, and humble monk, of whose growth in the fear of God and the virtues of a holy life he was fully satisfied. King Edgar granted this request, and St Oswald was consecrated and enthroned as bishop by St Dunstan himself. On the death of Guthard, bishop of Selsey, Alfred succeeded him.

A.D. 961, 962. #

A.D. 963. #

¹ St Ethelwold, a venerable abbot who had been brought up by St Dunstan, succeeded to the bishopric of Winchester on the death of Byrhthelm; and in the same year, by the king’s command, he expelled the clergy and established monks in the Old Minster. Being the king’s principal counsellor, he strongly advised him to expel clerks (secular canons) from the monasteries and to order that they be replaced by monks and nuns.

A.D. 964. #

¹ Edgar the Pacific, king of England, married Elfthrith, daughter of Ordgar, ealdorman of Devon, and widow of Ethelwold, the illustrious ealdorman of East Anglia, by whom he had two sons, Edmund and Ethelred. He also had by his first wife, Ethelfleda the Fair, surnamed Eneda, daughter of the ealdorman Ordmar, a son named Edward, afterwards king and martyr; and by St Wulfrith, a daughter named Edgitha, a virgin devoted to God. In the same year, the king settled monks in the New Minster and at Middleton, and appointed Ethelgar abbot of the former and Cyneward of the latter.

A.D. 965, 966. #

A.D. 967. #

¹ Edgar the Pacific, king of England, placed nuns in the monastery at Rumsey, founded by his grandfather Edward the Elder, king of England, and appointed St Mærwyn as their abbess.

A.D. 968. #

¹ Edgar the Pacific, king of England, sent Sideman, a devout man, to govern the monks at Exeter with the rank of abbot. On the death of Aldred, bishop of Lindisfarne, he was succeeded by Alfsy.

A.D. 969. #

¹ Edgar the Pacific, king of England, commanded St Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury, and St Oswald and St Ethelwold, bishops of Worcester and Winchester, to expel the clerks and settle monks in the larger monasteries of Mercia. Then St Oswald, in accordance with the king’s wishes, expelled from the monastery the clergy of the church of Worcester who refused to become monks; but when they complied, as he tells us, in the present year, he accepted their monastic vows and appointed Wynsin, a monk of Rumsey and a man of deep piety, as their abbot instead of a dean.

A.D. 970. #

¹ The relics of St Swithin, the venerable bishop, after having been buried for one hundred and ten years, were disinterred on Friday, the ides of July [15 July], in the thirteenth indiction, by the venerable bishop St Ethelwold, and Elfstan and Ethelgar, abbots of Glastonbury and the New Minster, and deposited with the utmost reverence in the church of the apostles Peter and Paul (at Winchester). In the same year Oswulf, bishop of Wilton, died and was buried at Wilton; the venerable Alfgar was ordained in his place.

A.D. 971. #

¹ The etheling Edmund, King Edgar’s son, died and was honourably buried in the monastery at Rumsey. In the same year Alphege, ealdorman of Hampshire, died and was buried at Glastonbury. Soon afterwards Ordgar, ealdorman of Devon and King Edgar’s father-in-law, died and was buried at Exeter.

A.D. 972. #

¹ Edgar the Pacific, king of England, caused the church of the New Minster, begun by his father and completed by himself, to be consecrated with great ceremony. In the same year Alfwold, bishop of Devon, died in the nineteenth year of his episcopacy and was buried at Crediton. On the death of Oskytel, archbishop of York, his kinsman St Oswald, bishop of Worcester, was elected to succeed him in the archbishopric.

A.D. 973. #

¹ [Stephen became the one hundred and thirty-fourth pope]; from him St Oswald received the pallium. Edgar the Pacific, king of England, being then in the thirtieth year of his age, received the blessing of the bishops St Dunstan and St Oswald, and all the other bishops of England, and was crowned and anointed king with great pomp and ceremony at the city of Acamann (Bath?) in the first indiction, on the fifth day before the ides [11 May], being Whitsunday. Shortly afterwards, he sailed around the northern coast of Britain with a large fleet and landed at Chester. He was met, as he had ordered, by eight tributary kings, namely Kenneth, king of the Scots; Malcolm, king of the Cumbrians; Maecus (Magnus), king of several isles; and five others named Dufnal, Siferth, Huwal (Howel?), Jacob, and Juchil, who swore fealty and bound themselves to military service by land sea. Attended by them, King Edgar one day went aboard a boat and, while they plied the oars, he took the helm and skilfully steered down the course of the River Dee; followed by his whole retinue of earls and nobles, he continued the voyage from the palace to the monastery of St John the Baptist. Having performed his devotions there, he returned to the palace with the same pomp. He is reported to have said to his nobles as he entered the gates that any successor of his might truly boast of being king of England when he should receive such honours, with so many kings doing him homage. Bryhthelm, bishop of Somerset, died and was buried at Wells. He was succeeded by Cyneward, abbot of Middleton.

A.D. 974. #

¹ This year there was a violent earthquake throughout the whole of England. Eberger, archbishop of Cologne, gave the abbey of St Martin at Cologne to the Scots for ever. Minborin, a Scot, was the first abbot.

A.D. 975. #

¹ King Edgar the Pacific, imperial monarch of the English world, the flower and glory of a race of kings, no less famous among the English than Romulus among the Romans, Cyrus among the Persians, Alexander among the Macedonians, Arsaces among the Parthians, or Charles the Great among the Franks, after accomplishing all his undertakings in a manner worthy of a king, died on Thursday, the eighth of the ides [8 July], in the third indiction, in the thirty-second year of his age, the nineteenth of his reign in Mercia and Northumbria, and the sixteenth of his reign over all England, leaving his son Edward heir to his crown and virtues. His body was carried to Glastonbury and buried with royal pomp. During his life he formed a fleet of 3,600 stout ships, and after Easter every year he used to assemble a squadron of 1,200 ships on each of the eastern, western, and northern coasts of the island; he would sail with the eastern squadron until it met the western, which then turned about and sailed eastwards, while the western squadron sailed northwards until it met the northern, which in turn sailed westwards. Thus the whole island was circumnavigated every summer, and these bold expeditions served both for the defence of the realm against foreigners and to accustom himself and his people to military exercises. In the winter and spring he used to make progresses through all the provinces of England diligently enquire whether the laws of the land his own ordinances were being obeyed, so that the poor might not suffer wrong or be oppressed by the powerful. By the former practice he encouraged a daring spirit, and by the latter the proper administration of justice among his subjects, and in both he consulted the interests of his states and kingdom. Thus his enemies on every side were filled with awe, and the love of those who owed him allegiance was secured. At his death the whole kingdom fell into a state of disturbance, and the season of gladness established by peace in his time was exchanged for one of universal tribulation. For, blinded by valuable gifts, Elfhere, the ealdorman of Mercia, and many other nobles expelled the monks from the monasteries in which they had been settled by King Edgar the Pacific, and introduced clerks with their wives. But this madness was opposed by some conscientious men, such as Ethelwine, ealdorman of East Anglia, a friend of God, his brother Athwold, and the religious ealdorman Brihtnoth, who met together and declared that they could not permit the monks, who possessed all the religion of the kingdom, to be driven out of it; they therefore assembled troops and defended the monasteries of the East Angles with great spirit. While these events were taking place, there was a great dispute among the nobles concerning the election of a king, for some chose the king’s son Edward and others his brother Ethelred. As a result, the archbishops Dunstan and Oswald, with their suffragans and many abbots and ealdormen, assembled together and chose Edward, as his father had directed; and after his election the new king was crowned and anointed. Cyneward, bishop of Somerset, died. A comet-star was seen in the autumn.

A.D. 976. #

¹ England was afflicted by a severe famine. In this year the great earl Oslac was expelled from England.

A.D. 977. #

¹ A very numerous synod was held at a vill called Kyrtling in East Anglia; at another synod afterwards held at Calne, a royal vill, the whole witan of England assembled there, except St Dunstan, fell from an upper chamber: some were killed on the spot, and others barely escaped with their lives. A third synod was held at Amesbury. Sideman, bishop of Devon, died.

A.D. 978. #

¹ Edward, king of England, was foully murdered at Corvesgeate (Corfe), at the instigation of his stepmother, Queen Elfthritha, and was buried at Wareham without royal pomp. His brother Ethelred, the illustrious etheling, a youth of graceful manners, handsome countenance, and fine appearance, was crowned and consecrated king on the Sunday after Easter, the eighteenth day before the calends of May [14 April], in the sixth indiction, by Archbishops Dunstan and Oswald and ten bishops, at Kingston. Elfwold, bishop of Dorchester, died and was buried at Sherborne. A meteor was seen throughout England at midnight, sometimes blood-coloured and at other times fiery; it afterwards formed rays of light of various colours and disappeared around daybreak.

A.D. 979. #

¹ Elfhere, ealdorman of Mercia, came to Wareham with a crowd of people and caused the holy body of the precious king and martyr Edward to be disinterred. When it was unwrapped, it was found to be sound and free from all decay or corruption; they washed it, clothed it afresh, carried it to Shaftesbury, and entombed it with due honours.

A.D. 980. #

¹ Ethelgar, the venerable abbot of the New Minster, was made bishop of Selsey on the sixth day before the nones [2 May]. In the same year, Southampton was laid in ruins by Danish pirates, and nearly all the citizens were either massacred or carried away captive. Shortly afterwards, the same party laid waste the Isle of Thanet. In the same year, the country around Chester was ravaged by Norwegian pirates.

A.D. 981. #

¹ The monastery of St Petree the confessor, in Cornwall, was plundered by the same pirates who had laid Southampton in ruins in the preceding year, and who afterwards pillaged the coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall. Elfstan, bishop of Wilton, died and was succeeded by Sigerie. Wulfstan, dean of Glastonbury, a man eminent for piety, died.

A.D. 982. #

¹ Three pirate ships came to the coast of Dorset, and the pirates ravaged Portland. London was destroyed by fire. Ethelmar, ealdorman of Hampshire, and Edwin, ealdorman of Wessex, died; the former was buried at Abingdon and the latter in the New Minster at Winchester. Hereluve, abbess of Shaftesbury, and Ulfwin, abbess of Wareham, died. In the same year, Emperor Otho II, having gone to Greece, encountered an army of Saracens engaged in a plundering expedition against the Christians and, giving them battle, gained the victory after great slaughter on both sides. As he was returning home, Otho, the son of his brother Liutolf, who was the son of Emperor Otho I by a daughter of Edward the Elder, king of England, died.

A.D. 983. #

¹ Elfhere, ealdorman of Mercia, a kinsman of Edgar, king of England, died and was succeeded in his office by his son Alfric.

A.D. 984. #

¹ St Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, died in the second indiction, on the calends [1 August], and was succeeded by Elphege, abbot of Bath. He had assumed the monastic habit in the abbey of Deerhurst.

A.D. 985. #

¹ The venerable monk Edwin was appointed abbot of the monastery of Abingdon. On the death of Cyneward, bishop of Wells, he was succeeded by Abbot Sigar.

A.D. 986. #

¹ Ethelred, king of England, laid siege to Rochester because of a quarrel, but, finding it difficult to reduce the city, ravaged the lands of St Andrew the apostle. Alfric, ealdorman of Mercia, son and successor of Elfhere, was banished from England.

² Minborin, the Scottish abbot, died in the abbey of St Martin at Cologne on Sunday, the fifteenth day before the calends of August [18 July]. Killin succeeded him.

A.D. 987. #

¹ This year two diseases unknown to the English in former ages, namely, a fever among men and a murrain among cattle called in the English language ‘the skit’, which may be described in Latin as a flux of the bowels, sorely troubled the whole of England raged in every part of it beyond description, causing great mortality among the people and the widespread loss of cattle.

A.D. 988. #

¹ Watchet was pillaged by Danish pirates, and they even slew the governor of Devon, whose name was Goda, and the most valiant thane Strenwold, together with several others; but more of the Danes were killed, and the English remained masters of the field of death. St Dunstan, the archbishop, died on Saturday, the fourteenth day before the calends of June [19 May], in the first indiction, and was succeeded by Ethelgar, who had been appointed the first abbot of the New Minster by St Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, and was afterwards bishop of the South Saxons (of Selsey).

A.D. 989. #

A.D. 990. #

¹ Sigerie, bishop of Wilton, succeeded Ethelgar as archbishop of Canterbury. He expelled the clerks of Canterbury and introduced monks. On the death of Alfsy, bishop of Lindisfarne, he was succeeded by Aldhun.

A.D. 991. #

¹ This year, the Danes, under the command of Justin and Guthmund, son of Steitan, laid Ipswich in ruins. Byrhtnoth, the intrepid ealdorman of Essex, fought a battle against them near Maldon; but after great slaughter on both sides, the fortune of the Danes prevailed. In the same year, on the advice of Sigeric, archbishop of Canterbury, and the ealdormen Ethelward and Alfric, a tribute was paid to the Danes for the first time; ten thousand pounds was given to them in return for their ceasing the constant pillaging, burnings, and killings they practised all along the coast, and for concluding a settled peace. St Oswald the archbishop, by divine aid and encouraged by the support of Esowy, bishop of Lincoln, on Tuesday, the sixth day before the ides [8 November], consecrated the monastery of Rumsey, which he and Ethelwine, ealdorman of East Anglia and the friend of God, had built.

A.D. 992. #

¹ St Oswald, the archbishop, died and soared to the blissful kingdom of heaven, in the fifth indiction, on Monday, the second day before the calends of March [29 February], and was buried in the church of St Mary at Worcester, which he had built from the foundations. He was succeeded by Aldulph, the venerable abbot of Peterborough, in whose place Kenulf was appointed abbot. Shortly after the death of St Oswald, Ethelwine the ealdorman, of famous memory and the friend of God, died. He was younger than his brothers Ethelwold, Alfwold, and Ethelsine, but he surpassed them in meekness, piety, goodness, and justice; and, being a man of the highest worth and purity, was, we may be permitted to believe, admitted among the citizens of Paradise. His body was conveyed with great pomp to Rumsey and buried there by St Elphege, bishop of Winchester. By order of Ethelred, king of England, after consulting his nobles, the strongest-built ships from every part of England were assembled at London; and the king, manning them with a chosen body of troops, gave the command to Alfric, already mentioned, and Thored, both ealdormen, together with Elfstan, bishop of Wilton, and Bishop Esowy, with instructions to blockade the Danish force in some port and compel it to surrender. But Ealdorman Alfric sent a private message to the enemy, advising them to be on their guard and take care not to be taken by surprise and surrounded by the king’s fleet. The ealdorman himself, a singular example of wickedness, on the night before the day fixed by the English for bravely engaging the Danes, secretly joined the Danes with his whole force and immediately made a disgraceful retreat with them. As soon as the king’s fleet discovered this, it sailed in pursuit of the fugitives; only one ship was soon captured and, after all the crew had been killed, was given up to plunder. The rest of the fleet, which was making its escape, was accidentally encountered by the ships of the Londoners and East Anglians, and a battle was fought in which many thousands of the Danes fell. Ealdorman Alfric’s own ship, with its armed crew, was captured by the victors, while Alfric himself escaped with great difficulty.

A.D. 993. #

¹ This year the same Danish army took Bamborough by storm and carried off everything found stored there. They then made their way to the River Humber and, burning many vills and slaughtering many people, took much booty in Lindsey and Northumbria. The people of the province hastily assembled to oppose them; but at the moment of attack, their leaders Frana, Frithogist, and Godwin, being Danes on their fathers’ side, betrayed their followers and gave the signal for flight. In the same year Alfgar, son of Alfric, the ealdorman mentioned above, was blinded by command of King Ethelred.

A.D. 994. #

¹ Anlaf (Olaf), king of Norway, and Sweyn, king of Denmark, arrived in London with ninety-four galleys on the day of the Nativity of St Mary [8 September], and soon afterwards attempted to break down the walls and burn the city; but by the aid of God and his mother Mary, the enemy was repulsed with considerable loss. Roused to fury and despair, they immediately withdrew from the place and first overran the coasts of Essex and Kent, and afterwards Sussex and the province of Hants, burning the villages, laying waste the lands, putting great numbers of people to death by fire and sword without regard to sex, and carrying off an immense amount of booty. At last, seizing horses, they rode wildly through many provinces and slaughtered the whole population with savage cruelty, sparing neither women nor young children. Then King Ethelred, on the advice of his nobles, sent envoys to them with a promise of tribute and regular pay if they would entirely desist from their barbarities. Agreeing to the king’s proposal, they returned to their ships and, assembling their whole force at Southampton, wintered there. Their pay was provided by Wessex, but the tribute, amounting to sixteen thousand pounds, was levied throughout all England.

² Meanwhile, Elphege, bishop of Winchester, and the noble ealdorman Ethelward went to King Olaf by order of King Ethelred and, having given hostages, conducted him with honour to the royal vill of Andover, where the king was residing. The king treated him with great distinction and, having him confirmed by the bishop, adopted him as his son and gave him a royal gift. Olaf, for his part, promised King Ethelred that he would never again invade England; and afterwards, returning to his fleet, he sailed for his own kingdom at the beginning of summer and faithfully kept his promise.

A.D. 995. #

¹ A comet was seen. Alfric, a monk of Glastonbury and bishop of Wilton, succeeded Sigerie as archbishop of Canterbury, and Brightwold succeeded Alfric at Wilton. Lindisfarne-li is the name of an island commonly called Halig-Ealond (Holy Island). It is surrounded by the sea, but at low tide it may be approached on dry ground every day. On this island was the episcopal see of Cuthbert and his predecessors and successors for a long period. At the time [A.D. 875] when Hinguar and Hubba ravaged England, Eardulf, who was then bishop of Lindisfarne, and the clergy attached to his church took the uncorrupted body of St Cuthbert and, leaving the island because of the cruelties of the barbarians, wandered with the body of St Cuthbert for several years without any settled abode, until at last the episcopal see was established at Cunegaceastre (Chester-le-Street), in the time of Alfred, king of England. After many years had passed, in the reign of Ethelred, king of England, the holy body was brought to Durham as a result of a divine revelation, and the seat of the bishopric was established there. For this reason the holy Bede places the original see at Lindisfarne, for in his time Durham was unknown. The bishop’s see was transferred to Durham in the year of our Lord 995.

A.D. 996. #

¹ Alfric, archbishop of Canterbury, was consecrated.

A.D. 997. #

¹ The Danish army which had remained in England, sailing around the coast of Wessex, entered the mouth of the River Severn and at one time ravaged North (South?) Wales, at another Cornwall, and then Watchet in Devon, burning many vills and slaughtering great numbers of the inhabitants. Sailing around Penwith-Steort (the Land’s End) on their return, they entered with their ships the mouth of the River Tamar, which divides Devon and Cornwall, and carried fire and sword as far as Lydford, meeting with no resistance. They also burnt the monastery of Ordulf, the ealdorman of Devon, called Tavistock, and, returning to their ships laden with immense booty, wintered there.

A.D. 998. #

¹ The army of Pagans already mentioned landed at the mouth of the River Frome and laid waste the greater part of Dorsetshire. It then made frequent descents on the Isle of Wight, and back again into Dorsetshire, intent on plunder as usual; and when it lay in the Isle of Wight, it obtained its means of subsistence from Sussex and Hampshire. An army was assembled several times to oppose these ravages, but whenever they were on the point of battle, the English were checked by some treachery or misadventure, and they turned their backs and left the enemy masters of the field.

A.D. 999. #

¹ The often-mentioned army of Pagans entered the mouth of the River Thames and went up the Medway to Rochester, and within a few days entrenched themselves around it. The men of Kent assembled in a body to repel them and fought a fierce battle against them, but after great slaughter on both sides, the Danes remained masters of the field of death.

A.D. 1000. #

¹ This year the Danish fleet already mentioned sailed over to Normandy. King Ethelred ravaged nearly the whole territory of the Cumbrians. He ordered his fleet to sail around North Wales and meet him at an appointed place, but it was prevented by strong winds; it did, however, lay waste the island of Mona.

A.D. 1001. #

¹ The body of St Ive, the archbishop, was discovered. The same army of Pagans, sailing back from Normandy to England, entered the mouth of the River Exe and shortly afterwards marched to besiege Exeter. But when they attempted to make a breach in the walls, they were repulsed by the citizens, who vigorously defended the place. Then, greatly enraged, they overran Devonshire, burning the villages, laying waste the fields, and slaughtering the inhabitants in their usual manner. The people of Devon and Somerset then assembled at a place called Penho, but the English, unable with their small force of soldiers to withstand the numbers of the Danes, were routed with great slaughter, and the Danes gained the victory. Then, having supplied themselves with horses, they caused still greater destruction than before throughout nearly all Devon and returned to their ships with immense booty. From there they made for the Isle of Wight and, meeting with no opposition, plundered as usual there, sometimes in Hampshire and sometimes in Dorsetshire, attacking the inhabitants and burning the vills with such fury that neither the fleet dared engage them by sea nor the army by land, to the king’s deep sorrow and the unspeakable distress of his people.

A.D. 1002. #

¹ Ethelred, king of England, having taken counsel with the great men of his kingdom, thought it expedient to make a treaty with the Danes, hiring them with money and paying them tribute to cease their ravages and keep the peace. Leofsy, the ealdorman, who was sent to them with this proposal, urged them to accept the terms. They received his message favourably and granted his request, fixing the amount of tribute for which they would keep the peace. Shortly afterwards, twenty-four thousand pounds was paid to them. Meanwhile, the said ealdorman Leofsy slew Æfic, a nobleman and the king’s high-reeve, at which the king was so incensed that he banished him from the country. In the same year King Ethelred married Emma, who is called Elfgiva by the Saxons, daughter of Richard I, duke of Normandy. Aldulf, archbishop of York, having assembled his suffragan bishops, abbots, priests, monks, and men of religion, on Wednesday, the seventeenth day before the calends of May [15 April], in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Ethelred, king of England, and the fifteenth indiction, disinterred the relics of St Oswald the archbishop and deposited them with great ceremony in a shrine which he had caused to be prepared. He himself died shortly afterwards, that is, on the second day before the nones [6 May], and was buried in the church of St Mary at Worcester; he was succeeded by Abbot Wulfstan. In the same year King Ethelred gave orders for the massacre of all the Danes of every age and both sexes, because they had conspired to deprive him and his nobles of their lives and kingdom and to bring the whole of England under their dominion.

A.D. 1003. #

¹ In this year, through the contrivance, negligence, or treachery of Hugh, a Norman count and Queen Emma’s steward of Devon, Sweyn, king of Denmark, took Exeter by storm and, levelling the wall from the eastern to the western gate, withdrew to his ships laden with booty. After this, while he was ravaging Wiltshire, a large body of men from Hants and Wilts assembled and marched boldly against the enemy to give them battle; but when the two armies came within sight of each other, Elfric, the ealdorman already mentioned, who was then in command of the English, immediately resorted to his old devices and, feigning sickness, began to vomit, declaring that he was so ill that he could not fight the enemy. His troops, perceiving his inactivity and cowardice, marched away in great sorrow without joining battle; as the old proverb says: ‘When the general fails, the army quails.’ Sweyn, observing that the English faltered, led his forces to the city of Wilton, which he plundered and burnt. In the same manner he burnt Searebury (Sarum), and then returned to his ships.

² Kilian, a Scot and abbot of the Scottish monastery of St Martin, died on the nineteenth day before the calends of January [14 December]. Helias, a Scot, succeeded him.

³ Sweyn, king of Denmark, landed from his fleet at Norwich, which he pillaged and burnt. Then Ulfkytel, the resolute ealdorman of East Anglia, being taken by surprise and having no time to assemble troops against the enemy, held council with the East Anglian nobles and made peace with the king. But Sweyn broke the treaty three weeks afterwards and, landing his forces secretly, assaulted Thetford, which he pillaged, and after remaining there for one night set it on fire at daybreak. On hearing this, Ulfkytel ordered some of the country people to destroy the enemy’s ships, but they either did not dare or neglected to obey his orders. Meanwhile, he gathered his troops as quietly and quickly as he could and led them against the enemy. Meeting them with an inferior force as they were retreating to their ships, a hard-fought battle followed, in which some of the East Anglian nobles fell; and after great slaughter on both sides, the Danes escaped with extreme difficulty. Indeed, if the East Anglians had been at full strength, they would never have returned to their ships, for the Danes themselves admitted that they had never endured so fierce and determined an attack as that of Ealdorman Ulfkytel.

A.D. 1005. #

¹ This year England was afflicted by a severe and general famine, as a result of which the Danish king Sweyn withdrew to Denmark, only to return shortly afterwards. On the death of Alwine, bishop of Wells, he was succeeded by Living, also called Athelstan.

A.D. 1006. #

¹ Alfric, archbishop of Canterbury, died and was succeeded by Alphege, bishop of Winchester, to which see Kenulf, abbot of Peterborough, was appointed.

² King Ethelred stripped Wulfgeat, son of Leofsy, his principal favourite, of his estates and honours because of his unjust judgements and arrogant deeds. The crafty and treacherous Edric Streon, insidiously plotting against the noble ealdorman Elfhelm, prepared a great feast at Shrewsbury, to which he invited him. Elfhelm accepted the invitation and was welcomed by Edric Streon as an intimate friend; but on the third or fourth day of the feast, Edric took him hunting in a wood where he had laid an ambush, and when everyone was engaged in the chase, a ruffian of Shrewsbury called Godwin Port-Hund, which means ‘the town’s hound’, who had long before been bribed with Edric’s lavish gifts and promises to commit the crime, suddenly sprang from his hiding place and basely assassinated Ealdorman Elfhelm. A short time afterwards, his sons Wulfheag and Ufgeat were, by King Ethelred’s orders, blinded at Corsham, where the king was then residing. Kenulf, bishop of Winchester, died and was succeeded by Ethelwold.

³ In the following month of July, an immense army of Danes came over to England, landing at the port of Sandwich, destroyed with fire and sword everything that stood in their way, and plundered extensively throughout both Kent and Sussex. As a result, King Ethelred assembled an army in Mercia and Wessex and resolved to give them battle with great vigour; but they had little inclination to meet him openly in the field, instead making frequent expeditions to plunder in various quarters and then retreating to their ships according to their usual tactics. In this way they harassed the English army throughout the whole autumn; but when it was disbanded at the approach of winter, the Danes crossed over to the Isle of Wight with their enormous booty and remained there until the feast of our Lord’s Nativity. At that time, as the king was then in Shropshire, they passed through Hampshire into Berkshire and burnt Reading, Wallingford, Cholsey, and many villages. Moving from there and crossing Ashdown, they reached Cwichelmes-lawe (Cuckamsley-Hill). Returning by another road, they found the people of the country drawn up in battle array near Kennet and immediately attacked them and put them to flight; they then withdrew to their ships with the plunder they had taken.

A.D. 1007. #

¹ In this year Ethelred, king of England, with the consent of his witan, sent envoys to the Danes with orders to inform them that he would provide them with provisions and pay them tribute, on condition that they ceased their pillaging and made and kept a lasting peace. They agreed to his terms, and from then on the whole of England provided them with subsistence and paid them a tribute of thirty-six thousand pounds. In the same year the king made the aforementioned Edric, son of Ethelric, ealdorman of Mercia. He was, indeed, a man of low birth, but his smooth tongue gained him wealth and high rank, and, gifted with a subtle mind and persuasive eloquence, he surpassed all his contemporaries in malice and treachery, as well as in pride and cruelty. His brothers were Brihtrie, Elfric, Goda, Ethelwine, Ethelward, and Ethelmere, the father of Wulfnoth, who was the father of Godwin, ealdorman of Wessex.

A.D. 1008. #

¹ Ethelred, king of England, ordered ships to be diligently built in all the ports, requiring every three hundred and ten hides throughout England to furnish one ship, and every nine hides a breastplate and a helmet. When these ships were ready, he put chosen troops aboard them, with supplies of provisions, and assembled the fleet at Sandwich to guard the coasts of the kingdom against foreign invasions. At that time, or a little earlier, Brihtrie, brother of the treacherous ealdorman Edric Streon, a supple, ambitious, and proud man, falsely accused Wulfnoth, his ealdorman in Sussex, before the king, whereupon Wulfnoth immediately fled to avoid arrest and, gathering twenty ships, made frequent descents and plundered the coast. But when the fleet was informed that anyone who wished could easily capture him, Brihtrie went in pursuit of him with eighty ships. For a while he had a favourable voyage, but a violent storm suddenly arose which tossed and shattered his ships and wrecked them on the shore, and Wulfnoth burnt them soon afterwards. On hearing this, the king, with his ealdormen and nobles, returned home; but the fleet, by his orders, proceeded to London, and the vast labour of the whole nation was thus wasted.

A.D. 1009. #

¹ Thurkill, a Danish jarl, came over to England with his fleet; and afterwards, in the month of August, another immense fleet of Danes, under the command of Heming and Eglaf, touched at the Isle of Thanet and quickly joined the other fleet. Both then sailed to the port of Sandwich, where the troops landed and proceeded to attack Canterbury, attempting to storm the place; but the citizens, together with the people of East Kent, quickly sued for peace and obtained it on payment of three thousand pounds. The Danes returned to their ships and made for the Isle of Wight; then, according to their custom, they made piratical descents on the coasts of Sussex and Hampshire and burnt several vills. Then King Ethelred assembled troops from all parts of England stationed them in districts near the sea to check these incursions; nevertheless, the Danes did not cease plundering wherever circumstances allowed. On one occasion, when they had been pillaging further inland than usual and were returning laden with booty, the king, with many thousands of armed men, took possession of the road they had to pass on their way to their ships; and, as his whole army was assembled, he resolved either to conquer or die. But the treacherous ealdorman Edric Streon, his son-in-law, for he had married the king’s daughter Elgitha, used every effort, by insidious and confusing counsel, to prevent a battle and persuade the king, on that occasion, to allow the enemy to pass. His policy prevailed, and, like a traitor to his country, he rescued the Danes from the hands of the English and allowed them to escape. Withdrawing their forces, they returned to their ships with great joy. After this, when the feast of St Martin [11 November] had passed, they sailed for Kent and, choosing their winter quarters near the River Thames, forcibly obtained their supplies from Essex and other provinces on both banks of the river. They also frequently attacked the city of London and attempted to storm it, but the citizens repulsed them with severe losses. On the death of Osbriht, bishop of Selsey, he was succeeded by Ælmar.

A.D. 1010. #

¹ The before-mentioned army of Danes sallied from their ships in the month of January and, traversing the wood called Chiltern, marched to Oxford, which they plundered and burnt, pillaging the country on both sides of the River Thames as they returned to their ships. Receiving intelligence that forces had assembled at London ready to attack them, part of the army which was descending the right bank of the river crossed it at a place called Staines; when both divisions were united, they marched through Surrey, laden with booty, and regained their ships, which they refitted during Lent while stationed in Kent. After Easter [9 April], they sailed to East Anglia and, landing near Ipswich, marched to a place called Ringmere, where they knew that Ulfkytel the ealdorman had stationed his troops. They fought a desperate battle with him on the third day before the nones [5 May], but when the fighting was at its fiercest the East Anglians gave way, Thurkytel, surnamed Myren-Heafod, a Danish jarl, being the first to flee. The men of Cambridge held their ground for a long time, fighting manfully, but they were eventually defeated and forced to retreat. In this battle fell Athelstan, the king’s son-in-law; Oswy, a noble thane, and his son; Wulfric, son of Leofwine; Edwy, brother of the aforementioned Elfric; with many other noble thanes and immense numbers of the common people. The Danes, remaining masters of the field of death, gained possession of East Anglia and, mounted on horseback, scoured the whole province for three months, plundering, burning vills, and slaughtering men and beasts without ceasing; they did the same in the fens, and afterwards pillaged and burnt Thetford and Cambridge. After all this they returned to the River Thames, the infantry embarking in ships and the cavalry travelling on horseback. Within a few days they went on another plundering expedition, taking the direct road to Oxfordshire, which they first ravaged, and then Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire, burning vills and slaughtering men and animals, and afterwards retreating to their ships with much plunder. After this, around the feast of St Andrew the apostle [30 November], they burnt Northampton and as much of the surrounding country as they pleased, and then, crossing the River Thames, went into Wessex and, having set fire to Caningamersce (Keynsham?) and the greater part of Wiltshire, returned as usual to their ships around Christmas.

A.D. 1011. #

¹ East Anglia, Essex, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, half of Huntingdonshire, and a great part of Northamptonshire, and, on the south side of the River Thames, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Berkshire, having been ruined by fire and sword by the before-mentioned army of Danes, Ethelred, king of England, and his witan sent envoys to them suing for peace and offering them pay and tribute if they would cease their ravages. Having received the message, they accepted the proposals, but, as events showed, not without guile and deceit; for although they were plentifully supplied with provisions and the tribute they demanded was paid, they continued to scour the country in bands, laying waste the vills, robbing some of the wretched inhabitants of their possessions, and killing others. At length, between the feast of the Nativity of St Mary [8 September] and that of St Michael, they dug a trench around Canterbury and laid siege to it. On the twentieth day of the siege, through the treachery of the archdeacon Elmar, whose life St Elphege had formerly saved, one quarter of the city was set on fire, the army entered, and the place was taken; some of the townspeople were put to the sword, others perished in the flames, many were thrown headlong from the walls, some were hung by their private parts until they died; matrons were dragged by their hair through the streets of the city and then cast into the fire and burnt to death; infants, torn from their mothers’ breasts, were caught on the points of spears or crushed to pieces beneath the wheels of wagons.

² Meanwhile, Alphege, the archbishop, was seized and, loaded with fetters, was imprisoned and tortured in various ways. Elmar, the abbot of St Augustine’s monastery, was permitted to depart; Godwin, bishop of Rochester, was taken prisoner, as were Leofruna, abbess of St Mildred, Alfrid, the king’s reeve, together with the monks and canons, and vast numbers of people of both sexes. Then Christ’s Church was plundered and burnt, and the whole male population, including the monks but excluding women and children, was decimated; nine were put to death, and every tenth person was allowed to live. The number who perished in this decimation was four monks and eight hundred laymen. When the people had thus been slaughtered and the city pillaged and burnt to the ground, Alphege, the archbishop, was brought out in fetters and dragged, severely wounded, to the ships; he was then thrust back into prison, where he endured great suffering for seven months. Meanwhile, the wrath of God raged furiously against that bloodthirsty people, and two thousand of them died from excruciating pains in the bowels; the rest, being afflicted in the same way, were urged by the faithful to make satisfaction to the archbishop, but they delayed doing so, and the mortality continued, carrying them off by tens and twenties, and sometimes more.

A.D. 1012. #

¹ Edric Streon, the treacherous ealdorman, and the great lords of the realm, of both estates, assembled in London before Easter [13 April] and remained there until the tribute of forty-eight thousand pounds promised to the Danes was paid. Meanwhile, on Holy Saturday, when our Lord rested in the grave [Matthew 27:59-60], the Danes offered Alphege, the archbishop, his life and liberty on payment of three thousand pounds, but when he refused these terms, they postponed his execution until the following Saturday. When it came, their fury against him was greatly inflamed, and, having intoxicated themselves with deep draughts of wine and being incensed because he had forbidden any ransom to be paid for his release, they brought him out of his dungeon and dragged him to their husting. Presently they sprang up, struck him to the ground with the backs of their battle-axes, and showered him with stones, bones, and ox-skulls. At length one of them, whose name was Thrum, a man whom he had confirmed only the day before, with compassionate impiety split his head with an axe, and he immediately fell asleep in the Lord [1 Thessalonians 4:14], on the thirteenth day before the calends of May [19 April], and his triumphant spirit ascended to heaven. His body was carried to London the following day and, being received by the citizens with deep reverence, was buried in St Paul’s church by Ednoth, bishop of Lincoln, and Alfhun, bishop of London. After these events, the tribute having been paid and the peace ratified by oaths, the Danish fleet, which had previously remained together, dispersed far and wide; but forty-five of the ships remained with the king, their crews swearing fealty to him and undertaking to defend England against foreigners, on condition that he supplied them with food and clothing.

A.D. 1013. #

¹ Living was appointed to the archbishopric of Canterbury. In the month of July, Sweyn, king of Denmark, sailed with a powerful fleet to the port of Sandwich and, having remained there for a few days, departed and, sailing around East Anglia, entered the mouth of the River Humber; from there he went up the River Trent to Gainsborough, where he encamped. Earl Uhtred, with his Northumbrians and the men of Lindsey, first, and afterwards the inhabitants of the Five Burghs, and before long the whole population north of Watling Street, that is, the road which the sons of King Weatla made across England from the eastern to the western sea, submitted to him; and, having made peace with him, delivered hostages and swore fealty to him, upon which he commanded them to supply his army with horses and provisions. When all this had been accomplished, he entrusted the ships and hostages to the care of his son Canute and, selecting an auxiliary force from his new subjects, undertook an expedition against the East Mercians; and, having crossed Watling Street, issued an order to his troops that they should lay waste the fields, burn the villages, plunder the churches, mercilessly kill all the men who fell into their hands, reserve the women to satisfy their lusts, and, in short, do all the harm they could. His men did as they were ordered and revelled in every kind of brutality, and he came to Oxford and, gaining possession of it sooner than he expected, took hostages and pushed on to Winchester. On his arrival there, the citizens, panic-stricken by his enormous cruelty, immediately made peace with him and gave him whatever hostages he chose to demand. When these had been delivered, he moved his army towards London, but many of his troops were drowned in the River Thames because they never thought of looking for a bridge or ford. Having reached London, he tried various ways of taking it, either by stratagem or assault; but Ethelred, king of England, together with the citizens, supported by Thurkill, the Danish jarl so often mentioned, who was then in the city with him, stoutly defended the walls and drove him off. After this repulse, he marched first to Wallingford and then to Bath, pillaging and destroying as usual everything that lay in his path. There he halted for a time to refresh his army; and Ethelmar, ealdorman of Devonshire, with the western thanes, came to him and made peace, delivering hostages.

² Having accomplished all this according to his wishes and returned to his fleet, he was hailed and acknowledged as king by all the people of England; if, indeed, he can be called a king who acted in almost all things as a tyrant. Even the citizens of London sent him hostages and made peace with him, for they feared that his fury against them had risen to such a pitch that he would not only confiscate all their property, but either have their eyes torn out or cause their hands or feet to be cut off. Finding matters in this state, King Ethelred sent his queen, Emma of Normandy, to her brother Richard II, earl (duke) of Normandy, together with his sons Edward and Alfred, attended by their tutor Alfhun, bishop of London, and Elfsy, abbot of Peterborough. He himself remained for a time with the Danish fleet, which then lay in the River Thames at a place called Greenwich, and afterwards sailed to the Isle of Wight, where he celebrated the feast of the Nativity. After Christmas, he sailed over to Normandy and was received with due honour by Earl Richard. Meanwhile, the tyrant Sweyn ordered that his fleet should be abundantly supplied and that an almost unbearable tribute should be levied. Earl Thurkill issued the same orders for his fleet, which lay at Greenwich. Besides all this, both of them made plundering expeditions as often as they pleased and committed great atrocities.

A.D. 1014. #

¹ The tyrant Sweyn, in addition to his endless and cruel atrocities both in England in other countries, filled up the measure of his damnation [Matthew 23:32] by daring to exact an enormous tribute from the town where rests the incorrupt body of the precious martyr Edmund; something which no one had dared to do since the town was given to the church of that saint. He frequently threatened that, if the tribute were not speedily paid, he would burn the town and its inhabitants, level the martyr’s church to the ground, and inflict various tortures on the clergy. Moreover, he often disparaged the martyr’s merits, presuming to say that there was no sanctity attached to him; but, setting no bounds to his perversity in this way, divine vengeance did not allow the blasphemer to remain alive. Towards evening on the day when he had held a general Thing-Court at Gainsborough, repeating his threats while surrounded by crowds of Danes, he alone among them saw St Edmund approaching him with a threatening expression. Struck with terror at the sight, he began to shout vehemently: ‘Help, comrades, help! Look, St Edmund is at hand to kill me.’ As he spoke, the saint fiercely thrust his spear through him, and he fell from the war-horse on which he was seated; suffering excruciating torments until twilight, he died in agony on the third day before the Nones (3 February).

² As soon as he was dead, the bands of men belonging to the Danish fleet elected his son Canute king. But the elders of all England unanimously sent messengers in haste to King Ethelred, saying that they neither loved nor would love anyone better than their natural lord, provided only that he was willing to govern them more justly and treat them with greater gentleness than he had until then done. On receiving this message, he sent his son Edward to them, accompanied by his own envoys, with gracious greetings to all his people, both high and low, assuring them that in future he would be a gentle and loving lord to them, consulting their wishes and following their advice in everything, and would graciously pardon whatever offences they had committed against him or his people, either in word or deed, if they all unanimously agreed, without deceit, to receive him back as their king. To this they all returned a favourable reply. An agreement of complete concord was then reached on both sides, both verbally and by a solemn treaty. In addition, the chiefs of the nation unanimously pledged themselves never again to allow a Danish king to reign in England. This being settled, the English sent to Normandy, and during Lent the king was brought back with the utmost haste and received with universal honour.

³ Meanwhile, it was agreed between Canute and the men of Lindsey that, if they supplied him with horses for his troops, they should join him in a plundering expedition; but before they were equipped, King Ethelred came upon them with a powerful army and, having driven out Canute and his naval force, laid waste and burned the whole of Lindsey, putting as many of the inhabitants as he could to the sword. Canute, however, secured his safety by a hasty flight and, directing his course southwards, quickly reached the port of Sandwich. There he brought out the hostages whom his father had received from all parts of England, having cut off their hands and ears and slit their nostrils, allowed them to depart. He then sailed for Denmark, intending to return the following year. To add to all these calamities, King Ethelred ordered a tribute of thirty thousand pounds to be paid to the fleet lying at Greenwich. The sea overflowed its bounds on the third day before the Kalends of October (3 September), and overwhelmed many vills and great numbers of people in England.

A.D. 1015. #

¹ While a great council was being held at Oxford this year, the treacherous ealdorman Edric Streon perfidiously invited to his lodgings two of the most prominent and influential men in the Seven Burghs, Sigeferth and Morcar, and there had them secretly murdered. King Ethelred took possession of their property and ordered Elgitha, Sigeferth’s widow, to be taken to the town of Malmesbury. While she was confined there, Edmund the etheling came and married her against his father’s will; and between the feast of the Assumption (15 August) and the feast of the Nativity of St Mary (8 September), he went to the Five Burghs and, seizing the lands of Sigeferth and Morcar, compelled the villeins to acknowledge him as their lord. About the same time, King Canute arrived at the port of Sandwich with a large fleet and, shortly afterwards, sailing round the coast of Kent, entered the mouth of the River Frome and carried off much booty in Dorsetshire, Somersetshire, and Wiltshire. King Ethelred was then lying sick at Corsham, while his son Edward the etheling, on the one hand, and Edric Streon, the ealdorman, who was steeped in stratagems and deceit, on the other, raised a great army. But when their forces were united, the ealdorman laid all manner of snares for the etheling and plotted his death; when this was discovered, they soon separated and left the way open to the enemy. Shortly afterwards, the same ealdorman enticed the crews of forty ships of the royal fleet, which were manned by Danes, to follow his fortunes and, joining Canute with them, placed himself at his service. The West Saxons also submitted to him, giving him hostages, and afterwards supplied horses for his army. On the death of Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, he was succeeded by Elsy, also called Elfwin.

A.D. 1016. #

¹ Canute, king of the Danes, and the ealdorman Edric Streon, the traitor, having crossed the River Thames at Cricklade before our Lord’s Epiphany (6 January), with a powerful body of horsemen, began hostilities in Mercia, laying waste and burning many vills in Warwickshire and massacring all the people they encountered. When news of this reached the etheling Edmund, surnamed Ironside, he lost no time in gathering troops; but when the army was mustered, the Mercians refused to engage the West Saxons and Danes unless they were joined by King Ethelred and the Londoners. Consequently, the army was disbanded, and everyone returned home. When the feast of Epiphany was over, Edmund the etheling gathered a still larger army and, when it was assembled, sent messengers to London asking his father to join him as soon as possible with all the troops he could muster. The king therefore raised a body of soldiers and hastened to meet him. But when their forces were united, the king was warned that, unless he took precautions, some of the auxiliaries would betray him to the enemy. Consequently, he disbanded his troops and returned to London, while the etheling went into Northumbria; from this, many conjectured that he intended to raise a still larger army against Canute. But just as Canute and Edric on the one side, so Edmund and Uhtred, earl of Northumbria, on the other, ravaged several provinces. They first laid waste Staffordshire, then Shropshire and Leicestershire, because the people of those districts refused to take up arms against the Danish army. Meanwhile, Canute and Edric Streon devastated first Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, and afterwards Northumbria. On learning this, the etheling Edmund ceased ravaging the country and hastened to his father in London. Earl Uhtred hurried home and, compelled by necessity, submitted with all the Northumbrians to Canute and gave him hostages; nevertheless, by Canute’s command or permission, he was put to death by Thurbrand, a noble Dane, and Thurketil, the son of Neavan, fell with him. After this crime had been committed, Canute appointed Eric earl of Northumbria in Uhtred’s place and then, returning south with great speed by another road, reached his ships with his entire army before the feast of Easter.

² About this time, on Monday, the ninth day before the Kalends of May (23 April), in the fourteenth indiction, Ethelred, king of England, died in London after a life of severe toil and tribulation, which St Dunstan, on the day of his coronation, after placing the crown upon his head, had foretold in the spirit of prophecy would come upon him: ‘Because,’ he said, ‘you have been raised to the throne through the death of your brother, whom your mother has slain, therefore now hear the word of the Lord; thus says the Lord: “The sword shall not depart from your house [2 Samuel 12:10], but shall rage against you all the days of your life, cutting off your descendants, until your kingdom becomes the kingdom of an alien, whose customs and language are unknown to the nation you rule. And your sin, and the sin of your mother, and the sin of the men who took part in her wickedness, shall be expiated only by prolonged punishment.”’ His body was honourably buried in the church of St Paul the Apostle. After his death, the bishops, abbots, ealdormen, and all who ranked among the nobles of England assembled and unanimously elected Canute as their lord and king. They came to him at Southampton and, having renounced and repudiated all the descendants of King Ethelred, made peace with him and swore allegiance to him; and he, for his part, swore that in both divine and secular affairs he would faithfully fulfil his duties as their lord. But the citizens of London, together with some of the nobles who were then in London, unanimously chose Edmund the etheling as king. Raised to the royal throne, the intrepid Edmund went without delay to Wessex and, being received with great joy by the whole population, quickly brought it under his rule; and when the people of many provinces of England heard this, they voluntarily submitted to him.

³ Meanwhile, Canute sailed up to London around the Rogation Days (7 May) with his whole fleet, and on arriving there his men dug a broad ditch on the south side of the Thames and dragged their ships to the west of the bridge. They then surrounded the city with a broad and deep trench, cutting off all entry and exit, and made frequent assaults upon it; but the citizens resisted them manfully and drove them away from the walls. Therefore, abandoning the siege for the time being and leaving part of the army to guard the ships, they made a forced march into Wessex and allowed King Edmund Ironside no time to gather his army. Nevertheless, with such troops as he was able to muster in so short a time, he boldly met them in Dorsetshire and gave them battle at a place called Pen, near Gillingham, where he defeated them and put them to flight. After midsummer, having again assembled a larger army than before, he resolved to attack Canute vigorously and encountered him in Hwiccia, at a place called Seearstan. Drawing up his army as the nature of the ground and the strength of his force required, he placed all his best troops in the front line and the rest in reserve; calling upon each by name, he exhorted and implored them to remember that they were about to fight for their country, their children, their wives, and their homes. Having inflamed the courage of his soldiers with such stirring words, he ordered the trumpets to sound and the troops to advance slowly. The enemy’s army did the same. Having reached a position where they could join battle, they attacked one another with loud shouts, fighting desperately with sword and spear. King Edmund Ironside fought desperately in the front rank at close quarters and, while directing every movement, fought hard in person and often struck down an enemy, performing at once the duties of a brave soldier and an able general. But Edric Streon, the treacherous ealdorman, Almar the Beloved, and Algar, son of Meawes, who ought to have supported him, had joined the Danes together with the men of Hampshire and Wiltshire and a vast multitude of people, so that King Edmund’s army was overmatched and exhausted. Nevertheless, on the first day of the engagement, which was Monday, the battle was so fiercely fought and bloody that both armies, no longer able to continue the fight through sheer weariness, withdrew at sunset of their own accord. But on the following day the king would have utterly defeated the Danes had it not been for a stratagem devised by Edric Streon, his perfidious ealdorman. For when the fighting was at its fiercest and he saw that the English had the advantage, he cut off the head of a man named Osmær, whose features and hair closely resembled King Edmund’s, and, holding it up, shouted to the English that they were fighting in vain: ‘Flee quickly,’ he said, ‘you men of Dorsetshire, Devon, and Wiltshire; you have lost your leader. Look! Here I hold in my hands the head of your lord, Edmund the king. Retreat with all speed.’ The English were panic-stricken by these words, more because of the horror of the stratagem than because they believed what had been proclaimed, so that some who were wavering were on the point of fleeing; but as soon as it became known that the king was alive, their courage revived, and they attacked the Danes more vigorously than ever, killing great numbers and fighting with the utmost determination until dusk, when the armies separated as they had done the day before. But when the night was far advanced, Canute ordered his troops to leave their camp in silence and, marching towards London, regained his ships; shortly afterwards, he again laid siege to London.

⁴ When day broke, however, King Edmund Ironside discovered that the Danes had retreated and withdrew to Wessex with the intention of raising a stronger army. The wily ealdorman Edric, perceiving his brother-in-law’s dauntless courage, went over to him as his rightful lord and, renewing the peace between them, swore that from then on he would be faithful to him. Consequently, the king, with the army he had assembled for the third time, raised the siege of London and drove the Danes back to their ships. Two days later he crossed the Thames at a place called Brentford and fought a third battle with them, in which he defeated them and emerged victorious. On this occasion many of the English drowned while imprudently crossing the river. Again the king withdrew into Wessex to assemble a larger force, while the Danes marched back to London, surrounded it with their entrenchments, and assaulted it on every side; but, by God’s help, they made no progress. Consequently, they withdrew with their fleet and, entering the River Arewe (Orwell?), landed and went to plunder Mercia, killing everyone they encountered and, burning the vills in their usual manner, carrying off the plunder, with which they returned to their ships. The foot-soldiers were carried in the ships to the River Medway, while the mounted troops drove there by land the cattle they had captured.

⁵ Meanwhile, King Edmund Ironside assembled a powerful army for the fourth time from all England, crossing the River Thames at the same place as before, swiftly entered Kent and fought a battle with the Danes near Otford. They were unable to withstand his attack and, turning their horses, fled to Sheppey. However, he slew all whom he could overtake, and if the false ealdorman Edric had not held him back at Aylesford from further pursuit by his crafty persuasion, he would have gained a complete victory that day. After the king had returned to Wessex, Canute crossed the river with his forces into Essex and again plundered Mercia, ordering his army to commit even greater atrocities than before. Readily obeying his orders, they butchered all who fell into their hands, burned a great many vills, laid waste the fields, and then, laden with booty, returned to their ships. Edmund Ironside, king of England, pursued them with the army he had gathered from throughout the whole of England overtook them as they were retreating at a hill called Assandun, which means the Ass’s Hill. There he quickly formed his army into three lines, each supporting the others; he then went round to each division, exhorting and adjuring them, mindful of their former valour and successes, to defend themselves and his kingdom against the rapacity of the Danes, reminding them that they were about to engage those whom they had defeated before. Meanwhile, Canute led his troops slowly down to level ground, while King Edmund, on the other hand, advanced his forces rapidly in the order in which he had marshalled them and, giving the signal, fell suddenly upon the enemy. Both armies fought desperately, and many fell on either side; but the traitor Edric Streon, seeing that the Danish ranks were wavering and that the English were gaining the victory, fled with the Magesætas and the division under his command, in accordance with a previous agreement with Canute, abandoning his lord, King Edmund, and the English army, and treacherously delivering the victory into the hands of the Danes. In this battle were slain Ælfric the ealdorman, Godwin the ealdorman, Ulfkytel, ealdorman of East Anglia, Ethelward the ealdorman, son of Ethelwin, ealdorman of East Anglia and friend of God, and almost all the English nobility, who had never suffered so severe a blow in battle as on that day. Eadnoth, bishop of Lincoln and formerly abbot of Ramsey, and Abbot Wulsy were also slain, having come to offer prayers to God for the troops engaged in the battle. After a few days had passed, when King Edmund Ironside still wished to renew the battle with Canute, the traitorous ealdorman Edric and some others would not agree, but advised him to make peace with Canute and divide the kingdom. At length he yielded to their advice, though with great reluctance, and after messages had been exchanged and hostages given on both sides, the two kings met at a place called Deerhurst. Edmund and his followers took up their position on the western bank of the Severn, and Canute and his followers on the eastern bank. The two kings then went in fishing boats to an island called Olanege (Olney?) in the middle of the river and, having agreed there upon a treaty of peace, friendship, and brotherhood, ratified by oaths, they divided the kingdom. Wessex, East Anglia, Essex, together with the city of London, [and all the country south of the Thames, were allotted to Edmund, while Canute obtained the northern parts of England; but the supremacy of] the crown remained vested in Edmund. Then, having exchanged their arms and clothing and fixed the tribute to be paid to the fleet, the two kings parted. The Danes returned to their ships with the plunder they had taken, and the citizens of London, having secured peace by paying a sum of money, allowed them to spend the winter among them.

⁶ After these events, King Edmund Ironside died in London around the feast of St Andrew the Apostle (30 November), in the fifteenth indiction, but he was buried with his grandfather, King Edgar the Pacific, at Glastonbury. After his death, King Canute ordered all the bishops, ealdormen, and chief men of England to assemble in London. When they had come before him, he pretended ignorance and shrewdly asked those who had witnessed the agreement between himself and Edmund when they concluded the treaty of friendship and division of the kingdom what had passed between Edmund and himself concerning Edmund’s brothers and sons. Were his brothers and sons to succeed him in the kingdom of Wessex if Edmund died during Canute’s lifetime? They immediately began to say that they could certainly affirm that King Edmund had intended to give no part of his kingdom to his brothers, either during his lifetime or after his death; and they added that they knew it was King Edmund’s wish that Canute should be the guardian and protector of his sons until they were old enough to govern. But, as God knows, they bore false witness and lied shamefully, thinking that he would be more favourable to them and reward them handsomely for their falsehood. Instead, some of these false witnesses were soon afterwards put to death by the king’s orders. After making these enquiries, King Canute made every effort to induce the great men of the realm already mentioned to swear allegiance to him; and they swore that they would elect him king, humbly obey him, and provide pay for his army. He, for his part, gave them his bare hand as a pledge, accompanied by the oaths of the Danish chiefs, whereupon they utterly repudiated the claims of Edmund’s brothers and sons and denied their right to the throne. Edwy, one of these ethelings, the illustrious and much-revered brother of King Edmund, was immediately, by a most infamous policy of the witan, sentenced to banishment. Canute, having heard the flatteries of these men and the affront they had offered to Edwy, withdrew to his chamber in great joy and, summoning Edric, the perfidious ealdorman, into his presence, asked how he could contrive to deceive Edwy so that his death might be brought about. Edric replied that he knew a man named Ethelward who could more easily betray Edwy to his death than he could, and that the king might speak with him and offer him a great reward. Having learned the man’s name, the king sent for him and said to him deceitfully: ‘Edric the ealdorman has spoken to me in this way, saying that you can contrive to bring about the destruction of Edwy the etheling. Only do what we devise, and you shall be confirmed in the honours and rank of your ancestors; find a way to take his life, and you shall be dearer to me than a brother.’ He replied that he was ready to seek Edwy out and betray him to his death, if it were in any way within his power. But he made this promise without any intention of murdering Edwy, and only as a pretence, for he was of the noblest blood in England. Leofsy, the reverend abbot of Thorney, succeeded to the bishopric of Worcester.

A.D. 1017. #

¹ In this year King Canute undertook the government of all England divided it into four parts, reserving Wessex for himself and entrusting East Anglia to Earl Thurkill, Mercia to Edric the ealdorman, and Northumbria to Eric the earl. He also made a compact with the nobles and all the people, in which they joined; and they ratified a solemn agreement between them by their respective oaths, thus bringing all their former animosities to an end and consigning them to oblivion. Then King Canute, on the advice of Edric the traitor, outlawed Edwy the etheling, King Edmund’s brother, and Edwy, who was called king of the churls. This latter Edwy was eventually reconciled with the king, but Edwy the etheling, betrayed by those whom he had until then supposed to be his best friends, was in the same year, by the order and at the instigation of King Canute, put to death, although innocent. Edric also advised him to do away with the young ethelings Edward and Edmund, King Edmund’s sons; but as Canute thought it would bring him foul disgrace if they were murdered in England, he sent them after a short time to the king of Sweden to be put to death there. Although they were allies, that king was by no means willing to carry out his wishes, and he sent them to Solomon, king of Hungary, so that their lives might be spared and they might be brought up at his court. One of them, namely Edmund, eventually died there; but Edward married Agatha, a daughter of the brother of the Emperor Henry, by whom he had Margaret, queen of the Scots, Christina, a nun, and Edgar the etheling. In the month of July King Canute married Queen Elgiva, King Ethelred’s widow; and on the feast of our Lord’s Nativity, which he celebrated in London, he ordered Edric, the perfidious ealdorman, to be killed in the palace, fearing that he himself might one day become a victim of Edric’s treachery, just as he had frequently deceived his former lords, Ethelred and Edmund. He caused Edric’s body to be thrown over the city walls and left unburied. Along with him were killed Norman, son of Leofwin the ealdorman and brother of Earl Leofric; Ethelward, son of Ethelmar the ealdorman; and Brihtric, son of Alphege, governor of Devon, all of whom were innocent. The king appointed Leofric ealdorman in his brother’s place and afterwards treated him with great kindness.

A.D. 1018. #

¹ This year seventy-two thousand pounds were levied from all England, besides ten thousand five hundred pounds contributed by London, for the pay of the Danish army. Forty ships of the fleet remained with King Canute, and the rest returned to Denmark. The English and Danes reached an agreement at Oxford concerning the observance of King Edgar’s laws.

A.D. 1019. #

¹ This year Canute, king of the English and the Danes, went over to Denmark and remained there during the winter. On the death of Elmar, bishop of Selsey, Ethelric succeeded him.

A.D. 1020. #

¹ King Canute returned to England held a great council at Cirencester on Easter Day (17 April), and outlawed Ethelward the ealdorman. Living, archbishop of Canterbury, died and was succeeded by Ethelnoth, surnamed the Good, son of Ethelmar, a nobleman. In the same year, the church which King Canute and Earl Thurkill had built on the hill called Assendun was consecrated in their presence by Wulfstan, archbishop of York, and several other bishops, with great pomp and magnificence. On the death of Aldhun, bishop of Lindisfarne, that church was left without pastoral care for nearly three years. When a chapter of the canons had assembled and the election of a bishop was proposed, a certain good priest named Edmund stood up and said jokingly, ‘Why do you not choose me as your bishop?’ Those present did not treat this as a joke, but elected him and, after appointing a fast of three days, sought St Cuthbert’s will concerning the matter. As the priest stood at the saint’s head celebrating Mass, a voice was heard while he was in the middle of the Canon, apparently coming from the saint’s tomb, which three times named Edmund as bishop.

A.D. 1021. #

¹ Before the feast of St Martin (11 November), Canute, king of England Denmark, banished from England Thurkill, the earl often mentioned, and his wife Edgitha. Algar, bishop of the East Angles (of Elmham), died and was succeeded by Alwin.

A.D. 1022. #

¹ Ethelnoth, archbishop of Canterbury, went to Rome and was received with great honour by Pope Benedict, who gave him the pallium.

A.D. 1023. #

¹ The body of St Alphege, the martyr, was translated from London to Canterbury. Wulfstan, archbishop of York, died at York on the fifth day before the Kalends of June (28 May), but his body was carried to Ely and buried there. He was succeeded by Elfric Puttue, provost of Winchester.

A.D. 1024. #

A.D. 1025. #

¹ Edmund, a monk, was made bishop of Lindisfarne.

A.D. 1026. #

¹ Ælfric, archbishop of York, went to Rome and received the pallium from Pope John. Richard II, duke of Normandy, died and was succeeded by Richard III, who, dying in the same year, was succeeded by his brother Robert.

A.D. 1027. #

¹ Canute, king of England Denmark, received intelligence that the Norwegians held their king Olaf in contempt because of his meekness and simplicity, his justice and piety. Consequently, he sent large sums of gold and silver to certain of them, earnestly entreating them to reject and depose Olaf and, submitting to Canute, accept him as their king. They greedily accepted his bribes and sent word back to Canute that they were prepared to receive him whenever he chose to come.

A.D. 1028. #

¹ Canute, king of England Denmark, went over to Norway with fifty stout ships and expelled King Olaf from the kingdom, which he brought under his own rule.

² [In the same year Marianus of Ireland, the celebrated Scot, was born, through whose study and labour this excellent Chronicle was compiled from various books.]

A.D. 1029. #

¹ Canute, king of England, Denmark, and Norway, returned to England, after the feast of St Martin (11 November), banished Hakon, a Danish earl who had married the noble lady Gunilda, his sister’s daughter by Wyrtgeorn, king of the Winidi, sending him away under the pretence of an embassy; for he feared that the earl would take either his life or his kingdoms.

A.D. 1030. #

¹ The aforementioned Earl Haco perished at sea; some, however, say that he was killed in the Orkney Islands. Olaf, king and martyr, son of Harold, king of Norway, was wickedly slain by the Norwegians.

A.D. 1031. #

¹ Canute, king of England, Denmark, and Norway, went in great state from Denmark to Rome and, having made rich offerings of gold, silver, and other precious objects to St Peter, prince of the apostles, obtained from Pope John an exemption for the English School from all tribute and taxes. On his journey to Rome and back, he distributed generous alms among the poor and, at great cost, secured the abolition of the tolls levied at many barriers along the roads, where they were exacted from pilgrims. He also vowed to God, before the tomb of the apostles, that he would amend his life and conduct; and from there he sent a memorable letter to England by Living, his travelling companion—a man of great prudence, at that time abbot of Tavistock and afterwards, during the same year, Ednoth’s successor in the see of Crediton—and by others among his envoys. He himself returned from Rome by the same route by which he had travelled there, visiting Denmark before returning to England. I think it right to give the text of this letter.

² ‘CANUTE, king of all England, and of Denmark, Norway, and part of Sweden, to Ethelnoth, metropolitan, and Alfric, archbishop of York, and to all the bishops and prelates, and to the whole English nation, both nobles and commons, greetings:—

³ I inform you that I have recently made a journey to Rome to pray for the forgiveness of my sins and for the welfare of my dominions and the people under my rule. I had long ago vowed this journey to God, but until now I have been prevented from accomplishing it by the affairs of my kingdom and other impediments. I now return most humble thanks to Almighty God for allowing me, during my lifetime, to visit the sanctuaries of his apostles, St Peter and St Paul, and all the others that I could find either within or outside the city of Rome, and there personally to worship reverently according to my desire. I have done this chiefly because I have learned from wise men that St Peter the Apostle received from God great power to bind and to loose, and bears the keys of the kingdom of heaven [Matthew 16:19]; and therefore I considered it highly beneficial to seek his special patronage with the Lord.

⁴ Be it known to you that, at the celebration of Easter, a great assembly of nobles was present with our lord Pope John and the Emperor Conrad; that is, all the princes of the nations from Mount Garganus to the neighbouring sea. All of them received me with honour and presented me with magnificent gifts; but I was especially honoured by the emperor with various gifts and valuable presents, including vessels of gold and silver, palls, and very costly robes. I spoke with the emperor himself, the lord pope, and the princes who were there concerning the needs of my people, both English and Danes: that they should be granted more equitable justice and greater security on their journeys to Rome, and that they should not be obstructed by so many barriers along the road or harassed by unjust tolls.

⁵ The emperor agreed to my requests, as did King Rodolph, in whose dominions these barriers chiefly stand; and all the princes issued decrees that my people, both merchants and those travelling to perform their devotions, should pass to and fro on their journeys to Rome in peace and under the protection of just laws, free from all harassment by the guards at the barriers or the collectors of tolls. I further complained to my lord the pope, and expressed my great displeasure, that my archbishops are grievously burdened by demands for immense sums of money when, according to custom, they go to the apostolic see to obtain the pallium; and it was decreed that this should no longer be done. All the things, therefore, which I requested for the good of my people from my lord the pope, the emperor, King Rodolph, and the other princes through whose territories our road to Rome passes, they have most freely granted, and have even confirmed their concessions by oath; to this four archbishops, twenty bishops, and an innumerable multitude of dukes and nobles who were present there are witnesses. Therefore, I give most heartfelt thanks to Almighty God for having successfully accomplished everything I had desired, as I had resolved in my mind, and for having fulfilled my wishes to the fullest extent.

⁶ Be it known, therefore, to all of you that I have humbly vowed to Almighty God himself that henceforth I will amend my life in all respects, and rule the kingdoms and peoples subject to me with justice and clemency, giving equitable judgements in all matters. If, through the intemperance of youth or negligence, I have until then exceeded the bounds of justice in any of my actions, I intend, with God’s aid, to make a complete change for the better. I therefore adjure and command my counsellors, to whom I have entrusted the affairs of my kingdom, that henceforth they neither commit nor allow any kind of injustice to prevail throughout my dominions, whether from fear of me or from favour towards any powerful person. I also command all sheriffs and magistrates throughout my whole kingdom, as they value my regard and their own safety, to use no unjust violence against any man, rich or poor, but that all, high and low, rich and poor alike, shall enjoy impartial law, from which they are never to deviate, either on account of royal favour, partiality towards the great [Deuteronomy 1:17], or for the sake of wrongfully amassing money; for I have no need to accumulate wealth through unjust exactions.

⁷ I further wish you to know that, returning by the same route by which I came, I am now going to Denmark to conclude a treaty for a lasting peace, with the agreement of all the Danes, with those nations and peoples who would have taken my life and crown if they had been able; but they were unable to accomplish this, God having brought their strength to nothing. May he, in his merciful kindness, uphold me in my sovereignty and honour, and henceforth scatter and bring to nothing the power and might of all my adversaries! When, therefore, I have made peace with the surrounding nations and settled and brought into order all my dominions in the East, so that we shall have nothing to fear from war or hostilities in any quarter, I intend to return to England as early in the summer as I am able to fit out my fleet. I have sent this letter ahead of me so that my people may rejoice at my success; because, as you yourselves know, I have never spared, nor will I spare, myself or my efforts in the necessary service of my whole people. I therefore now command adjure all my bishops and the governors of my kingdom, by the duty they owe to God and to me, to ensure that, before I come to England, all dues belonging to God are fully paid according to the old laws: namely, plough-alms, the tithe of animals born in the current year, and the pence payable to St Peter at Rome, whether from towns or vills; in the middle of August, the tithes of corn; and at the feast of St Martin, the first-fruits of grain payable to each person’s parish church, called in English ciric-sceat. If these and similar dues are not paid before I come, those who default will incur fines payable to the king according to the law, which will be strictly enforced without mercy. Farewell.’

A.D. 1032. #

¹ The church of St Edmund, king and martyr, was dedicated this year.

A.D. 1033. #

¹ Leofsy, bishop of the Hwiccas, a devout and humble man, died at the episcopal vill of Kempsey on Tuesday, the fourteenth day before the Kalends of September (19 August), and, as we may be permitted to hope, ascended to the heavenly realms. His body was buried with honour in the church of St Mary at Worcester. Brihteag, abbot of Pershore and sister’s son of Wulfstan, archbishop of York, was raised to the vacant see.

A.D. 1034. #

¹ Eatheric, bishop of Lincoln [Dorchester], died and was buried in the abbey of Ramsey; Ednoth succeeded him. Malcolm, king of the Scots, died.

A.D. 1035. #

¹ Before his death, Canute, king of England, gave the kingdom of Norway to Sweyn, who was said to be his son by Elfgiva of Northampton, daughter of Alfhelm the ealdorman and the noble lady Wulfruna. Some, however, asserted that this Elfgiva wished to have a son by the king but, being unable to do so, had the newborn child of a certain priest brought to her and made the king fully believe that she had just borne him a son. He also gave the kingdom of Denmark to Hardicanute, his son by Queen Elfgiva. Afterwards, in the same year, he died at Shaftesbury on Wednesday, the second day before the Ides of November (12 November), and was buried with due honours at Winchester in the Old Minster. After his burial, Queen Elfgiva took up residence there. Harold also claimed that he was the son of King Canute and Elfgiva of Northampton, although this is far from certain; for some say that he was the son of a cobbler, and that Elfgiva had acted in his case as she had in Sweyn’s. For our part, since there are doubts on the matter, we cannot determine with certainty the parentage of either. Harold, however, assuming the royal dignity, sent his guards with the utmost haste to Winchester and tyrannically seized the largest and best part of the treasure and wealth which King Canute had bequeathed to Queen Elfgiva; having thus robbed her, he allowed her to continue living at Winchester. He then, with the consent of many of the higher ranks of England, began to reign as though he were the lawful heir; but he did not possess the same authority as Canute, because the arrival of Hardicanute, the more rightful heir, was expected. Consequently, shortly afterwards, the kingdom was divided by lot, Harold receiving the northern part and Hardicanute the southern.

² Robert, duke of Normandy, died and was succeeded by his son William the Bastard, who was then a minor.

A.D. 1036. #

¹ The innocent ethelings Alfred and Edward, sons of Ethelred, formerly king of England, sailed from Normandy, where they had spent many years at the court of their uncle Richard, and, accompanied by many Norman knights, crossed to England with a small fleet to confer with their mother, who was still living at Winchester. Some of the men in power were greatly angered by this, being far more devoted, however unjustly, to Harold than to the ethelings; especially, it is said, Earl Godwin. The earl therefore arrested Alfred on his way to London to confer with King Harold, as he had been commanded, and threw him into prison. At the same time, he dispersed some of Alfred’s attendants; others he put in fetters and afterwards blinded; some he scalped and tortured, cutting off their hands and feet and imposing heavy fines upon them; many he ordered to be sold, and six hundred of them he put to death at Guildford by various tortures. But we trust that the souls of those who, though guilty of no crime, had their bodies so cruelly slaughtered in the fields, are now rejoicing with the saints in paradise. On hearing of this, Queen Elgiva sent her son Edward, who had remained with her, back to Normandy with all haste. Then, by order of Godwin and others, Alfred was taken, heavily chained, to the Isle of Ely; but as soon as the ship reached land, his eyes were most barbarously torn out while he was still on board. In this condition he was taken to the monastery and handed over to the custody of the monks. He died there shortly afterwards, and his body was buried with due honours in the south porch at the west end of the church; but his spirit enjoys the delights of paradise.

A.D. 1037. #

¹ Harold, king of Mercia and Northumbria, was elected by the nobles and the whole people as king of all England; Hardicanute was entirely deposed because he wasted his time in Denmark and delayed coming over, despite being requested to do so. His mother Elfgiva, formerly queen of England, was mercilessly banished from the kingdom at the beginning of winter. As soon as a ship could be made ready, she sailed to Flanders, where she received an honourable welcome from the noble Count Baldwin, who, with a generosity befitting his rank, ensured that she was freely supplied with everything she needed for as long as she required it. A little before this, in the same year, Æfic, dean of Evesham, a man of profound piety, died.

A.D. 1038. #

¹ Ethelnoth, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the fourth day before the Kalends of November (29 October). Seven days later, Ethelric, bishop of Sussex, died; for he had prayed to God that he might not long survive his beloved father Ethelnoth. Grimkytel succeeded him in the bishopric, and Eadsige, one of the king’s chaplains, succeeded Ethelnoth in the archbishopric. In the same year Ælfric, bishop of East Anglia, died, and Brihteag, bishop of the Hwiccas, died on Wednesday, the third day before the Kalends of January (30 December); King Harold gave his see to Living, bishop of Crediton. Stigand, the king’s chaplain, was appointed in Ælfric’s place, but was afterwards ejected and Grimkytel chosen in his stead, so that for a time he held the two dioceses of Sussex and Essex; but Stigand was restored and Grimkytel ejected, and Stigand kept the bishopric of Sussex for himself and procured that of East Anglia for his brother Ethelmar. Not satisfied with this, he was raised to the thrones of Winchester and Canterbury; he also strove hard to retain the bishopric of Sussex with them, and nearly succeeded. Ethelmar was succeeded by Ærfast, bishop of Elmham, who, lest he should seem to have done nothing—for the Normans are very ambitious of future renown—transferred the see from Elmham to Thetford.

A.D. 1039. #

¹ Brihtmar, bishop of Lichfield, died and was succeeded by Wulfsy. The Welsh slew Edwin, Earl Leofric’s brother, together with Turkill and Elfgeat, son of Eatsy, two noble king’s thanes, and many others at the same time. Hardicanute, king of Denmark, sailed to Flanders to visit his mother, Elfgiva.

A.D. 1040. #

¹ Harold, king of England, died in London and was buried at Westminster. After his funeral, the nobles of almost the whole of England sent envoys to Hardicanute at Bruges, where he was staying with his mother, and, thinking it best, invited him to come to England ascend the throne. He therefore fitted out fifty ships and, embarking Danish troops, sailed to England before midsummer, where he was received with universal joy and crowned shortly afterwards; but during his reign he did nothing worthy of his royal power. For as soon as he began to reign, recalling the injuries which both he and his mother had suffered at the hands of his predecessor and reputed brother, King Harold, he sent Ælfric, archbishop of York, and Earl Godwin to London, together with Stor, master of his household, Edric, his steward, Thrond, captain of his guards, and other men of high rank, with orders to dig up Harold’s body and throw it into a sewer. After it had been thrown there, he caused it to be dragged out and cast into the River Thames. Shortly afterwards, it was found by a fisherman and, being immediately brought to the Danes, was honourably buried by them in a cemetery they possessed in London. After this, he ordered that eight marks should be paid to every rower in his fleet and twelve to each steersman, to be levied from the whole of England; a tax so burdensome that scarcely anyone would pay it, and he became thoroughly hated by those who had initially been most eager for his coming. Moreover, he was greatly incensed against Earl Godwin and Living, bishop of Worcester, over the death of his brother Alfred, of which they were accused by Ælfric, archbishop of York, and some others. Consequently, he took the bishopric of Worcester from Living and gave it to Ælfric; but the following year he ejected Ælfric and graciously restored Living, who had made his peace with him.

² Godwin, to obtain the king’s favour, presented him with a galley of admirable workmanship, with a gilded figurehead, rigged with the finest materials and manned by eighty chosen soldiers splendidly armed. Each of them wore on either arm a golden bracelet weighing six ounces, together with a triple coat of mail and a partly gilded helmet; a sword with a gilded hilt was girded at his side, and a Danish battle-axe inlaid with gold and silver hung from his left shoulder. In his left hand he carried a shield, whose boss and studs were also gilded, and in his right hand a lance, called in the English tongue ‘Atagar’. Moreover, he swore an oath to the king, together with almost all the chief men and greater thanes of England, that it was neither by his counsel nor at his instigation that the king’s brother had been blinded, but that he had merely obeyed the commands of his lord, King Harold.

A.D. 1041. #

¹ This year Hardicanute, king of England, sent his huscarls throughout all the provinces of his kingdom to collect the tribute he had imposed. Two of them, Feader and Thurstan, were slain on the fourth day before the Ides of May (12 May) by the citizens of Worcester and the people of the surrounding district, in an upper chamber of the abbey tower, where they had concealed themselves during a tumult. This so enraged the king that, to avenge their deaths, he sent Thorold, earl of Middlesex, Leofric, earl of Mercia, Godwin, earl of Wessex, Siward, earl of Northumbria, Roni, earl of Hereford, and all the other English earls, together with almost all his huscarls and a large body of troops, to Worcester, where Ælfric was still bishop, with orders to put to death all the inhabitants they could find, plunder and burn the city, and lay waste the whole province. They arrived there on the second day before the Ides of November (12 November), and, beginning their work of destruction throughout the city and province, continued it for four days; but very few of the citizens or people of the province were captured or killed because, having been warned of their coming, the people fled in all directions. A great number of the citizens took refuge on a small island called Beverege, situated in the middle of the River Severn, and, having fortified it, defended themselves so stoutly against their enemies that they obtained terms of peace and were given freedom to return home. On the fifth day, after the city had been burned, everyone marched away laden with plunder, and the king’s wrath was satisfied. Soon afterwards, Edward, son of Ethelred, the late king of England, came over from Normandy, where he had lived in exile for many years, and, being honourably received by his brother, King Hardicanute, remained at his court.

A.D. 1042. #

¹ Hardicanute, king of England, was attending a joyous feast at a place called Lambeth, given by Osgod Clapa, a man of great wealth, on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter Githa to Tovi, surnamed Prudan, a noble and powerful Dane. While drinking in full health and merriment with the bride and some others, he suddenly fell down by a sad mischance in the act of drinking and remained speechless until Tuesday, the sixth day before the Ides of June (8 June), when he died. He was carried to Winchester and buried near his father Canute. His brother Edward was proclaimed king in London, chiefly through the efforts of Earl Godwin and Living, bishop of Worcester. Edward was the son of Ethelred, who was the son of Edgar, who was the son of Edmund, who was the son of Edward the Elder, who was the son of Alfred.

² Abbot Elias, a Scot, died on the second day before the Ides of April (12 April). Being a prudent and religious man, he was entrusted with the government of the monastery of St Pantaleon as well as his own abbey of St Martin. At the monastery of St Pantaleon, he committed to the flames a beautiful missal which a French monk had copied without permission for the use of the community, so that no one in future might dare to do the same without permission. He was succeeded by Maiolus the Scot, a holy man.

A.D.1043. #

¹ Edward was anointed king at Winchester on the first day of Easter, the third day before the Nones of April (3 April), by Eadsige, archbishop of Canterbury, Ælfric, archbishop of York, and nearly all the bishops of England. In the same year, fourteen days before the feast of St Andrew the Apostle (16 November), the king went suddenly and unexpectedly from the city of Gloucester to Winchester, accompanied by the earls Godwin, Leofric, and Siward; and on their advice he took from his mother all the gold, silver, jewels, precious stones, and other valuables she possessed, because she had been less generous to him than he had expected and had treated him harshly both before and after he became king. Nevertheless, he ordered that she should be supplied with all necessities and commanded her to remain there quietly.

² Animchadus, a Scottish monk who lived as a recluse in the monastery at Fulda, died on the third day before the Kalends of February (30 January). Lights were seen over his tomb, and the sound of psalmody was heard there. Marianus, the author of this chronicle, lived as a recluse for ten years at his feet and celebrated Masses over his tomb. He relates the following concerning this Animchadus: ‘When I was in Ireland,’ says Marianus, ‘on an island called Keltra, he entertained, with the permission of his superior, named Cortram, certain brethren who came there. Some of them departed after their meal, but those who remained sat warming themselves by the fire and asked him for something to drink. When he refused to give it to them without permission, they urged him to comply. At last he consented, but first sent some of the drink to his superior to receive his blessing. The next morning, when asked why he had sent it, he related all the circumstances. But his superior, for this slight fault, immediately ordered him to leave Ireland, and he humbly obeyed. He then came to Fulda and lived a life of holy seclusion, as I have already said, until his death.

³ ‘This was told to us by the superior Tigernah when I committed some slight fault in his presence. Moreover, while I was living as a recluse at Fulda, I myself heard a very devout monk of that monastery, named William, implore the same Animchadus, who was then in his tomb, to give him his blessing; and, as he afterwards told me, he saw him in a vision standing in his tomb, shining with great brightness and giving him his blessing with outstretched arms. I too spent the whole of that night surrounded by a sweet fragrance.’ These are the words of Marianus.

A.D. 1044. #

¹ Elfward, bishop of London, who was abbot of Evesham both before and during his episcopate, being unable because of his infirmities to perform his episcopal duties properly, wished to retire to his abbey of Evesham, but the monks of that house would by no means consent. He therefore removed the greater part of the books and ornaments which he had collected there, together with some which, it is said, others had contributed, and, withdrawing to the abbey of Ramsey, took up residence there and offered everything he had brought with him to St Benedict. He died on Wednesday, the eighth day before the Kalends of August (25 July), in this same year, and was buried there.

² At a general synod held around that time in London, Wulfmar, a devout monk of Evesham, also called Manni, was elected abbot of that monastery. In the same year, the noble lady Gunhilda, daughter of King Wyrtgeorn by King Canute’s sister, and successively the wife of Earls Hakon and Harold, was banished from England with her two sons, Hemming and Thurkill. She went over to Flanders and lived for some time at a place called Bruges, before going to Denmark. Stigand, the king’s chaplain, was appointed bishop of East Anglia.

A.D. 1045. #

¹ Brihtwold, bishop of Wilton, died and was succeeded by the king’s chaplain Heriman, a native of Lorraine. In the same year, Edward, king of England, assembled a very powerful fleet at the port of Sandwich to oppose Magnus, king of Norway, who threatened to invade England; but the expedition was abandoned because Sweyn, king of Denmark, had begun hostilities against him.

A.D. 1046. #

¹ Living, bishop of the Hwiccas, Devonshire, and Cornwall, died on Sunday, the tenth day before the Kalends of April (23 March). Soon after his death, the bishoprics of Crediton and Cornwall were given to Leofric the Briton, who was the king’s chancellor; and Aldred, who had been a monk of Winchester and was then abbot of Tavistock, was made bishop of the Hwiccas. Osgod Clapa was banished from England. Magnus, king of Norway, son of St Olaf the king, defeated Sweyn, king of the Danes, and brought Denmark under his own rule.

A.D. 1047. #

¹ So much snow fell in the West that it crushed the woods, and the winter this year was very severe. Grimkytel, bishop of Sussex, died and was succeeded by Heca, the king’s chaplain. Elfwine, bishop of Winchester, also died, and Stigand, bishop of East Anglia, was translated to his see. Sweyn, king of Denmark, sent ambassadors to Edward, king of England, asking him to send a fleet to join him against Magnus, king of Norway. Earl Godwin then advised the king to send at least fifty ships filled with soldiers; but as Earl Leofric and all the people opposed the proposal, he declined to provide any. After this, Magnus, king of Norway, having assembled a large and powerful fleet, fought a battle with Sweyn, in which a vast number of troops were killed on both sides; and, having driven him out of Denmark, Magnus reigned there himself and compelled the Danes to pay him a heavy tribute. Shortly afterwards, he died.

A.D. 1048. #

¹ Sweyn recovered Denmark, and Harold Harfaager, son of Siward, king of Norway, brother of St Olaf on his mother’s side, and paternal uncle of King Magnus, returned to Norway and shortly afterwards sent ambassadors to King Edward, offering peace and friendship, which were accepted.

² There was a great earthquake on Sunday, 1 May, at Worcester, Wick, Derby, and many other places. Many districts of England were afflicted by a mortality among men and cattle; and a fire in the air, commonly called wild-fire, burned many vills and cornfields in Derbyshire and some other districts. Edmund, bishop of Lindisfarne, died at Gloucester, but was carried by his people to Durham and buried there. Edred succeeded him, but, being struck by divine vengeance, was replaced by Ethelric, a monk of Peterborough.

A.D. 1049. #

¹ The Emperor Henry assembled a vast army against Baldwin, count of Flanders, chiefly because he had burned and ruined his stately palace at Nimeguen. In this expedition were Pope Leo and many great and noble men from various countries. Sweyn, king of Denmark, was also there with his fleet at the emperor’s command swore fealty to the emperor for that occasion. The emperor also sent to Edward, king of England, asking him not to allow Baldwin to escape if he should retreat to the sea. Consequently, the king went with a large fleet to the port of Sandwich and remained there until the emperor had obtained from Baldwin all that he desired. Meanwhile, Earl Sweyn, son of Earl Godwin and Githa, who had left England gone to Denmark because he was not permitted to marry Edgiva, abbess of the monastery of Leominster, whom he had seduced, returned with eight ships, falsely claiming that he would now remain loyal to the king.

² Earl Beorn, son of his uncle Ulf, a Danish earl, who was son of Spracing, who was son of Urso, and brother of Sweyn, king of Denmark, promised to obtain from the king the restoration of Sweyn’s earldom. Earl Baldwin having made peace with the emperor, the earls Godwin and Beorn, with the king’s permission, came to Pevensey with forty-two ships; but the king ordered the rest of the fleet to return home, with the exception of a few ships which he kept there. When, however, he was informed that Osgod Clapa was lying at Wulpe with twenty-nine ships, he recalled as many as possible of the ships he had sent away. But Osgod, taking with him his wife, whom he had left for safety at Bruges, returned to Denmark with six ships; the rest sailed over to Essex and returned with considerable plunder, which they carried off from the neighbourhood of Eadulf’s Ness. However, a violent storm overtook them and sank all but two, which were captured at sea, and everyone on board perished.

³ During these events, Earl Sweyn went to Pevensey and treacherously asked Earl Beorn, his cousin, to go with him to the port of Sandwich and make his peace with the king, as he had promised. Beorn, trusting in their kinship, accompanied him with only three attendants; but Sweyn took him to Bosham, where his ships were lying, and, bringing him aboard one of them, ordered him to be bound with thongs and kept him on board until they reached the mouth of the River Dart. There they killed him, threw him into a deep trench, and covered him with earth. They then sent away six of the ships, two of which were shortly afterwards captured by the men of Hastings, who killed everyone on board, took the ships to Sandwich, and presented them to the king. Sweyn, however, escaped to Flanders with two ships and remained there until he was brought back by Aldred, bishop of Worcester, who reconciled him with the king.

⁴ In August of the same year, some Irish pirates entered the mouth of the River Severn with thirty-six ships, landed at a place called Wylesc-Eaxan, and, with the aid of Griffyth, king of South Wales, plundered the surrounding area and caused considerable damage. Then, joining their forces, the king and the pirates crossed the River Wye and burned Dymedham, massacring all whom they found there. Aldred, bishop of Worcester, with a small force from Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, took up arms against them; but the Welshmen in their ranks, who had promised to remain faithful to them, secretly sent a messenger to King Griffyth, urging him to attack the English without delay. Consequently, he hastened to the spot with his own followers and the Irish pirates and, falling upon the English before daybreak, killed many of them and put the rest to flight.

⁵ Eadnoth, bishop of Dorchester, died and was succeeded by Ulf, the king’s chaplain, a native of Normandy. Oswy, abbot of Thorney, and Wulfnoth, abbot of Westminster, died; so too did Siward, coadjutor-bishop of Eadsige, archbishop of Canterbury, and he was buried at Abingdon. Moreover, in this year Pope St Leo came to France at the request of the most excellent Abbot Herimar, accompanied by the prefect and some of the leading men of Rome, and with great ceremony dedicated the monastery of St Remigius, apostle of the Franks, built at Rheims. In that city he afterwards held a large synod of archbishops, bishops, and abbots, which lasted six days. Present at this synod were Alfwine, abbot of Ramsey, and the abbot of St Augustine’s monastery [at Canterbury], who had been sent there by Edward, king of England.

A.D. 1050. #

¹ Macbeth, king of Scotland, freely distributed large sums of money at Rome. Eadsige, archbishop of Canterbury, died and was succeeded by Robert, bishop of London, a Norman by birth. Spearheafoe, abbot of Abingdon, was elected bishop of London, but was ejected by King Edward before his consecration. Heriman, bishop of Wilton, and Aldred, bishop of Worcester, went to Rome.

A.D. 1051. #

¹ Elfric, archbishop of York, died at Southwell and was buried at Peterborough; Kinsige, the king’s chaplain, succeeded him. King Edward released the English from the heavy tax payable to the Danish troops, in the thirty-eighth year after his father Ethelred had first imposed it. Afterwards, in the month of September, Eustace the elder, count of Boulogne, who had married King Edward’s sister Goda, sailed to Dover with a small fleet. His soldiers, while bluntly and indiscreetly demanding lodgings, killed one of the townsmen. A neighbour who witnessed this killed one of the soldiers in revenge. At this, the count and his followers became greatly enraged and put many men and women to the sword, trampling their infants and children beneath their horses’ hooves. But when they saw the townsmen gathering together to resist them, they escaped like cowards, though with some difficulty, and, leaving seven of their number dead, fled to King Edward, who was then at Gloucester. Earl Godwin, indignant that such things should have been done within his jurisdiction, raised in great anger an immense army from the whole of his earldom, namely Kent, Sussex, and Wessex. His eldest son, Sweyn, also assembled the men of his earldom, namely those of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Somerset, and Berkshire; and his other son, Harold, assembled the men of his earldom, namely those of Essex, East Anglia, Huntingdonshire, and Cambridgeshire. This did not escape King Edward’s notice, and he therefore sent messages to Leofric, earl of Mercia, and Siward, earl of Northumbria, begging them to hasten to him with all the men they could muster, as he was in great danger. At first they came with only a few followers; but when they learned the true state of affairs, they sent swift messengers throughout their earldoms and gathered a large army. Likewise, Earl Ralph, son of Goda, King Edward’s sister, assembled as many men as he could from his county.

² Meanwhile, Godwin and his sons, with their respective armies, entered Gloucestershire after the feast of the Nativity of St Mary (8 September) and, encamping at a place called Langtreo, sent envoys to the king at Gloucester, demanding the surrender of Count Eustace and his followers, as well as the Normans and men of Boulogne who held the castle on the cliff at Dover, on pain of hostilities. The king, alarmed for a time by this message, was greatly distressed and utterly perplexed as to what he should do. But when he learned that the troops of the earls Leofric, Siward, and Ralph were on their way, he replied firmly that he would by no means consent to surrender Eustace and the others who had been demanded. On hearing this, the envoys returned from their fruitless mission. As they were departing, the army entered Gloucester, so enraged and unanimously eager to fight that, if the king had given permission, they would immediately have engaged Earl Godwin’s army. But Earl Leofric, considering that all the most prominent men in England were assembled on one side or the other, thought, as did some others, that it would be great folly to fight against their own countrymen. He therefore proposed that, after hostages had been given by both parties, the king and Godwin should meet in London on an appointed day and settle their dispute according to law. This advice was approved and, after messages had been exchanged and hostages given and received, the earl returned to Wessex; the king then assembled a more powerful army from the whole of Mercia and Northumbria and led it to London. Meanwhile, Godwin and his sons came to Southwark with a vast multitude of the people of Wessex; but as his army gradually dwindled away and deserted him, he did not dare to submit to the judgement of the king’s court, but fled under cover of night. When morning came, therefore, the king, in his witan, with the unanimous consent of the whole army, decreed that Godwin and his five sons should be banished. Then Godwin and his wife Githa, Tosti and his wife Judith, daughter of Baldwin, count of Flanders, and two of Godwin’s other sons, namely Sweyn and Gurth, went without delay to Thorney, where a ship had been made ready for them. They quickly loaded it with as much gold, silver, and other valuables as it could hold and, embarking in great haste, set sail for Flanders and Count Baldwin. Godwin’s sons Harold and Leofwine made their way to Bryegstowe [Bristol], boarded a ship which their brother Sweyn had prepared for them, and crossed over to Ireland. The king repudiated Queen Edgitha because of his anger against her father Godwin and sent her in disgrace, with only a single handmaid, to Wherwell, where she was placed in the custody of the abbess.

³ After these events, William, earl [duke] of Normandy, came over to England with a vast retinue of Normans. King Edward entertained him and his companions honourably and, when they returned, gave them many valuable presents. In the same year, William, the king’s chaplain, was appointed to the bishopric of London, which had previously been given to Spearheafoc.

A.D. 1052. #

¹ Marianus, the chronicler, died. Elfgiva Emma, wife of the kings Ethelred and Canute, died at Winchester on the second day before the Nones of March (6 March), and was buried there. In the same year, Griffyth, king of Wales, ravaged a great part of Herefordshire. The inhabitants of that province, together with some Normans from a castle, took up arms and attacked him; but, having killed a great number of them, he gained the victory and carried off much plunder. This battle was fought on the same day on which, fourteen years earlier, the Welsh had slain Edwin, Earl Leofric’s brother, in an ambush. A short time afterwards, Earl Harold and his brother Leofwine, returning from Ireland sailing into the mouth of the River Severn with a large fleet, landed on the borders of Somersetshire and Dorsetshire and plundered many villages and farms in those parts. A great number of the people of Devonshire and Somersetshire gathered together in arms against them; but Harold defeated them, with the loss of more than thirty noble thanes and many others. He then returned to his fleet with the booty and sailed round Penwithsteort. Then, King Edward quickly despatched forty well-provisioned ships, carrying a chosen body of soldiers, to the port of Sandwich, with orders to wait and watch for the arrival of Earl Godwin. Nevertheless, Godwin escaped observation and, returning with a few ships, landed in Kent; and through his secret emissaries he won over to his cause first the Kentishmen, and then the people of Sussex, Essex, and Surrey, together with all the boatmen of Hastings and other places on the coast, as well as some others. All these declared with one voice that they were ready to live or die with him.

² As soon as his arrival became known to the king’s fleet lying at Sandwich, it set out in pursuit of him; but he escaped and concealed himself wherever he could, and the fleet returned to Sandwich and from there sailed to London. On hearing this, Godwin again set his course for the Isle of Wight and remained cruising along the coast until his sons Harold and Leofwine joined him with their fleet. After they had united, they ceased plundering and laying waste the country, taking only such provisions as were necessary to sustain their troops. Having increased their force by enlisting as many men as they could along the coast and elsewhere, and by gathering all the mariners they encountered in every direction, they set their course towards the port of Sandwich. Their arrival there was reported to King Edward, who was then in London, and he immediately sent messengers ordering all those who had not revolted against him to hasten to his aid; but they moved too slowly and did not arrive in time. Meanwhile, Earl Godwin, having sailed up the Thames against the current, reached Southwark on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 September), which was a Monday, and waited there until the flood tide came in. In the meantime, he dealt with the citizens of London, some in person and others through his emissaries, having already won them over by various promises, and persuaded nearly all of them to enter wholeheartedly into his plans. At last, when everything had been properly planned and arranged, as the tide rose they quickly weighed anchor and, no one offering them any resistance at the bridge, sailed upstream along the south bank of the river. The land army also arrived and, drawn up along the riverbank, formed a close and formidable column. The fleet then moved towards the northern bank, apparently intending to enclose the king’s fleet, for the king also had a fleet as well as a numerous land army. But since there were very few men of any courage on either the king’s or Godwin’s side who were not Englishmen, nearly all shrank from fighting against their kinsmen and countrymen. The wiser men on both sides therefore intervened to restore peace between the king and the earl, and both armies were ordered to lay down their arms. The next morning the king held a council and fully restored Godwin, his wife, and all his sons to their former honours, except Sweyn, who, moved to repentance for the murder of his cousin Beorn, mentioned earlier, had undertaken a barefoot journey from Flanders to Jerusalem and, on his return, died in Lycia from an illness brought on by the severity of the cold. The king also received back Queen Edgitha, the earl’s daughter, with due honour and restored her to her former dignity.

³ The alliance having been renewed and peace established, they promised just law to all the people and banished all the Normans who had introduced unjust laws, given unrighteous judgements, and in many matters influenced the king to the disadvantage of his English subjects. Only a few of them were allowed to remain in England, namely Robert the deacon and his son-in-law Richard Fitz-Scrope, Alfred, the king’s horse-thane, Anfrid, surnamed Cock’s-foot, and some others who had been among the king’s greatest favourites and had remained faithful to him and to the commonwealth. But Robert, archbishop of Canterbury, William, bishop of London, and Ulf, bishop of Lincoln, together with their Normans, had some difficulty escaping and crossing the sea. William, however, was soon afterwards recalled on account of his worth and reinstated in his bishopric. Osbern, surnamed Pentecost, and his companion Hugh surrendered their castles and, being allowed by Earl Leofric to pass through his territories on their way to Scotland, were welcomed by Macbeth, king of the Scots. In the same year, on the night of the feast of St Thomas the Apostle (21 December), there was such a violent wind that it brought down many churches and houses, and shattered or uprooted countless trees.

A.D. 1053. #

¹ Rhys, the brother of Griffyth, king of South Wales, was put to death by order of King Edward at a place called Bullington, on account of the plundering raids he had frequently made, and his head was brought to the king at Gloucester on the eve of our Lord’s Epiphany (5 January). In the same year, on the second day of the festival of Easter (12 April), which was celebrated at Winchester, Earl Godwin came to his end while sitting at table with the king, according to his usual custom; for, being suddenly seized by a violent illness, he fell speechless from his seat. His sons, Earl Harold, Tosti, and Gurth, seeing this, carried him into the king’s chamber, hoping that he would soon recover; but his strength failed, and he died in great suffering on the fifth day afterwards (15 April), and was buried in the Old Minster. His son Harold succeeded to his earldom, and Harold’s earldom was given to Algar, son of Earl Leofric.

² In the month of October, Wulfsige, bishop of Lichfield, Godwin, abbot of Winchcombe, and Ethelward, abbot of Glastonbury, died. Leofwine, abbot of Coventry, succeeded Wulfsige; and Ethelnoth, a monk of the same monastery, succeeded Ethelward. But Aldred, bishop of Worcester, retained the abbey of Winchcombe in his own hands until he appointed Godric, son of Goodman, the king’s chaplain, as abbot. Elfric, brother of Earl Odda, died at Deerhurst on the eleventh day before the Kalends of January (22 December), but was buried in the monastery at Pershore.

³ Aed, a long-bearded clerk in Ireland, a man of great distinction and earnest piety, had a large school of clerks, maidens, and laymen; but he subjected the maidens to the tonsure in the same manner as clerks, on account of which he was compelled to leave Ireland.

A.D. 1054. #

¹ Siward, the stout earl of Northumbria, by order of the king entered Scotland with a large body of cavalry and a powerful fleet, and fought a battle with Macbeth, king of the Scots, in which the king was defeated with the loss of many thousands of both the Scots and the Normans mentioned earlier. Siward then, as the king had commanded, raised Malcolm, son of the king of the Cumbrians, to the throne. However, his own son and many Englishmen and Danes fell in that battle.

² In the same year, on the feast of St Kenelm the Martyr (17 July), Aldred, bishop of Worcester, installed Godric as abbot of Winchcombe. The bishop was then sent by the king as ambassador to the emperor with rich presents; and, being received with great honour by him, and also by Heriman, archbishop of Cologne, he remained at his court for a whole year and, in the king’s name, proposed that the emperor should send envoys to Hungary to bring back Edward, the king’s cousin, son of King Edmund Ironside, and have him conducted to England.

A.D. 1055. #

¹ Siward, earl of Northumberland, died at York and was buried in the monastery at Galmanho, which he had himself founded; his earldom was given to Tosti, Earl Harold’s brother. Shortly afterwards, King Edward, at a council held in London, banished Earl Algar, son of Earl Leofric, without any just cause offence. Algar immediately went to Ireland, having assembled eighteen pirate ships, returned with them to Wales, where he implored King Griffyth to aid him against King Edward. Griffyth immediately assembled a numerous army from all parts of his dominions and directed Algar to join him and his army at an appointed place with his own troops; and, having united their forces, they entered Herefordshire, intending to lay waste the English marches.

² Earl Ralph, the cowardly son of King Edward’s sister, having assembled an army, encountered the enemy two miles from the city of Hereford on the ninth day before the Kalends of November (24 October). He ordered the English, contrary to their custom, to fight on horseback; but just as the engagement was about to begin, the earl, together with his Frenchmen and Normans, was the first to flee. Seeing this, the English followed their leader’s example, and, with nearly the whole of the enemy’s army pursuing them, four or five hundred of the fugitives were killed and many were wounded. Having gained the victory, King Griffyth and Earl Algar entered Hereford and, after killing seven of the canons who defended the doors of the principal church, burned the monastery built by Bishop Athelstan, that true servant of Christ, together with all its ornaments and the relics of St Ethelbert, king and martyr, and other saints. Having also killed some of the citizens and taken many others captive, they returned laden with spoil. On receiving news of this calamity, the king immediately ordered an army to be raised from every part of England, when it had assembled at Gloucester, gave command of it to the brave Earl Harold, who, zealously obeying the king’s orders, tirelessly pursued Griffyth and Algar and, boldly crossing the Welsh border, encamped beyond Straddell [Snowdon]. But they, knowing him to be an intrepid and daring warrior, did not venture to await his attack and retreated into South Wales.

³ On learning this, he left the greater part of his army there, with orders to make a stout resistance to the enemy if circumstances required it; and, returning with the remainder of his army to Hereford, he surrounded it with a wide and deep trench and fortified it with gates and bars. Meanwhile, after messages had been exchanged, Griffyth, Algar, and Harold, together with their attendants, met at a place called Biligesteagea; peace was proposed and accepted, and they formed a firm alliance with one another. After these events, Earl Algar’s fleet of pirates sailed to Chester and waited there for the payment he had agreed to give them; but Algar himself went to court and was restored by the king to his earldom. At that time Tremerin, a Welsh bishop, who had been a monk, died. For a long time he had been coadjutor to Athelstan, bishop of Hereford, after Athelstan became incapable of performing his episcopal duties, having been blind for thirteen years. Heriman, bishop of Wiltshire, offended by the king’s refusal to allow him to transfer the seat of his bishopric from the vill called Ramsbury to the abbey of Malmesbury, resigned his bishopric and, going overseas, took the monastic habit at St Bertin, where he remained for three years.

A.D. 1056. #

¹ Athelstan, bishop of Hereford, a man of great sanctity, died on the fourth day before the Ides of February (10 February), at the episcopal vill called Bosbury; his body was carried to Hereford and buried in the church which he himself had built from the foundations. He was succeeded by Leovegar, Earl Harold’s chaplain, who, on the sixteenth day before the Kalends of June (17 May) in the same year, together with his clerks, Ethelnoth the vice-reeve, and many others, was massacred by Griffyth, king of Wales, at a place called Claftbyrig [Cleobury?]. He held the see for only eleven weeks and four days. After he was thus cut off, the bishopric of Hereford was administered by Aldred, bishop of Worcester, until a successor could be appointed. This same Bishop Aldred and the earls Leofric and Harold afterwards reconciled Griffyth, king of Wales, with King Edward.

² Marianus, becoming a pilgrim for the sake of his heavenly country, went to Cologne and took the habit of a monk in the monastery of St Martin, belonging to the Scots, on Thursday, the Kalends of August (1 August).

³ Earl Ethelwin, that is Odda, the friend of the churches, the solace of the poor, the protector of widows and orphans, the enemy of oppression, the shield of virginity, died at Deerhurst on the second day before the Kalends of September (31 August), having been made a monk by Aldred, bishop of Worcester, before his death; but he lies in the abbey of Pershore, where he was buried with great ceremony. Æthelric, bishop of Durham, voluntarily resigned his see and retired to his monastery of Peterborough, where he had been brought up and made a monk; and there he lived for twelve years, having been succeeded in his bishopric by his brother Ægelwin, a monk of the same abbey.

A.D. 1057. #

¹ Edward the etheling, son of King Edmund Ironside, accepting the invitation of his uncle, King Edward, returned to England from Hungary, where he had been exiled many years earlier. For the king had determined to appoint him as his successor and heir to the crown; but he died in London soon after his arrival. The renowned Leofric, son of the ealdorman Leofwine, of blessed memory, died at a good old age at his own vill of Bromley, on the second day before the Kalends of September (31 August), and was buried with great ceremony at Coventry. Among the other good deeds of his life, he and his wife, the noble Countess Godiva, a worshipper of God and devoted friend of St Mary Ever-Virgin, had founded that monastery and, having amply endowed it with lands from their own patrimony, had so enriched it with ornaments of every kind that no monastery could be found in England possessing such an abundance of gold, silver, jewels, and precious stones as it contained at that time. They also enriched with valuable ornaments the monasteries of Leominster and Wenlock, those at Chester dedicated to St John the Baptist and St Werburgh the Virgin, and the church which Eadnoth, bishop of Lincoln, had built at a remarkable place called in English St Mary’s Stow, which means in Latin St Mary’s Place. They also gave lands to the monastery at Worcester and added to the buildings, ornaments, and endowments of Evesham Abbey. Throughout his life, this earl’s wisdom was of the greatest benefit to the kings and to the whole commonwealth of England. His son Algar was appointed to his earldom. Hakon, bishop of Essex, died, and Æthelric, a monk of Christ Church at Canterbury, was appointed in his place. The aforementioned Earl Ralph died on the twelfth day before the Kalends of January (21 December), and was buried in the abbey of Peterborough.

A.D. 1058. #

¹ Six days before Palm Sunday (10 April), the city of Paderborn and two monasteries, the cathedral monastery and that of the monks, were destroyed by fire. In the monks’ monastery there was a Scottish monk named Paternus, who had lived in the cloister for a great many years and had foretold this fire; yet such was his desire for martyrdom that nothing could induce him to leave the place, and he was burned to death in his cell, passing through the flames to the cool refreshment of paradise. Some blessed things are related concerning his tomb. ‘Within a few days after this event, on the Tuesday after the octave of Easter (26 April), as I was leaving Cologne on the road to Fulda in company with the abbot of Fulda, for the sake of seclusion, I prayed on the very mat upon which he was burned.’ Thus says Marianus, the Scottish recluse.

² Algar, earl of Mercia, was outlawed by King Edward for the second time, but, supported by Griffyth, king of Wales, and aided by a Norwegian fleet which unexpectedly came to his assistance, he quickly recovered his earldom by force of arms. Pope Stephen died on the third day before the Kalends of April (30 March). He was succeeded by Benedict, who sent the pallium to Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury. Æthelric was ordained bishop of Sussex, and Abbot Siward was consecrated bishop of Rochester. Aldred, bishop of Worcester, dedicated with great ceremony to Peter, prince of the apostles, the church which he had built from the foundations in the city of Worcester, and afterwards, with the king’s licence, appointed Wulfstan, a monk of Worcester whom he had ordained, as abbot of the new foundation. Then, having resigned the bishopric of Wilton, which he held in commendam, and restored it to Heriman, mentioned earlier, he crossed the sea and travelled through Hungary to Jerusalem; a pilgrimage which no English archbishop or bishop is known to have undertaken before.

A.D. 1059. #

¹ Nicholas, bishop of Florence, was elected pope, and Benedict was deposed. Marianus, having enclosed himself in the cloister with Sigefrid, abbot of Fulda, was ordained priest at the tomb of St Kilian at Wurtzburg, on Saturday in Mid-Lent, the third day before the Ides of March (13 March), and on the Friday after Our Lord’s Ascension, the day before the Ides of May (14 May), he began his ten years of enclosure in the abbey of Fulda.

A.D. 1060. #

¹ Henry, king of the Franks, died and was succeeded by his eldest son Philip. Dudue, bishop of Wells, died and was succeeded by Giso, the king’s chaplain; both were natives of Lorraine. Kinsi, archbishop of York, died at York on the eleventh day before the Kalends of January (22 December). His body was carried to the abbey of Peterborough and buried there with great ceremony. Aldred, bishop of Worcester, was elected his successor as archbishop of York at Christmas; and the see of Hereford, which had been entrusted to his administration on account of his great diligence, was given to Walter, a Lorrainer and chaplain to Queen Edgitha.

A.D. 1061. #

¹ Aldred, archbishop of York, went to Rome in company with Earl Tosti and received the pallium from Pope Nicholas. There also, Giso of Wells and Walter of Hereford were consecrated bishops by the same pope. Until John, the successor of Giso, all the bishops of Wells had their episcopal see at Wells, in the church of St Andrew the Apostle. Maiolus, abbot of the Scots, died at Cologne; Foilan succeeded him.

A.D. 1062. #

¹ Wulfstan, a venerable man, was made bishop of Worcester. This prelate, beloved of God, was born in Warwickshire, in the province of Mercia, of pious parents; his father’s name was Ealstan, and his mother’s Wulfgeova. He was well instructed in letters and ecclesiastical functions at the monastery of Peterborough. Both his parents were so devoted to the religious life that, long before their deaths, they took vows of chastity and separated from one another, delighting to spend the rest of their days in habits of holy devotion. Inspired by such examples, and chiefly persuaded by his mother, he left the world while still young and took the monastic habit and profession in the same monastery at Worcester where his father had previously devoted himself to the service of God. He was admitted by the venerable Brihteag, bishop of the same church, who also ordained him both deacon and priest. Immediately embracing a strict and deeply religious way of life, he quickly became remarkable for his vigils, fasts, prayers, and every kind of virtue. As a result of this disciplined life, he was appointed first, for a time, master and tutor of the novices, and afterwards, because of his intimate knowledge of the ecclesiastical services, his superiors appointed him precentor and treasurer of the church.

² Being now entrusted with the care of the church, he embraced the opportunities this gave him to serve God with greater freedom; and, devoting himself wholly to a life of contemplation, he went there by day and night, either for prayer or holy reading, and continually mortified his body by fasting for two or three days at a time. He was so devoted to holy vigils that he not only spent whole nights without sleep, but often remained awake through both day and night together, and sometimes went four days and nights without sleep—a thing we could scarcely have believed had we not heard it from his own mouth—so that he ran great risk of his brain being parched unless he hastened to satisfy the demands of nature by taking the refreshment of sleep. Even when at last the urgent demands of nature compelled him to sleep, he did not indulge himself by stretching out his limbs upon a bed or couch, but would lie down for a while on one of the benches in the church, resting his head upon the book he had been using for prayer or reading. Some time afterwards, on the death of Ethelwine, prior of the monastery, Bishop Aldred appointed this reverend man prior and father of the convent, an office which he worthily filled; he did not in any way relax the strictness of his former habits, but rather increased it in many respects, so as to set a good example to the rest.

³ After some years had passed, when Aldred, bishop of Worcester, was raised to the archbishopric of York, both the clergy and the whole body of the laity of Worcester unanimously agreed to elect Wulfstan as their bishop, the king having granted them permission to choose whom they pleased. It so happened that legates from the apostolic see were present at the election, namely Ermenfred, bishop of Sion, and another, who had been sent by our lord Pope Alexander to King Edward concerning certain ecclesiastical matters and, by the king’s orders, spent nearly the whole of Lent at Worcester, awaiting at the king’s court during the following Easter the reply to their mission. During their stay, the legates observed Wulfstan’s worthy conduct and not only concurred in his election, but used their particular influence with both clergy and people to promote it, and confirmed it by their own authority. But he most obstinately refused the office, exclaiming that he was unworthy of it, and even declaring on oath that he would rather submit to having his head cut off than be raised to so high a dignity. When he could by no means be persuaded to consent by the arguments repeatedly addressed to him by many pious and venerable men, he was at last sharply rebuked for his obstinate wilfulness by Wulfsi the hermit, a man of God who was known to have lived a solitary life for more than forty years; and, being also awed by a divine revelation, he was compelled, with the greatest reluctance, to give his consent. His election having been canonically confirmed on the feast of the Decollation of St John the Baptist (29 August), he accepted the episcopal office and was consecrated on the day when the Church celebrates the Nativity of St Mary, which fell on a Sunday, and shone forth as bishop of Worcester in the splendour of his life and virtues. The consecration was performed by the venerable Aldred, archbishop of York, because Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, had then been forbidden by the pope to exercise his episcopal functions, since he had presumed to take the archbishopric while Robert, the archbishop, was still living. Wulfstan, however, made his canonical profession to Stigand, the aforementioned archbishop of Canterbury, and not to Aldred, who ordained him. Moreover, after Stigand had protested that this should not form a precedent in future, the archbishop of York, who ordained Wulfstan, was required to declare before the king and the great men of the realm that he would not thereafter claim any submission from him, either in ecclesiastical or temporal affairs, by virtue of having consecrated him or because Wulfstan had been his monk before his consecration. Wulfstan’s ordination took place when he was more than fifty years old, in the twentieth year of King Edward’s reign and in the fifteenth indiction.

A.D. 1063. #

¹ When Christmas was over, Harold, the brave earl of Wessex, by King Edward’s order placed himself at the head of a small troop of horsemen and proceeded by rapid marches from Gloucester, where the king then was, to Rhuddlan, determined to punish Griffyth, king of Wales, for his continual ravages on the English marches and his many insults to his lord, King Edward, by taking his life. But Griffyth, having been warned in advance of the earl’s approach, fled with his attendants and escaped by boarding a ship, though only with extreme difficulty. Harold, finding that he had gone, ordered his palace to be burned and, setting fire to his ships and all their rigging, began his homeward march that same day. But around the Rogation Days (20 May), he sailed from Bristol with a naval force and circumnavigated a great part of Wales. His brother met him, by the king’s command, with a body of cavalry and, uniting their forces, they began to lay waste that part of the country. Consequently, the Welsh were reduced to submission and, giving hostages, undertook to pay him tribute; they also deposed and banished their king, Griffyth.

A.D. 1064. #

¹ The great paschal cycle now begins, in the second indiction. A multitude of people, both rich and poor, numbering seven thousand, accompanied the archbishop of Mentz and the bishops of Utrecht, Bamberg, and Ratisbon on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem after the feast of St Martin (11 November). Wherever the bishops stopped, they wore their palls on their shoulders, and their food and drink were served in vessels of gold and silver. The Arabites [Arabs?], attracted by reports of their wealth, killed many of them on Good Friday (9 April). Those who managed to escape took refuge in a deserted castle called Caruasalim and, barricading it, defended themselves with stones and staves against the darts of the Arabites, who sought either their money, or both their lives and their money. Then one very brave soldier, determined that no danger should prevent him from seeing the tomb of our Lord, went out; but the Arabs immediately seized him and, stretching him flat on the ground in the form of a cross, nailed his hands and feet to the earth and cut him open from the bottom of his belly to his throat, examining his entrails. At last, having torn him limb from limb, their chief first threw a stone upon him, and afterwards all the others did the same. Then they called to his companions, who had witnessed all this from the castle: ‘Your fate shall be the same unless you surrender all your wealth to us.’ When the Christians promised to comply, the chief of the Arabites entered the castle with sixteen others armed with swords. The chief found the bishops still seated in great state and, observing that the bishop of Bamberg, whose name was Gunther, surpassed the others in stature and appearance, concluded that he was the lord of the Christians. Putting a thong around the bishop’s neck, in the manner in which the Gentiles restrain their criminals, he said, ‘You and all your people shall be mine.’ The bishop replied through an interpreter, ‘What will you do to me?’ He answered, ‘I will suck that bright blood from your throat, and I will hang you like a dog before the castle.’ Then the bishop seized the chief by the head and felled him to the ground with a single blow of his fist, and all the others were bound. Those who remained outside, being informed of this, attacked the castle; but the prisoners were suspended from the walls in front of the assailants, and the attack was abandoned in order to save them. Then the thieves began to quarrel over the money they had already taken from the Christians, and most of them fell at one another’s hands. Meanwhile, the prince of Ramula, at the entreaty of those Christians who had managed to escape, came with a strong force on the second day of Easter (12 April) and drove away the Arabites. Then, after accepting fifty gold pieces from the Christians, he and an Arabite chief who was at odds with his lord, the king of the Saracens, conducted the pilgrims to Jerusalem and from there to their ships. The great multitude of Christians was so diminished that, out of seven thousand or more, barely two thousand returned.

A.D. 1064. #

¹ Griffyth, king of Wales, was killed by his own people on the Nones of August (5 August), and his head and the beak of his ship, together with its ornaments, were sent to Earl Harold, who shortly afterwards presented them to King Edward. The king then gave the territories of the Welsh king to his brothers Blethgent and Rithwalon, and they swore to be faithful to him and Harold, promised to be ready to obey their commands by sea and land, and undertook faithfully to pay whatever had previously been paid from that country to former kings.

A.D. 1065. #

¹ Æthelwin, the reverend bishop of Durham, raised the bones of St Oswin, formerly king of Bernicia, from the tomb in which they had lain for four hundred and fifteen years, in the monastery which stands at the mouth of the River Tyne, and placed them in a shrine with great ceremony. In the month of August, Harold, the brave earl of Wessex, ordered a large mansion to be built at a place called Portascith, in the territory of the Welsh, and directed that it should be well supplied with food and drink, so that his lord, King Edward, might sometimes stay there for the sake of hunting. But Caradoc, son of Griffyth, king of South Wales, who a few years earlier had slain Griffyth, king of North Wales, and usurped his kingdom, came there with all the forces he could gather on the feast of St Bartholomew the Apostle (24 August), killed all the workmen and their overseers, and carried off all the materials which had been collected there.

² Soon after the feast of St Michael the Archangel, on Monday, the fifth day before the Nones of October (3 October), the Northumbrian thanes Gamelbearn, Dunstan, son of Athelneth, and Glonicorn, son of Heardulf, entered York with two hundred soldiers to avenge the execrable murder of the noble Northumbrian thane Cospatric, who had been treacherously killed by order of Queen Edgitha at the king’s court on the fourth night of Christmas, for the sake of her brother Tosti; and also the murder of the thanes Gamel, son of Orm, and Ulf, son of Dolfin, whom Earl Tosti had treacherously caused to be assassinated in his own chamber at York the year before, although there was peace between them. The insurgent thanes were also aggrieved by the enormous taxes which Tosti unjustly levied throughout Northumbria. Therefore, on the day of their arrival, they first seized his Danish huscarls, Amund and Ravenswart, as they were attempting to escape, and put them to death outside the walls; and the next day they killed more than two hundred of his liegemen on the north side of the River Humber. They also broke open his treasury and withdrew, carrying off everything that belonged to him. Afterwards, nearly all the men of his earldom assembled together and met at Northampton with Harold, earl of Wessex, and others whom the king, at Tosti’s request, had sent to restore peace between them. There first, and afterwards at Oxford on the feast of the apostles St Simon and St Jude (28 October), when Earl Harold and the others tried to restore peace between them and Earl Tosti, they unanimously rejected the proposal and outlawed him and all those who had encouraged him to enact the oppressive law; and after the feast of All Saints (1 November), with the assistance of Earl Edwin, they banished Tosti from England. Then he went with his wife to Baldwin, earl of Flanders, and spent the winter at St Omer. After this, King Edward fell into a lingering illness, but held his court in London during Christmas as well as he was able, and on Holy Innocents’ Day caused the church which he had built from the foundations [at Westminster] to be dedicated with great splendour to St Peter, prince of the apostles.

A.D. 1066. #

¹ King Edward the Pacific, the pride of the English, son of King Ethelred, died in London on Thursday, the eve of the Epiphany, in the fourth indiction, after having occupied the royal throne of the Anglo-Saxons for twenty-three years, six months, and twenty-seven days. He was buried the next day with royal pomp, amid the tears and lamentations of the crowds who flocked to his funeral. After his burial, Harold, the vice-king, son of Earl Godwin, whom the king before his death had chosen as his successor, was elected king by the leading men of all England, on the same day, was crowned with great ceremony by Aldred, archbishop of York. As soon as he had taken up the reins of government, he made it his business to repeal unjust laws and establish good ones; to become the protector of churches and monasteries; to cherish and revere bishops, abbots, monks, and clerks; and to show himself kind, humble, and courteous to all good men, while treating evildoers with the utmost severity. For he ordered his earls, ealdormen, vice-reeves, and all his officers to arrest all thieves, robbers, and disturbers of the peace; and he himself laboured for the defence of the country by land sea.

² In the same year, a comet was seen on the eighth day before the Kalends of May (24 April), not only in England but, as is reported, throughout the world; it shone with extraordinary brilliance for seven days. Soon afterwards, Earl Tosti returned from Flanders and landed on the Isle of Wight; and, having compelled the islanders to give him pay and tribute, he departed and plundered along the coast until he reached Sandwich. King Harold, who was then in London, having been informed of this, ordered a considerable fleet and a body of horsemen to be made ready, and prepared to go in person to the port of Sandwich. On receiving this intelligence, Tosti took some of the boatmen of the place, willingly or unwillingly, into his service and, departing from there, set his course for Lindsey, where he burned several vills and killed a number of men. Then Edwin, earl of Mercia, and Morcar, earl of Northumbria, hastened to the spot with some troops and drove him out of the district; and, after his departure, he went to Malcolm, king of the Scots, and remained with him throughout the summer. Meanwhile, King Harold arrived at the port of Sandwich and waited there for his fleet. When it had assembled, he sailed to the Isle of Wight; and as William, earl of Normandy, King Edward’s cousin, was preparing an army to invade England, he kept watch throughout the summer and autumn to prevent his landing. In addition, he stationed a land army at suitable points along the coast; but, as provisions failed towards the feast of the Nativity of St Mary (8 September), both the fleet and the army were disbanded.

³ After these events, Harold Harfaager, king of Norway, brother of St Olave the king, suddenly arrived at the mouth of the River Tyne with a powerful fleet of more than five hundred large ships. Earl Tosti joined him with his fleet, as they had previously agreed, and they sailed at full speed into the Humber; then, proceeding up the River Tyne against the current, they landed their troops at a place called Richale. As soon as King Harold received this news, he marched with all speed towards Northumbria; but before the king’s arrival, the two brothers, Earls Edwin and Morcar, at the head of a large army, fought a battle with the Norwegians on the northern bank of the River Ouse, near York, on the eve of the feast of St Matthew the Apostle (20 September), which was a Wednesday; and their first assault was so fierce that numbers of the enemy fell before it. But after a long struggle, the English, unable to withstand the attack of the Norwegians, fled with great loss, and many more of them were drowned in the river than killed in the fighting. The Norwegians remained in possession of the field of death and, having taken one hundred and fifty hostages from York and left there one hundred and fifty hostages of their own, returned to their ships. However, five days afterwards, namely on Monday, the seventh day before the Kalends of October (25 September), Harold, king of England, having reached York with many thousands of well-armed troops, encountered the Norwegians at a place called Stanford-bridge and put King Harold and Earl Tosti, together with the greater part of their army, to the sword; and although the battle was fiercely contested, he gained a complete victory. Nevertheless, he allowed Harold’s son Olaf and Paul, earl of Orkney, who had been left with part of the army to guard the ships, to return to their own country with twenty ships and the remnants of the [defeated] army, having first received hostages and oaths from them.

⁴ While these events were taking place, and when the king might have supposed that all his enemies had been subdued, he received intelligence that William, earl of Normandy, had arrived with an innumerable host of horsemen, slingers, archers, and foot-soldiers, having taken into his pay auxiliary forces of great bravery from all parts of France, and that he had moored his fleet at a place called Pevensey. Then the king led his army towards London by forced marches; and although he was well aware that some of the bravest men in England had fallen in the two [recent] battles, and that half of his troops had not yet assembled, he did not hesitate to meet the enemy in Sussex without delay. On Saturday, the eleventh day before the Kalends of November (22 October), before a third of his army was in fighting order, he gave battle to them at a place nine miles from Hastings, where they had built a fort. The English, being crowded into a confined position, left their ranks in large numbers, and few stood resolutely beside him; nevertheless, he offered stout resistance from the third hour of the day until nightfall and defended himself with such courage and determination that the enemy almost despaired of taking his life. When, however, great numbers had fallen on both sides, he, alas, fell at twilight. His brothers, the earls Gurth and Leofric, also fell, together with almost all the English nobles. Earl William led his army back to Hastings.

⁵ Harold reigned for nine months and as many days. The earls Edwin and Morcar, who had withdrawn with their troops from the battle on hearing that he was dead, went to London and sent their sister, Queen Elgitha, to Chester; but Aldred, archbishop of York, the earls just mentioned, the citizens of London, and the seamen wished to proclaim Edgar the etheling king, since he was the nephew of King Edmund Ironside, and promised that they would renew the war under his banner. But while many were preparing to go out to battle, the earls withdrew their support and returned home with their army.

⁶ Meanwhile, Earl William was laying waste Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Middlesex, and Herefordshire, and did not cease burning vills and slaughtering the inhabitants until he came to a vill called Beorcham [Berkhampstead], where Aldred, the archbishop, Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, Walter, bishop of Hereford, Edgar the etheling, the earls Edwin and Morcar, and some of the more prominent Londoners, together with many others, met him and, giving hostages, submitted to him and swore allegiance. But although he concluded a treaty with them, he still allowed his troops to burn and plunder the vills. As the feast of our Lord’s Nativity approached, he marched the whole army to London so that he might be proclaimed king there; and because Stigand, the primate of all England, lay under the censure of the apostolic pope for not having obtained the pallium canonically, William was anointed with great ceremony by Aldred, archbishop of York, at Westminster on Christmas Day, which that year fell on a Monday. Beforehand, as the archbishop required, he swore before the altar of St Peter the Apostle, in the presence of the clergy and people, to protect the holy churches of God and their rulers, to govern the whole nation subject to him with justice and kingly providence, to make and uphold just laws, and strictly to forbid every kind of robbery and all unjust judgements.

A.D. 1067. #

¹ As Lent drew near (21 February), King William returned to Normandy, taking with him Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, Athelnoth, abbot of Glastonbury, Edgar the etheling, the earls Edwin and Morcar, Waltheof, son of Earl Siward, the noble Ethelnoth, reeve of Kent, and many other leading men of England; leaving his brother Odo, bishop of Bayeux, and William Fitz-Osborne, whom he had made earl of Hereford, as governors of England, with orders to build strong castles in suitable places.

² Wulfwi, bishop of Dorchester, died at Winchester, but was buried at Dorchester.

³ At that time there lived a very powerful thane named Edric, surnamed the Forester, son of Elfric, brother of Edric Streon, whose lands were frequently ravaged by the garrison of Hereford and Richard Fitz-Scrope because he refused to submit to the king; but whenever they made incursions into his territories, they lost many of their knights and squires. This Edric, therefore, having summoned Blethgent and Rithwallon, kings of the Welsh, to his aid, around the feast of the Assumption of St Mary (15 August), laid waste the county of Hereford as far as the bridge over the River Lugg and carried off a great quantity of booty.

⁴ After this, with winter drawing near, King William returned from Normandy to England imposed an unbearable tax upon the English. He then marched troops into Devonshire and besieged and quickly reduced the city of Exeter, which the citizens and some English thanes held against him. But the Countess Githa, mother of Harold, king of England, and sister of Sweyn, king of Denmark, escaped from the city with many others and withdrew to Flanders; and the citizens submitted to the king and swore allegiance to him. Siward, the nineteenth bishop of Rochester, died.

A.D. 1068. #

¹ After Easter (23 March), the Countess Matilda came to England from Normandy and was crowned queen by Aldred, archbishop of York, on Whitsunday (11 May). After this, Marlesweyn and Cospatric, and some of the most noble men of the Northumbrian nation, in order to escape the king’s tyranny, and fearing that they might, like others, be thrown into prison, took with them Edgar the etheling, together with his mother Agatha and his two sisters, Margaret and Christina, and, embarking for Scotland, spent the winter there under the protection of Malcolm, king of Scots. Meanwhile, King William marched his army to Nottingham and, having fortified the castle there, proceeded to York, where he built two strong forts; and, having stationed five hundred men in them, he ordered strong castles to be built at Lincoln and other places.

² While these events were taking place, the sons of King Harold, Godwin, Edmund, and Magnus, returned from Ireland landed in Somersetshire, where Eadnoth, who had been King Harold’s horse-thane, opposed them with his forces and, giving them battle, was killed along with many of his troops. Elated by their victory, and having carried off much plunder from Devon and Cornwall, they returned to Ireland.

A.D. 1069. #

¹ Marianus, after his ten years of seclusion at Fulda, came to Mentz, by order of the bishop of Mentz and the abbot of Fulda, on the third day before the Nones of April (3 April), which was the Friday before Palm Sunday.

² Two of Harold’s sons came again from Ireland with sixty-four ships and, landing around the Nativity of St John the Baptist (24 June) at the mouth of the River Tivy, fought a fierce battle with Brian, count of Brittany; after which they returned to the place from which they had come.

³ On the sixth day before the Ides of July (10 July), which was the Friday of the Nativity of the Seven Holy Brothers, Marianus enclosed himself near the principal monastery in the same city [Mentz].

⁴ Before the Nativity of St Mary (8 September), Harold and Canute, sons of Sweyn, king of Denmark, and their uncle, Earl Asbiörn, together with Earl Thurkill, arrived from Denmark with two hundred and forty ships and landed at the mouth of the River Humber, where they were met by Edgar the etheling, Earl Waltheof, Marlesweyn, and many others, with a fleet they had assembled. Aldred, archbishop of York, was so distressed at their arrival that he fell dangerously ill and died, as he had prayed to God, on Friday, the third day before the Ides of September (11 September), in the tenth year after he became archbishop, and was buried in the church of St Peter eight days later, namely on Saturday, the thirteenth day before the Kalends of October (19 September). The Normans who garrisoned the forts set fire to the neighbouring houses, fearing that they might be used by the Danes to fill the trenches; and the flames spread, destroying the whole city together with the monastery of St Peter. But they were swiftly punished for this by divine vengeance; for on Monday the Danish fleet arrived before the city was entirely consumed, and the forts were stormed that same day, with more than three thousand of the Normans killed. The lives of William Malet, his wife and two children, and a very few others were spared, and the ships withdrew laden with plunder.

⁵ King William, on receiving intelligence of this, immediately assembled an army and hastened into Northumbria, giving way to his anger; and he spent the whole winter laying waste the country, slaughtering the inhabitants, and inflicting every kind of evil without ceasing. Meanwhile, he sent messengers to the Danish earl Asbiörn and secretly promised to pay him a large sum of money and to allow his army to forage freely along the coast, on condition that he would depart without fighting when the winter was over; and Asbiörn, in his extreme greed for money and to his utter disgrace, agreed to the proposal. As a result of the ravages of the Normans, first in Northumbria during the preceding year, and again in the present and following year throughout nearly the whole of England, so severe a famine prevailed in most parts of the kingdom, but chiefly in Northumbria and the neighbouring provinces, that people were driven to eat the flesh of horses, dogs, cats, and even human beings.

A.D. 1070. #

¹ On the advice of William, earl of Hereford, and some others, King William, during Lent (17 February), caused all the monasteries of England to be searched, and the money deposited in them by the wealthier English for protection against his violence and rapacity to be seized and carried to his own treasury.

² In the octave of Easter (4 April), a great synod was held at Winchester by command of King William, who was himself present, and with the concurrence of the lord Pope Alexander, whose legates, Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion, and John and Peter, cardinal-priests of the apostolic see, represented his authority. At this synod, Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, was degraded on three charges: first, for having unlawfully held the bishopric of Winchester together with the archbishopric; secondly, for having taken the archbishopric while Archbishop Robert was still living, and even sometimes, when celebrating Mass, wearing the pallium which Robert had left behind at Canterbury when he was unjustly driven from England; and lastly, for having accepted the pallium from Benedict, who had been excommunicated by the Holy Roman Church for having usurped the apostolic see through simony. His brother Ethelmar, bishop of the East Angles, was also degraded, as were a few abbots, the king doing his utmost to deprive the English of their dignities so that he might appoint men of his own nation to their offices and thereby strengthen his power in his new kingdom. He also deprived several bishops and abbots who had been convicted of no open crimes either by councils or by the laws of the realm, and kept them imprisoned for the rest of their lives merely on suspicion, as we have said, that they were dangerous to his newly acquired power. At this synod also, while the others, aware of the king’s bias, trembled at the risk of losing their offices, Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, boldly demanded the restoration of many possessions belonging to his see which Archbishop Aldred had retained in his own hands when he was translated from Worcester to York and which, after his death, had fallen into the king’s hands. He demanded, not only from those presiding at the synod but from the king himself, that justice should be done to him. But as the church of York was silent, having no pastor to plead its cause, it was decided that the case should be postponed until an archbishop had been appointed, so that there would be someone to answer Wulfstan’s claims and, after hearing the arguments on both sides, a clearer and more equitable judgement could be given. Thus the case was adjourned for the time being.

³ On Whitsunday (23 May), at Windsor, the king gave the archbishopric of York to the venerable Thomas, canon of Bayeux, and the bishopric of Winchester to his chaplain Walkeline. On the following day, by the king’s command, Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion, held a synod, the other legates, Cardinals John and Peter, having returned to Rome. At this synod, Ethelric, bishop of Sussex, was uncanonically deposed; and although he was guilty of no crime, the king shortly afterwards imprisoned him at Marlborough. Several abbots were also deprived. After these depositions, the king gave the bishopric of East Anglia to Arfast and the bishopric of Sussex to Stigand, both of whom were his chaplains; this Stigand transferred his see to Chichester, the chief city of his diocese. The king also gave abbeys to some Norman monks. With the archbishop of Canterbury degraded and the archbishop of York dead, Walkeline was, by the king’s command, consecrated by the same Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion, on the octave of Whitsunday (30 May).

⁴ As the feast of St John the Baptist drew near, Earl Asbiörn sailed to Denmark with the fleet which had wintered in the Humber; but his brother Sweyn outlawed him because he had accepted money from King William, to the great regret of the Danes. Edric, surnamed the Forester, a man of the most resolute courage, of whom we have spoken before, was reconciled with King William. After this, the king summoned from Normandy Lanfranc, abbot of Caen, a Lombard by birth, a man of boundless learning, master of the liberal arts and of both sacred and secular literature, and of the greatest prudence in counsel and the administration of worldly affairs; and on the day of the Assumption of St Mary appointed him archbishop of Canterbury, causing him to be consecrated at Canterbury on the feast of St John the Baptist, which fell on a Sunday. He was consecrated by Giso, bishop of Wells, and Walter, bishop of Hereford, both of whom had been ordained at Rome by Pope Nicholas when Aldred, archbishop of York, received the pallium; for Lanfranc avoided being ordained by Stigand, who then held the archbishopric of Canterbury, knowing that he had not received the pallium canonically. Bishop Heriman, who had already transferred the seat of his bishopric from Sherbourne to Salisbury, also assisted at his consecration, together with some others. Afterwards, Lanfranc consecrated Thomas, archbishop of York. The suit of the reverend Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, was again pursued, there now being a bishop who could plead the cause of the church of York; and the matter was, by the aid of God’s grace, decided at a council held at a place called Pedred, before the king, Archbishop Lanfranc, and the bishops, abbots, earls, and lords of all England. All the groundless assertions by which Thomas and his supporters sought to humble the church of Worcester and reduce it to subjection and servitude to the church of York were, by God’s just judgement, entirely refuted and rejected by written documents, so that Wulfstan not only recovered the possessions he claimed but, by God’s goodness and the king’s assent, regained for his see all the immunities and privileges freely granted to it by its first founders, the holy King Ethered, Oshere, sub-king of the Hwiccas, and the other kings of Mercia, Cenred, Ethelbald, Offa, Kenulf, Edward the Elder, Athelstan, Edmund, Edred, and Edgar.

⁵ Ethelwine, bishop of Durham, was seized by King William’s retainers and thrown into prison, where, refusing all food in the depth of his distress, he died of grief and starvation. On the death of Siward, bishop of Rochester, Arnostus, a monk of Bec, succeeded him, and was himself succeeded by Gundulf, a monk of the same church.

A.D. 1071. #

¹ Lanfranc and Thomas went to Rome and received the pallium from Pope Alexander. Earls Edwin and Morcar secretly escaped from King William’s court, having discovered that he intended to arrest them, and for some time they remained in arms against him; but, seeing that their enterprise was unsuccessful, Edwin resolved to go to Malcolm, king of the Scots. During the journey, however, he fell into an ambush laid by his own people and was killed. Morcar and Ethelwine, bishop of Durham, Siward, surnamed Barn, and Hereward, a man of great bravery, together with many others, took ship and went to the Isle of Ely, intending to spend the winter there. The king, hearing of this, blocked every outlet on the eastern side of the island by means of his boatmen and caused a bridge two miles long to be constructed on the western side. When they saw that they were thus shut in, they resisted no longer, and all surrendered themselves to the king except the brave Hereward, who escaped through the fens with a few others. The king immediately sent Bishop Ethelwine to Abingdon, where he was imprisoned and died that same winter. The earl and the others were dispersed throughout various parts of England, some being imprisoned and others set free after losing their hands or eyes.

A.D. 1072. #

¹ After the Assumption of St Mary (15 August), William, king of England, accompanied by Edric the Forester, made an expedition into Scotland with a naval force and an army of cavalry and brought it under his own dominion; and Malcolm, king of Scots, met him at a place called Abernethy and did homage to him. Ethelric, formerly bishop of Durham, died at Westminster, where King William had sent him into confinement, on Monday, the Ides of October (15 October). Walchere, a native of Lorraine, succeeded Ethelwine in the see of Durham.

A.D. 1073. #

¹ William, king of England, reduced to submission the city of Mans and the province belonging to it, chiefly with the aid of the English whom he had taken over with him. Edgar the etheling came from Scotland to Normandy, passing through England, and was reconciled with the king.

A.D. 1074. #

¹ Roger, earl of Hereford, son of William, earl of the same county, gave his sister in marriage to Ralph, earl of East Anglia, contrary to the command of King William; and while he was celebrating the wedding with great magnificence, with a great number of nobles assembled for the occasion at a place called Yxninga, in the province of Cambridge, a great conspiracy was formed against the king, in which many of them were involved, and they enticed and over-persuaded Earl Waltheof to join their league. However, as soon as he was able, he went to Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, and, receiving absolution from him for his involuntary oath, hastened on his advice to King William in Normandy and, laying the whole matter before him, threw himself upon his mercy. The other leaders of the conspiracy, being determined to carry out their enterprise, withdrew to their castles and made every effort with their followers to stir up the rebellion. But Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, with a strong body of troops, and Ethelwy, abbot of Evesham, with his vassals, supported by Urso, sheriff of Worcestershire, and Walter de Lacy, with their own followers and a general muster of the people, marched against the earl of Hereford to prevent him from fording the Severn and joining his forces with those of Earl Ralph at the appointed place. Odo, bishop of Bayeux, the king’s brother, and Geoffrey, bishop of Coutances, having assembled a large army of both Englishmen and Normans, encountered Earl Ralph as he was pitching his camp near Cambridge. The earl, finding that his plans had been frustrated and terrified by the number of his opponents, secretly withdrew to Norwich and, having entrusted his castle to the keeping of his wife and his knights, sailed from England for Little Britain, while his enemies pursued him and put to death or mutilated in various ways those of his followers whom they were able to capture. The commanders of the king’s army then besieged his castle until, peace having been granted by the king’s permission, the countess was allowed to leave England with her attendants. After these events, during the autumn, the king returned from Normandy and imprisoned Earl Roger; he also placed Earl Waltheof in custody, although he had appealed to his mercy.

² Edgitha, sister of King Harold and formerly queen of England, died at Winchester on the fourteenth day before the Kalends of January, that is, in the month of December (19 December). By the king’s command, her body was carried to London and buried with great ceremony near the body of her husband, King Edward, at Westminster, where the king held his court during the following Christmas. Of those who had risen against him, some he banished from England, while others he ignominiously punished by depriving them of their eyes or hands; and the earls Waltheof and Roger, having been found guilty by judgement of the court, were placed in closer confinement.

A.D. 1075. #

¹ Earl Waltheof, having been brought outside the city of Winchester by order of King William, was cruelly and undeservedly beheaded and thrown into a pit on the spot; but in course of time, by the providence of God, his body was exhumed and carried with great honour to Croyland, where it was entombed in the church with due ceremony. During the closing period of his life, while in close confinement, the earl ceaselessly and most bitterly lamented whatever he had done wrong and strove to propitiate God by vigils, prayers, fasting, and almsgiving. Men indeed sought to blot out the memory of him on earth, but we firmly believe that he rejoices with the saints in heaven. For this we have the faithful testimony of Archbishop Lanfranc, of pious memory, who, having heard his confession and granted him absolution and penance, declared that he was innocent of the crime laid to his charge, namely the conspiracy already mentioned; and that, as for his other offences, he had lamented them with tears of penitence, so that Lanfranc himself would have reason to be thankful if, after his own death, he should share in the same blessed rest. After this, the king crossed the sea and, invading Little Britain, laid siege to the castle of Dol until Philip, king of France, forced him to retreat.

A.D. 1076. #

A.D. 1077. #

¹ Robert, King William’s eldest son, feeling aggrieved at not being given possession of Normandy, which his father had granted him in the presence of Philip, king of France, before his expedition to England, went to France and, supported by Philip, made frequent incursions into Normandy, plundering and burning the vills and destroying the people, thereby causing his father considerable loss and anxiety.

A.D. 1079. #

¹ Malcolm, king of the Scots, after the feast of the Assumption of St Mary (15 August), ravaged Northumbria as far as the great River Tyne and, having killed great numbers of people and taken still more captive, returned with immense booty. King William, while engaged in combat with his son Robert before the castle of Gerberoi, which King Philip had granted to Robert, was wounded by him in the arm and unhorsed; but Robert, recognising his father’s voice, immediately dismounted and, telling him to mount his own charger, allowed him to depart. The king soon afterwards retreated, having had many of his men killed and some taken prisoner, while his son William and several others were wounded.

² The venerable Robert, who had received the order of priesthood at the hands of Wulfstan, the most reverend bishop of Worcester, was consecrated bishop of Hereford by Lanfranc, the archbishop, on the fourth day before the Kalends of January (29 December), at Canterbury.

A.D. 1080. #

¹ Walchere, bishop of Durham, a native of Lorraine, was killed by the Northumbrians on Thursday, the second day before the Ides of May (14 May), at a place called ‘Caput Capræ’ (Goat’s or Gateshead), in revenge for the death of Liulf, a noble thane. This man possessed many hereditary estates in various parts of England; but as the Normans at that time gave free rein to their ferocity everywhere, he withdrew to Durham with all his household, having a devoted reverence for St Cuthbert. For, as he was accustomed to relate to Aldred, archbishop of York, and other religious men, that saint often appeared to him, both sleeping and waking, and revealed to him, as his faithful votary, everything that he wished to have done. Under his protection, therefore, Liulf lived for a long time, sometimes in the town and sometimes on the estates he held in that part of the country. Bishop Walchere had welcomed his arrival at Durham, being himself wholly devoted to the same saint, and therefore held him in such high regard that he was reluctant to conduct any important secular business without his advice. Consequently, his chaplain Leobwine, whom he had raised to such a degree of power that scarcely anything was done either in the bishopric or in the county without his consent, was both deeply stung by jealousy and swollen with excessive pride at his own pre-eminence, and treated Liulf with great arrogance, making light of his opinions and advice and doing everything he could to render them ineffective. Frequently also, when arguing with him in the bishop’s presence, he provoked him to anger with insulting language and even threats. On one occasion, when this same Liulf, having been summoned to advise the bishop, had given his decisions according to law and justice, Leobwine violently opposed him and exasperated him with contemptuous remarks. When Liulf, however, replied more vehemently than was his custom, Leobwine immediately left the court and, calling aside Gilbert, to whom the bishop, because he was his kinsman, had entrusted the government of the county of Northumbria, earnestly begged him to avenge him by arranging Liulf’s death at the first opportunity. Gilbert readily agreed to this wicked request and, having gathered together his own retainers and those of the bishop and Leobwine, went one night to the vill where Liulf was then staying and wickedly killed him in his own house, together with nearly all his household. On hearing this, the bishop groaned deeply and, tearing the hood from his head and throwing it to the ground, said sorrowfully, ‘This has been brought about by your crafty schemes and most ill-advised suggestions, and I would have you know for certain that you have destroyed both yourself and me and all my household by the sword of your tongue.’ Having said this, he hastily shut himself inside the castle and, sending messengers with all speed throughout Northumbria, took care to make it generally known that, far from having been privy to Liulf’s death, he had banished from Northumbria his murderer Gilbert and all his accomplices, and was ready to clear himself by submitting to the judgement of the pope. Then, after messages had been exchanged, he and the relatives of those who had been killed made a truce between themselves and fixed a time and place at which they would meet and conclude a firm peace with one another.

² At the appointed time they assembled at the agreed place; but the bishop was unwilling for the case to be pleaded in the open air, and entered a church there with his clerks and the more honourable of his knights. Having consulted with them, he repeatedly sent trusted friends outside to negotiate terms of peace; but the others would by no means agree to his proposals, being convinced that Liulf had been put to death by the bishop’s orders. For not only had Leobwine, on the very night after the murder of his neighbour, entertained Gilbert and his companions with friendly familiarity, but the bishop himself had admitted Gilbert into his household with the same favour as before. They therefore first massacred all those of the bishop’s party who were outside the church, only a few saving themselves by flight. Seeing this, the bishop, in order to satisfy the fury of his adversaries, ordered the aforementioned Gilbert, his kinsman, whose life they sought, to leave the church. As he went out, he was closely followed by armed men ready to defend him; but the enemy immediately fell upon them with swords and spears and killed them all except two English thanes, who were spared out of regard for their kinship.

³ They also killed Leofwine, dean of Durham, as soon as he came out, because he had often given the bishop harmful advice, together with the rest of the clergy who accompanied him. But the bishop, finding that their fury could not be appeased by anything short of the sacrifice of Leobwine, the chief author of the whole calamity, asked him to go out. Being entirely unable, however, to persuade him to venture forth, the bishop himself went to the door of the church and begged that his own life might be spared. When his pleas were rejected, he covered his head with the skirt of his robe and, passing through the open door, was immediately killed by the swords of the enemy. They next ordered Leobwine to come out and, when he refused, set fire to the walls and roof the church; but he, preferring to end his life by fire rather than by the sword, endured the flames for some time. At last, half-burned, he leapt down and, being dashed to pieces, paid the penalty for his wickedness by his miserable death. To avenge the atrocious killing of these men, King William ravaged Northumbria in the same year.

A.D. 1081. #

¹ William, abbot of the monastery of St Vincent the Martyr, having been chosen by King William, was appointed to the bishopric of Durham and consecrated by Archbishop Thomas on the nones (5 January).

A.D. 1082. #

¹ King William caused his brother Odo, bishop of Bayeux, to be imprisoned in Normandy.

A.D. 1083. #

¹ There was a dreadful quarrel between the monks of Glastonbury and their abbot, Thurstan, a man unworthy of the dignity, who had been raised to it by King William from being a monk of Caen, indiscreet as he was. Among his other acts of folly, he attempted to force the monks to abandon the Gregorian chant, which he despised, and to learn to sing that of one William, a monk of Fécamp. They were greatly aggrieved by this, having grown old in its use, as well as in other ecclesiastical offices, according to the usage of the Roman Church; whereupon, one day when they least expected it, he suddenly broke into the chapter house at the head of an armed band pursued the terrified monks, who took refuge in the church, to the foot of the altar. The armed men pierced the crosses, images, and shrines of the saints with darts and arrows, and even speared one of the monks to death as he clung to the altar; another was shot with arrows on the altar steps. The rest, driven by necessity, defended themselves bravely with the benches and candlesticks of the church and, although severely wounded, drove the soldiers out of the choir. Two of the monks were killed and fourteen wounded, and some of the soldiers were also wounded.

² At the trial for this outrage, it appeared that the abbot was chiefly to blame, and the king removed him and sent him back to his monastery in Normandy. A great number of the monks were, by the king’s command, dispersed among the cathedrals and abbeys, where they were confined. After the king’s death, the abbot repurchased the abbey from his son, King William, for five hundred pounds; and, after wandering for some years among the possessions of the Church, he ended his life in misery far from the monastery, as he deserved. Queen Matilda died in Normandy on Thursday, the fourth day before the nones (2 November), and was buried at Caen.

A.D. 1084. #

¹ William, king of England, levied six shillings from every hide of land throughout England.

A.D. 1085. #

¹ Edmund, abbot of Pershore, a man of eminent worth and piety, died at a good old age on Sunday, the seventeenth day before the calends of July (15 June), and was honourably buried by Serlo, the venerable abbot of Gloucester; he was succeeded by Thurstan, a monk of Gloucester. The same year, Canute, king of Denmark, assembled a powerful fleet for an expedition to England, in which he had the support of his father-in-law, Robert, earl of Flanders. In consequence, King William took into his pay many thousands of troops, consisting of archers and foot soldiers, from every part of France, and some from Normandy, and, returning to England in the autumn, distributed them throughout the kingdom, giving orders to the bishops, abbots, earls, barons, sheriffs, and royal officers to provide them with provisions. Finding, however, that the threatened hostilities had come to nothing, he disbanded part of his army, keeping the rest in England throughout the winter. At Christmas he held his court at Gloucester, where he granted bishoprics to three of his chaplains. Maurice received London; William, Thetford; and Robert, Chester.

A.D. 1086. #

¹ King William caused a record to be made throughout England of how much land each of his barons held, the number of knights’ fees, ploughs, villeins, and beasts; also of all the ready money possessed by every man throughout his kingdom, from the greatest to the least, and how much rent each estate was able to pay; and the land was sorely harassed by the distress that resulted from it.

² In Whitsun week (24 May), the king conferred the honour of knighthood on his son Henry at Westminster, where he held his court. Soon afterwards he summoned all archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, and sheriffs, with their knights, to meet him at Salisbury on the calends (1 August), and when they appeared he required the knights to swear an oath of fealty to him against all others.

³ About this time, the etheling Edgar, having obtained the king’s permission, crossed the sea with two hundred knights and went to Apulia; his sister, the virgin Christina, entered the monastery of Ramsey and became a nun. The same year there was a great murrain among the cattle, and the air was very unhealthy.

A.D. 1087. #

¹ This year there was great mortality, first from fevers and afterwards from famine. Meanwhile, devouring flames laid nearly all the cities of England in ruins, including the church of St Paul the Apostle and the largest and finest part of London. King Canute was martyred at the hands of his subjects in a church on Saturday, the sixth day before the ides (10 July). Stigand, bishop of Chichester, Scolland, abbot of St Augustine’s, Canterbury, Alsy, abbot of Bath, and Thurstan, abbot of Pershore, died.

² Before the feast of the Assumption of St Mary (15 August), King William entered France with an army and, having burnt the town of Mantes, together with all its churches and two recluses, returned to Normandy; but on his return he was seized by dreadful pains in the bowels, which grew worse from day to day. His illness increased until he perceived that death was approaching, and he released his brother Odo, bishop of Bayeux, the earls Morcar and Roger, Siward surnamed Barn, and Wulnoth, King Harold’s brother, whom he had kept in prison from childhood, together with all those whom he had imprisoned either in England or Normandy. He then handed over the kingdom of England to his son William and granted the duchy of Normandy to his eldest son, Robert, who was at that time an exile in France; and so, strengthened by the heavenly viaticum, he died on the fifth day before the ides (9 September), having reigned in England for twenty years, ten months, and twenty-eight days. He lies buried at Caen, in the church of St Stephen the Protomartyr, which he himself founded and endowed.

³ His son William crossed over to England in great haste, taking Wulnoth and Morcar with him; but as soon as he reached Winchester he imprisoned them as before; and on Sunday, the sixth day before the calends of October (26 September), he was crowned at Westminster by Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury. Returning then to Winchester, he distributed his father’s treasure among the churches of England according to his directions: some of the principal churches were to receive ten marks of gold, some six, and others less; and to each of the churches in his cities and vills he gave sixty pence. He also commanded that crosses, altars, reliquaries, missals, candlesticks, holy-water vessels, chalices, and various ornaments studded with gems, gold, silver, and precious stones should be distributed among the greater churches and abbeys. His brother Robert also, on his return to Normandy, liberally distributed the treasures he found, giving them to the monasteries, churches, and poor for the good of his father’s soul; and, releasing from prison Ulf, the son of Harold, formerly king of England, and Duncan, son of Malcolm, king of the Scots, conferred on them the honour of knighthood and permitted them to depart.

A.D. 1088. #

¹ This year there was great dissension among the English nobility; for some of the Norman nobles, though few in number, supported King William, while the other and more numerous party adhered to Robert, earl of Normandy, and wished to invite him over, either to betray his brother the king alive into the hands of his brother the earl, or to deprive the king of both his crown and his life. The chief instigators of this execrable design were Odo, bishop of Bayeux, who was also earl of Kent, and his brother Robert, earl of Morton, both of whom were brothers of King William the Elder, but only on their mother’s side. Also involved in the plot were Geoffrey, bishop of Coutances, with his nephew Robert, earl of Northumbria, Roger, earl of Shrewsbury, and, worse still, William, bishop of Durham; for at this very time the king relied upon his judgement as that of a faithful counsellor, he being a man of great sagacity, and the whole administration of the kingdom of England was in his hands. These were men whose vast landed possessions gave them great influence in England. The number of their comrades in arms and associates in the conspiracy increased daily. This execrable design was secretly discussed during Lent (1 March–9 April), so that it might break out after Easter (10 April); for, withdrawing from the king’s court, they fortified their castles and prepared to spread fire and sword, plunder and slaughter, throughout the country. What an accursed deed this was, a conflict worse than civil war! Fathers fought against sons, brothers against brothers, friends against kinsmen, foreigners against foreigners.

² Meanwhile, Odo, bishop of Bayeux, having fortified Rochester, sent to Normandy, urging Earl Robert to lose no time in coming to England, informing him of what had taken place and assuring him that the kingdom was ready for him, and that, if he did not fail himself, the crown was his. Struck by the unexpected news, the earl announced it to his friends with exultation, already anticipated a triumph, confident of success, and invited many to share in the spoils. He sent an auxiliary force to support Bishop Odo, his uncle, in England, and promised to follow as soon as he could assemble a larger army. When the troops sent by Earl Robert arrived in England, Bishop Odo entrusted them with the custody of Rochester; Eustace the Younger, count of Boulogne, and Robert de Belésme, as the men of highest rank, assumed the command.

³ When the king received news of this movement, he was greatly troubled; but, relying on his undaunted courage, and having sent messengers who, by virtue of his royal authority, summoned to his side those whom he considered loyal, he went to London to put all matters in order and provide the means for prosecuting the war. He assembled both horse and foot to form an army which, though small, contained as many Normans as he could then muster, but consisted chiefly of Englishmen; and, making just laws and promising all manner of good things to his supporters, he put his trust in God’s mercy and prepared to march to Rochester, where he had heard that the main body of the enemy was stationed. For he had been informed that Bishop Odo was there with all his forces and the troops from overseas. Having set his army in motion, he found that Tunbridge, a place belonging to Gilbert Fitz-Richard, was being held against him; he therefore laid siege to it, stormed it within two days, and forced Gilbert, who was wounded, to surrender himself and his castle. When news of this reached Odo, after consulting his friends, he left Rochester and proceeded with a few followers to the castle of his brother Robert, earl of Morton, called Pevensey. Finding his brother there, he urged him to hold out, assuring them that they would be safe there; and that while the king was occupied with the siege of Rochester, the earl of Normandy would arrive with a large army and, after relieving them and their garrison, would make himself master of the kingdom and amply reward his supporters.

⁴ The king, having reduced Tunbridge and received the fealty of its inhabitants, left Gilbert there because of his wound and, placing a garrison in the castle, was about to continue his march to Rochester according to his original intention when he heard that his uncle had left it and gone to Pevensey. Acting, therefore, on sound advice, he led his army in pursuit of him to that place, hoping that he would bring the war to a quicker end if he could first triumph over the authors of all the mischief we have described. He made forced marches, prepared his siege engines, and besieged his two uncles. The place was strongly fortified, but he made unceasing efforts to reduce it.

⁵ Meanwhile, the storm of war raged in every part of England. The garrison of Rochester attacked the people of Canterbury and London with fire and sword, for Lanfranc, the archbishop, and nearly all the nobles of that province were with the king. Roger, an ally of Robert, was at his castle of Arundel, awaiting the arrival of the earl of Normandy. Geoffrey, bishop of Coutances, held Bristol Castle together with his nephew and accomplice in conspiracy and treason, Robert de Mowbray, a man experienced in warfare; who, having gathered troops, attacked Bath, a city belonging to the king, and, after burning and plundering it, moved on towards Wiltshire, where he ravaged the vills and slaughtered many of the inhabitants, and at length reached Ilchester and laid siege to it, determined to take it. The besiegers were spurred on in their attacks by the hope of plunder and the desire for victory. The men of the garrison made a stout resistance in defence of themselves and those dear to them. At length, of the two sides, those who had been driven to extremity triumphed, and Robert, being repulsed, withdrew, lamenting his failure. William d’Eu made an incursion into Gloucestershire and, having plundered the royal vill of Berkeley, caused great devastation throughout the country with fire and sword.

[Worcester defended by Bishop Wulfstan.] #

¹ While so much destruction was being worked in every quarter, Bernard du Neuf-Marché, Roger de Lacy, who had lately wrested Hereford from the king, and Ralph de Mortemer, accomplices in the conspiracy, together with the vassals of Roger, earl of Shrewsbury, assembled a numerous army of Englishmen, Normans, and Welshmen and burst into the province of Worcester, declaring that they would burn the city of Worcester, plunder the church of God and St Mary, and take swift vengeance upon the inhabitants for their loyalty to the king. On hearing this, the reverend father Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, a man of deep piety and dove-like simplicity [Matthew 10:16], beloved alike by God and by the people whom he governed entirely, and faithful to the king as his earthly lord under all circumstances, was greatly distressed; but, soon recovering by God’s mercy, he prepared himself, like another Moses, to stand manfully by his people and city. While they armed themselves to repel the enemy, he poured out supplications in the face of the impending danger, exhorting his people not to despair of the help of God, who does not fight with sword and spear [1 Samuel 17:47]. Meanwhile, the Normans, after taking counsel, entreated the bishop to leave the church and enter the castle, saying that his presence would give them greater security if they should fall into greater danger, for they loved him greatly. Such was his extraordinary kindness of heart that, out of duty to the king and regard for them, he agreed to their request.

² Then the bishop’s retainers bravely prepared for battle; the garrison and the whole body of citizens assembled, declaring that they would confront the enemy on the other side of the Severn if the bishop would give them permission. Taking up their arms, therefore, and arrayed for battle, they met the bishop as he was going to the castle and begged him to grant their request, to which he freely consented. “Go,” he said, “my sons, go in peace, go confidently, with the blessing of God and mine. Trusting in God, I promise you that no sword shall harm you this day, nor any disaster or enemy. Remain firm in your loyalty to the king, and act valiantly for the safety of the people and the city.” On hearing these words, they cheerfully crossed the bridge, which had been repaired, and saw the enemy rapidly approaching in the distance. The fury of war was already raging violently through their ranks, for, despite the bishop’s injunctions, they had set fire to his own estates. On hearing this, the bishop was struck with deep sorrow at seeing the possessions of the Church impoverished; and, after taking counsel on the matter, he was persuaded by the unanimous voice of all present to pronounce a curse upon the enemy.

³ A miracle followed, demonstrating at once the power of God and the worthiness of the man; for the enemy, who were scattered in parties throughout the fields, were instantly struck with such weakness in their limbs and loss of sight that they were scarcely able to carry their weapons, recognise their comrades, or distinguish those advancing to attack them. While in their blindness they were at a loss what to do, confidence in God and in the bishop’s blessing encouraged our men. The enemy had so lost their senses that they had neither the wit to retreat nor sought any means of defence; but, being by God’s judgement abandoned to the fate of the reprobate, they easily fell into the hands of their enemies. The foot soldiers were put to the sword; the knights and their mounted followers, English, Norman, and Welsh, were taken prisoner; and the rest barely managed, in their weakened state, to escape. The king’s liegemen and the bishop’s retainers returned home in triumph without the loss of a single man, thanking God for the preservation of the property of the Church and the bishop for his salutary counsel.

A.D. 1089. #

¹ Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, died on Thursday, the ninth day before the calends of June (24 May). The same year, on Saturday, the third day before the ides (11 August), at about the third hour, there was a great earthquake throughout all England.

A.D. 1090. #

¹ William the Younger, king of England, sought to wrest Normandy from his brother Robert and subject it to his own rule. His first step was to make terms with Walter de St Valery and Odo d’Aumale for placing their castles in his hands, and afterwards he gained possession of other castles in the same way; in all of them he stationed troops with orders to ravage Normandy. Earl Robert, discovering this and finding his nobles disloyal, sent envoys to Philip, king of France, his liege lord, inviting him into Normandy; whereupon he and the king laid siege to one of the castles in which his brother had placed a garrison. When this was reported to King William, he secretly sent a large sum of money to King Philip and earnestly entreated him to raise the siege and return home, to which Philip agreed.

A.D. 1091. #

¹ In the month of February, King William the Younger crossed over to Normandy, determined to wrest it from his brother Robert; but while he remained there, peace was made between them on the terms that the earl should freely cede to the king the county of Eu, the abbey of Fécamp, the abbey of Mount St Michael, Cherbourg, and the castles which had revolted from him; while the king undertook, on his part, to reduce the province of Maine and the castles in Normandy which were then held against the earl to submission to him; to restore their English estates to all the Normans who had forfeited them through their adherence to the earl; and to grant him such lands in England as they had already agreed upon. It was further stipulated that, if the earl should die without leaving a son born in lawful wedlock, the king should be his heir; and if the king should happen to die under similar circumstances, the earl should be his heir. This treaty was ratified by the oaths of twelve barons on the king’s side and twelve on the earl’s.

² Meanwhile, their brother Henry, at the head of all the troops he could muster, took possession of Mount St Michael, with the support of some of the monks, and began to ravage the king’s lands, taking some of his vassals prisoner and plundering others. Then the king and the earl assembled an army and besieged the mount throughout Lent (26 February), having frequent skirmishes with Prince Henry, in which they lost some of their men and horses. The king, however, becoming weary of the length of the siege, withdrew without reaching an agreement; and shortly afterwards took from Edgar the etheling the possessions which the earl had granted him and forced him to leave Normandy.

Irruptions of the Scots. #

¹ In the month of May, Malcolm, king of the Scots, made an irruption into Northumbria with a great army, intending, if he succeeded, to advance further and make the people of England feel his power. God, however, would not permit it, and his enterprise failed; but before he returned, his army pillaged Northumbria and carried away much booty. On receiving this news, the king returned to England with his brother Robert in the month of August and, not long afterwards, set on foot an expedition consisting of a considerable fleet and a large body of horsemen to bring Malcolm, king of the Scots, to submission; but before he reached Scotland, a few days before the feast of St Michael, nearly all the ships were sunk, and many of his horsemen perished from cold and hunger. He was met by King Malcolm and his army in the provinces of Lothian. Earl Robert, perceiving this, invited Edgar the etheling to come to them; having been expelled from Normandy by King William, Edgar was then living with the king of the Scots. With his assistance, Robert concluded a peace between the two kings on the terms that Malcolm should perform fealty to William in the same manner as his father had done, and that William should restore to Malcolm twelve vills which he had held under his father and pay him twelve marks of gold each year. But the peace concluded between them was short-lived. Edgar himself was also reconciled with the king through the earl’s mediation.

Winchcombe Church struck by Lightning. #

¹ On Wednesday, the first of the ides (15 October), a thunderbolt struck the tower of Winchcombe church with great force, making a large opening in the wall near the summit and, after splitting one of the beams, struck the head from a crucifix and threw it to the ground, also breaking its right leg. An image of St Mary which stood near the crucifix was also struck down. Thick smoke, accompanied by a suffocating stench, then burst forth and filled the whole church, lasting until the monks went around the chambers of the monastery with holy water, incense, and the relics of the saints, chanting psalms. Moreover, on Friday, the sixteenth day before the calends of November (16 October), a violent whirlwind from the south-west shook and demolished more than six hundred houses and a great number of churches in London. Rushing through the church of St Mary called “le Bow”, it killed two men and, tearing up the roof and timbers and whirling them to and fro in the air for a long time, at last drove six of the rafters, in the same order in which they had previously been fixed in the roof, so deeply into the earth that only a seventh or eighth part of them remained visible, although they were twenty-seven or twenty-eight feet long.

² After this, the king returned from Northumbria into Wessex through Mercia and kept the earl with him until nearly Christmas, but refused to fulfil the conditions of the treaty that had been made between them; at which the earl was so dissatisfied that he hastened back to Normandy on the tenth day before the calends of January (23 December), taking Edgar the etheling with him.

The Pope and Antipope Urban II and Clement. #

¹ At this time, as was reported in England, there were two men called popes of Rome who opposed one another and caused a schism in the Church of God, namely Urban, whose original name was Odo, bishop of Ostia, and Clement, who was called Guibert, archbishop of Ravenna. This affair so perplexed the Church of England for many years, to say nothing of other parts of the world, that from the death of Gregory, who was also called Hildebrand, until this time, it had submitted and rendered obedience to no one claiming to be pope. Italy and Gaul had already acknowledged Urban as the vicar of St Peter.

A.D. 1092. #

¹ The city of London was almost entirely destroyed by fire. On Monday, the nones (5 April), Osmund, bishop of Salisbury, assisted by Walkelin, bishop of Winchester, and John, bishop of Bath, consecrated the church which he had built in the castle of Sarum. Remi, who, by licence from William the Elder, had transferred the seat of his bishopric from Dorchester to Lincoln, wished to consecrate the church which he had built at Lincoln, worthy indeed to be the cathedral of a bishop’s see, because he felt that the day of his death was at hand; but Thomas, archbishop of York, opposed him, asserting that the church had been built within his diocese. King William the Younger, however, in return for a sum of money paid to him by Remi, summoned nearly all the bishops of England to assemble on the twentieth day before the ides (9 May) and dedicate the church; but two days before the appointed time, by the mysterious providence of God, Bishop Remi himself died, and consequently the consecration of the church was postponed. After this, the king went into Northumbria and restored the city called in the British tongue Cairleu, and in Latin Lugubalia (Carlisle), and built a castle there; for this city, like some others in that region, had been laid in ruins by the heathen Danes two hundred years before and had remained uninhabited until this time.

A.D. 1093. #

¹ King William the Younger, being seized with a severe illness at the royal vill called Alveston, hastily moved to Gloucester and lay there in a languishing condition throughout Lent. Thinking that death was near, he vowed to God, at the urging of his barons, to amend his life, to abandon the practice of selling churches and imposing taxes upon them, and instead to protect them by his royal authority; and, abolishing unjust laws, to enact good ones. Moreover, he gave the archbishopric of Canterbury to Anselm, abbot of Bec, who was then in England, and the bishopric of Lincoln to Robert, surnamed Bloet, his chancellor. But Anselm was not permitted to receive anything from the archbishopric beyond what the king allowed until the annual rent which the king had received from it since Lanfranc’s death had been fully paid.

² Rhys, king of Wales, was slain in battle during Easter week, near Brecknock Castle. From that day, kings ceased to reign in Wales. Malcolm, king of the Scots, met King William the Younger at Gloucester on the feast of St Bartholomew the Apostle, as they had previously arranged through their ambassadors, so that peace might be restored and a firm alliance established between them, in accordance with the wishes of some of the principal English nobles. But they separated without reaching any agreement; for William’s pride and insolence were such that he refused to have any meeting or conference with Malcolm. Moreover, he sought to compel him to do homage in his own court and to submit to the judgement of his own barons alone; but Malcolm was by no means willing to do this except on the borders of his own kingdom, where the kings of Scotland were accustomed to do homage to the kings of England, and according to the judgement of the barons of both kingdoms. After this, a very wonderful sign appeared in the sun; and Roger, earl of Shrewsbury, Guy, abbot of St Augustine’s monastery, and Paul, abbot of St Alban’s, died. In the same year Robert, earl of Flanders, a man of great valour, also died, and his eldest son Robert succeeded him.

³ Malcolm, king of the Scots, and his eldest son Edward, with many others, were slain by the troops of Robert, earl of Northumbria, on the feast of St Brice (13 November). Margaret, queen of the Scots, was so deeply affected by the news of their deaths that she fell dangerously ill. Calling the priests to attend her without delay, she went into the church and, confessing her sins to them, caused herself to be anointed with oil [James 5:14-15] and strengthened with the heavenly viaticum; earnestly and persistently begging God not to suffer her to live any longer in this troublesome world. Nor was it long before her prayers were heard, for three days after the king’s death she was released from the bonds of the flesh and translated, as we do not doubt, to the joys of eternal salvation. For while she lived, she devoted herself to the practice of piety, justice, peace, and charity; she was constant in prayer and chastened her body by vigils and fasting; she endowed churches and monasteries; loved and reverenced the servants and handmaids of God; gave bread to the hungry, clothed the naked, and gave shelter, food, and clothing to all the pilgrims who came to her door [Matthew 25:35-36]; and loved God with all her heart [Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37]. After her death, the Scots elected Donald, brother of King Malcolm, as their king and expelled from Scotland all the English who belonged to the king’s court. Duncan, King Malcolm’s son, hearing of these events, asked King William, in whose army he was then serving, to grant him his father’s kingdom, and, having obtained his request, swore fealty to him. He then hastened to Scotland with a host of English and Normans and, expelling his uncle Donald, reigned in his place. Then some of the Scots banded together and slew nearly all his men, only a few escaping with him. Afterwards, however, they restored him to the throne on condition that he should no longer harbour either Englishmen or Normans in Scotland or permit them to serve in his army.

⁴ Nearly all the bishops of England having assembled with Thomas, archbishop of York and primate, they consecrated Anselm, abbot of Bec, as archbishop of Canterbury on the day before the nones (4 December). In the same year, William, count d’Eu, won over by his greed for wealth and attracted by the promise of vast estates, deserted his natural lord, Robert, earl of Normandy, to whom he had sworn fealty, and, coming to King William in England, transferred his allegiance to that powerful seducer.

A.D. 1094. #

¹ After the death of Herfast, who had been chaplain to Earl William and afterwards to King William, and in due course bishop of Thetford, and the death also of William, his successor, Herbert, surnamed Losing because of his skill in flattery, having been prior of Fécamp and abbot of Ramsey, became bishop of Thetford by purchase; and his father Robert, of the same surname, became intrusive abbot of Winchester. But Herbert was absolved through penitence from the guilt of his offences; for, going to Rome in his more mature years, he there laid down his simoniacal staff and ring, which were restored to him by the indulgence of that most merciful see. Returning home, he transferred the seat of his bishopric to a town celebrated as a place of trade and general resort, called Norwich, and founded a convent of monks there.

² King William went to Hastings and, while there, caused the church of Battle to be dedicated; then, crossing over to Normandy, he held a conference with his brother under safe conduct, but departed without being reconciled to him, and the earl went to Rouen. The king returned to Eu and, establishing himself there, took soldiers into his pay from all quarters and induced several of the Norman nobles to renounce their allegiance to his brother and place their castles in his power, some by promises and others by gifts of gold, silver, and lands; and, having secured their consent, he distributed his own troops among the castles which he already held or which were now handed over to him. Meanwhile, he took the castle of Bures and sent some of the earl’s soldiers who were captured there as prisoners to England, confining the rest in Normandy. Thus he harassed his brother in various ways and made every effort to deprive him of his inheritance.

³ The earl, driven to extremity, brought his suzerain, King Philip, with a French army into Normandy, and Philip laid siege to the castle of Argentan and, on the very day he encamped before it, took seven hundred of the king’s knights prisoner, together with as many squires and the entire garrison of the place, without bloodshed. He then returned to France, having ordered that the prisoners should be kept in custody until they paid their respective ransoms. Earl Robert also besieged the castle called Holme until William Peverel and the eight hundred men who defended it surrendered to him. When the king was informed of this, he sent messengers to England with orders that twenty thousand foot soldiers should be levied and sent to his aid in Normandy. They were mustered at Hastings, ready to cross the sea, but Ralph Passe-Flambard, by the king’s command, withheld the money allotted for their maintenance, at the rate of ten pence for each man, and ordered them to return to their homes; he sent the money to the king instead. Meanwhile, all England was distressed by heavy and continual taxation and by a mortality that was widespread both in this year and the following one.

⁴ In addition to this, first the people of North Wales, and then those of West and South Wales, threw off the yoke of subjection under which they had long suffered and, taking courage, struggled to regain their independence. Assembling in great numbers, they razed the castles that had been erected in West Wales and, making frequent incursions into the counties of Chester, Shrewsbury, and Hereford, set fire to and plundered the vills and killed many of the English and Normans. They also demolished the castle on the Isle of Man and brought the island under their control. Meanwhile, the Scots treacherously murdered their king, Duncan, and some others at the instigation of Donald, who was again raised to the throne. After this, King William returned to England on the fourth day before the calends of January (29 December) and, leading an army into Wales to subdue the Welsh, lost many men and horses there.

A.D. 1095. #

¹ Wulfstan, the venerable bishop of the holy church of Worcester, a man eminent for the excellence of his life and devoted from his youth to divine offices, after many severe and holy struggles, by which he zealously served God with great devotion of mind and humility so that he might attain the glory of the kingdom of heaven, died in the night of Saturday, 18 January, about the middle of the seventh hour, in the year 5299 from the beginning of the world, according to the undoubted reckoning of Holy Scripture; in the 529th year of the ninth great cycle, and the 476th of the ninth cycle from the beginning of the world; in the 1084th year from the Passion of our Lord, but the 1066th according to Bede’s computation, and the 1061st according to Dionysius; in the 741st from the arrival of the Angles in Britain; in the 498th from the arrival of St Augustine; in the 103rd from the death of St Oswald, the archbishop; in the 302nd of the eleventh great paschal cycle, and in the 502nd of the tenth from the beginning of the world; in the fourth of the second solar cycle, in the third of the bissextile cycle, in the thirteenth of the second cycle of nineteen years, in the tenth of the second lunar cycle, in the fifth endecad, in the third cycle of the indiction, in the eighteenth lustre of his own age, and in the third year of the seventh lustrum of his episcopate.

² At the very hour of his death, he appeared wonderfully in a vision at the town of Cricklade to a friend whom he had especially loved, Robert, bishop of Hereford, and instructed him to hasten to Worcester to perform his obsequies. God also permitted no man to remove from his finger the ring with which he had received episcopal consecration, so that the holy man might not appear to break his pledge to his people, to whom he had often foretold that he would never part with it during his life, nor even on the day of his burial.

³ On the day before the nones (4 April), stars were seen, as it were, to fall from the heavens. Walter, bishop of Albano, a legate of the holy Roman Church sent by Pope Urban, came to England before Easter, bringing the pallium for which King William had sent the previous year; and, according to agreement, it was laid by him upon the altar of St Saviour’s at Canterbury, from which it was taken by Anselm and humbly kissed by all present in reverence to St Peter. Robert, bishop of Hereford, a man of eminent piety, died on Tuesday, the sixth day before the calends of July (26 June). Wulfstan, the aforementioned bishop of Worcester, appeared to him for the second time in a vision on the thirtieth day after his death and sharply reproved him for sloth and negligence, admonishing him to apply himself with the utmost vigilance to the reformation of his own life and of those whom he governed; and he said that, if he did this, he might speedily obtain pardon from God for all his sins, adding that he would not long occupy the see in which he then sat, but that, if he were more zealous, he should feast with him in the presence of God. For these two were mutually united by bonds of exceeding love for God and for one another; and it is therefore natural to think that he who had first departed from this life to God should show his concern for his dearest friend whom he had left behind in this world, and should labour so that they might both rejoice together as soon as possible in the presence of God.

Revolt of the Barons in the North. #

¹ Robert de Mowbray, earl of Northumberland, and William d’Eu, with many others, attempted to deprive King William of his kingdom and his life, and to make Stephen d’Aumale, the son of his aunt, king in his place, but without success; for as soon as the plot became known, the king assembled his army from every part of England besieged the castle of the said Earl Robert, which stood at the mouth of the River Tyne, for two months. During this siege he reduced a small fort, in which he captured nearly all the earl’s best soldiers and imprisoned them; he then stormed the besieged castle itself and placed the earl’s brother and the knights he found there in close custody. After this he built a fort before Beban-byrig, that is, the Burg of Queen Bebba, where the earl had taken refuge, and, calling it Malvoisin, placed a garrison in it and returned to the country south of the Humber. After his departure, the wardens of Newcastle promised Earl Robert that they would admit him into the fortress if he could come there secretly. Joyfully accepting this proposal, he set out one night with thirty horsemen to carry out his plan. On discovering this, the knights who kept watch against the castle of Bamborough went in pursuit and sent messengers to inform the garrison of Newcastle of his departure. Unaware of these movements, Robert made his attempt on Sunday, but the enterprise failed because his intentions had been anticipated. He therefore took refuge in the monastery of St Oswin, king and martyr, where, on the sixth day of the siege, he received a severe wound in the leg while resisting the enemy, many of whom were killed and many wounded. Of his own men, some were wounded and all were taken prisoner; he himself fled to the church, from which he was dragged out and delivered into custody. Meanwhile, the Welsh demolished the castle of Montgomery and killed there some of the retainers of Hugh, earl of Shrewsbury; at which the king was so incensed that he issued orders for an expedition and, after the feast of St Michael, led his army into Wales, where he lost many men and horses. Returning from there, he ordered Earl Robert to be confined in Bamborough Castle and his eyes to be put out unless his wife and his kinsman Morcal surrendered the castle; compelled by extreme necessity, they yielded to the summons. The earl was taken to Windsor and placed in close confinement, and Morcal disclosed to the king the cause of his treason.

A.D. 1096. #

¹ William, bishop of Durham, died at Windsor in the king’s court on Wednesday, the calends (1 January), but was buried at Durham. On the octave of the Epiphany (13 January), a council was held at Salisbury, at which the king condemned William d’Eu, who had been defeated in a duel, to lose his eyes and be emasculated, and the earl’s steward, William d’Alderi, the son of his aunt and privy to his treason, to be hanged. He also imprisoned Eudes, count of Champagne, the father of the aforementioned Stephen; Philip, son of Roger, earl of Shrewsbury; and some others who were accomplices in the rebellion.

Council of Clermont, and the Crusade. #

¹ Pope Urban came into France and held a council at Clermont during Lent, at which he exhorted the Christians to go to Jerusalem and subdue the Turks, Saracens, Turvopoles, and other pagans. At this exhortation, and during the council, Raymond, count of St Giles, took the cross, and many others with him, and vowed that they would undertake the pilgrimage for God’s sake and accomplish what the pope had recommended. When news of this spread abroad, the rest of the people of Christendom, in Italy, Germany, France, and England, vied with one another in preparing to join the expedition. Their leaders were Adhemar, bishop of Puy; the bishop of Ostia, with many other bishops; Peter the monk; Hugh the Great, brother of Philip, king of France; Godfrey, duke of Lorraine; Stephen, count of Chartres; Robert, earl of Normandy; Robert, earl of Flanders; the two brothers of Duke Godfrey; Eustace, count of Boulogne; Baldwin; the aforementioned Count Raymond; and Bohemond, son of Robert Guiscard.

² Samson was consecrated bishop of Worcester by Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, on Sunday, the seventeenth day before the calends of July (15 June), at St Paul’s church in London.

Robert Curthose mortgages Normandy to his brother. #

¹ After this, Robert, earl of Normandy, intending to join the crusade to Jerusalem, sent envoys to England requested his brother, King William, now that peace had been restored between them, to lend him ten thousand silver marks, receiving Normandy as a pledge. The king, wishing to grant his request, called upon the great English lords to assist him with money, each according to his means, as speedily as possible. Accordingly, the bishops, abbots, and abbesses broke up the gold and silver ornaments of their churches; and the earls, barons, and viscounts despoiled their knights and villeins and brought the king a large sum of money. With this he crossed the sea in the month of September, made peace with his brother, advanced him six thousand six hundred and sixty-six pounds, and received Normandy from him as security for its repayment.

A.D. 1097. #

¹ William, king of England, returned to England during Lent, and after Easter (5 April) he undertook a second expedition into Wales with an army of horse and foot, vowing that he would exterminate the entire male population; but he was scarcely able to capture or kill a single one of them, while he lost some of his own troops and many horses. After this, he sent Edgar the etheling with an army to Scotland to expel his uncle Donald, who had usurped the throne, and establish his cousin Edgar, son of King Malcolm, as king in his place.

² The Christians took the city of Nice on Saturday, the thirteenth day before the calends of July (19 June). A star called a comet was visible for fifteen days from the third day before the calends of October (29 September). Some affirmed that at that time they saw in the heavens a strange and, as it were, flaming sign in the shape of a cross. Soon afterwards, a quarrel arose between the king and Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, because from the time he had been made archbishop he had not been permitted to hold a synod or to correct the evil practices which had grown up throughout England. He therefore crossed the sea and, after staying for a time in France, went to Pope Urban at Rome. The king himself left England for Normandy around the feast of St Andrew (30 November). Baldwin, abbot of the monastery of St Edmund, who was born in France, a man of eminent piety and a skilful physician, died at a good old age on Tuesday, the fourth day before the calends of January (29 December), and lies buried in the middle of the choir of the principal church.

A.D. 1098. #

¹ Walkelin, bishop of Winchester, died on Sunday, the third day before the nones (3 January). Thorold, abbot of Peterborough, and Robert, abbot of Westminster, also died. In the summer, King William the Younger brought the city of Mans and a great part of that province under his dominion by force of arms.

² Meanwhile, Hugh, earl of Chester, and Hugh, earl of Shrewsbury, led troops into the Isle of Anglesey and massacred many of the Welsh whom they captured on the island, and put out the eyes of others, having first cut off their hands and feet and emasculated them. They also dragged from his church a priest named Kenred, from whom the Welsh received counsel concerning their undertakings, and, having emasculated him and put out one of his eyes, they cut out his tongue; but on the third day, by the mercy of God, his speech was restored to him. At that time Magnus, king of Norway, son of King Olaf, who was the son of King Harold Harfaagar, having added the Orkney and Menavian islands to his dominions, sailed there with a small fleet. But when he attempted to bring his ships to land, Hugh, earl of Shrewsbury, met him with a large body of men-at-arms on the strand of the seashore and, as is reported, was killed by an arrow shot by the king’s own hand on the seventh day after he had treated the aforementioned priest with such barbarity.

³ The city of Antioch was taken by the Christians on Wednesday, the third day before the nones (3 June); there, after a few days, the spear with which the Saviour of the world was pierced while hanging on the cross [John 19:34] was discovered in the church of St Peter the Apostle, through a revelation from St Andrew the Apostle, the most merciful of saints. Encouraged by this discovery, the Christians marched out of the city carrying it with them on Monday, the fourth day before the calends of July (28 June), and, giving battle to the pagans, put to flight at the point of the sword Curbaran, commander of the forces of the soldan of Persia, together with the Turks, Arabs, Saracens, Publicans, Azimates, Persians, Agulans, and many other nations; gaining, by God’s aid, a signal victory and slaying many thousands of the enemy.

⁴ There was an unusual light in the heavens, which shone during nearly the whole night of the fifth day before the calends of October (27 September). The same year, the bones of King Canute the Martyr were disinterred and placed in a shrine with great reverence. Roger, duke of Apulia, having assembled a large army, besieged the city of Capua, which had revolted against his rule. Pope Urban, accompanied, in obedience to his command, by Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, went to the council which he had convened at Bari on the calends (1 October); at this council many articles of the Catholic faith were treated by the apostolic pope with eloquent reasoning. A question was also raised by the Greeks, who sought to prove from the authority of the Gospel that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone [John 15:26]; Anselm handled, discussed, and exhausted the subject so thoroughly that there was no one in the assembly who did not admit that he was fully satisfied.

A.D. 1099. #

¹ Pope Urban held a great council at Rome in the third week of Easter (10 April), at which some decrees were justly repealed and new ones enacted against the adversaries of the holy Church; and the pope, with the unanimous agreement of the council, pronounced a sentence of excommunication against all laymen who gave ecclesiastical investitures and all who received them at their hands, as well as against those who should consecrate anyone to a preferment so bestowed. He also excommunicated all those who did homage to laymen for any ecclesiastical dignity; for he said that it was horrible that hands which had been so highly honoured, above the ministrations of angels, as by their touch to create God, the Creator of all things, and offer him for the redemption and salvation of the whole world before God the Father, should be so debased as to be humbly joined with hands which night and day were polluted by immodest contact or defiled by rapine and the unrighteous shedding of blood. “Fiat, fiat” (Be it so), was the general exclamation; and so the council ended. After this, the archbishop proceeded to Lyons.

² William the Younger returned from Normandy to England held his court at Whitsuntide in London. There he gave the bishopric of Durham to Ranulph, a man whom he had made the instrument of his extortions throughout England. Thomas, archbishop of York, shortly afterwards consecrated him there.

³ Jerusalem was taken by the Turks on Thursday, the ides (15 July). The Christians fought a battle with Amiravis, commander of the army and second in power over the whole kingdom of Babylon, on the day before the ides (12 August), the same day of the week, and through Christ’s mercy obtained the victory. Paschal, a venerable man who had been ordained priest by Pope Hildebrand, was elected pope by the people of Rome on the ides (13 August) and was consecrated on the following day, Sunday, the nineteenth day before the calends of September (14 August). On the third day before the nones (3 November), the sea overflowed the shore, destroying towns and drowning many people and innumerable oxen and sheep. Osmund, bishop of Salisbury, died on Friday, the third day before the nones (3 December).

A.D. 1100. #

¹ Pope Clement, who was also called Guibert, died. On Sunday, the ides (15 July), the church which Abbot Serlo, of pious memory, had built from the foundations at Gloucester was consecrated with great ceremony by Bishops Samson of Worcester, Gundulph of Rochester, Gerard of Hereford, and Hervey of Bangor.

William Rufus slain. #

¹ On Thursday, the fourth day before the nones (2 August), in the eighth indiction, William the Younger, king of England, while hunting in the New Forest, which is called in English Ytene, was killed by an arrow carelessly aimed by a Frenchman, Walter surnamed Tirel; and, being carried to Winchester, he was buried in the old minster, in the church of St Peter. Nor can it be wondered at that, as common report states, almighty power and vengeance should have been displayed in this way. For in former times, that is, during the reigns of King Edward and other kings of England, his predecessors, this tract of land was thickly planted with churches and inhabited by worshippers of God; but, by command of King William the Elder, the people were expelled, the houses partly ruined, the churches pulled down, and the land made a habitation for wild beasts alone; and hence, as it is believed, arose this misfortune. For Richard, the brother of William the Younger, had perished long before in the same forest, and a short time previously his cousin Richard, the son of Robert, earl of Normandy, had also been killed by an arrow shot by one of his knights while hunting. A church, built in former times, had stood on the spot where the king fell, but, as we have already said, it was destroyed in the time of his father.

² During the reign of this king, as we have partly mentioned above, many signs appeared in the sun, moon, and stars; the sea often overflowed its banks, drowning men and cattle and destroying many vills and houses; in the district of Berkshire, blood flowed from a fountain for three weeks; and the devil frequently appeared in the woods in a horrible form to many Normans and spoke at length to them concerning the king, Ranulph, and some others. Nor is this to be wondered at; for in their time the law was almost silent, and money alone carried weight with the judges in all causes brought before them. At that time some men obeyed the king’s will rather than justice, and Ranulph, contrary to ecclesiastical law and the rules of his order, for he was a priest, received from the king first abbeys and then bishoprics, whose holders had recently died, to let out at farm; and from them he paid the king a large sum of money every year. Such were his cunning and shrewdness, and so rapidly did he grow in the king’s favour, that the king appointed him his pleader and collector of taxes throughout the kingdom. Possessed of this immense power, he mulcted some of the wealthier people in various parts of England of their goods and lands, while he incessantly harassed those in poorer circumstances with unjust taxes. Thus he dealt with both high and low in various ways, both before he was made a bishop and afterwards, and continued to do so until the king’s death; for on the very day the king died, he held in his own hands the archbishopric of Canterbury and the bishoprics of Winchester and Salisbury. William the Younger reigned for thirteen years, less thirty-eight days; his youngest brother Henry succeeded him and was immediately crowned at Westminster by Maurice, bishop of London, on the nones (5 August). On the day of his consecration he gave freedom to the Church of God, which in his brother’s time had been put up for sale and let out at farm; he discontinued the exaction of the unjust dues and oppressive taxes with which the kingdom of England was burdened, firmly established peace throughout his dominions and ordered it to be preserved; and restored the laws of King Edward for all alike, with such amendments as his father had made, though he retained in his own hands the forests which his father had created and possessed. Not long afterwards he imprisoned Ranulph, bishop of Durham, in the Tower of London and recalled Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, from France.

³ Meanwhile, Robert, earl of Flanders, and Eustace, count of Boulogne, returned from Jerusalem. Then Robert, earl of Normandy, returned to his own country with the wife whom he had married in Sicily. In the meantime, Henry, king of England, summoned the great English lords to London and married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm, king of Scots, and Queen Margaret; and she was crowned and consecrated queen by Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, on the feast of St Martin, which fell on a Sunday. Thomas, archbishop of York, a man of eminent piety whose memory was held in great veneration, and who was affable and beloved by all, died at York on Sunday, the fourteenth day before the calends of December (18 November), and was succeeded by Gerard, bishop of Hereford.

A.D. 1101. #

¹ Ranulph, bishop of Durham, escaped from prison after Christmas with great skill and, crossing the sea, went to Robert, earl of Normandy, and persuaded him to invade England. Many of the nobles of this country also sent messengers to him and urged him to come over quickly, promising him the crown and kingdom of England. The city of Gloucester was destroyed by fire, together with the principal monastery and others, on Thursday, the eighth day before the ides (6 June).

Expedition of Robert Curthose to England. #

¹ Robert, earl of Normandy, having raised a large force of horsemen, archers, and foot soldiers, assembled his ships at a place called in the Norman tongue Ultres-port. The king, receiving intelligence of this, ordered his boats-carles to guard the sea and watch that no one approached the coast of England from Normandy; while he himself, having gathered an immense army from every part of England, encamped near Hastings in Sussex, believing for certain that his brother would land in that region. The earl, however, on the advice of Bishop Ralph, so tampered with the loyalty of some of the king’s boats-carles by promises of various kinds that, casting off their allegiance, they deserted to the earl and became his pilots to England. When everything was ready, he embarked with his army and, about the feast of St Peter ad Vincula (1 August), landed at Portsmouth and immediately marched his army towards Winchester, where he pitched his camp in a suitable place. As soon as his arrival became known, some of the English nobles went over to him as they had previously promised; others remained with the king, although in their hearts they were disloyal to him. The bishops, however, together with the common soldiers and the English people, stood resolutely by him and were ready to a man to be led into battle for his cause. But the wiser men on both sides, agreeing upon sound counsel, mediated a peace between the brothers on the terms that the king should pay the earl three thousand marks yearly, that is, two thousand pounds in silver, and should freely restore their former estates in England to all who had forfeited them through adherence to the earl; and that the earl should restore without cost the possessions in Normandy of all those who had been deprived of them on the king’s account. Peace having been restored, the king disbanded his army, and part of the earl’s troops returned to Normandy while part remained with him in England.

² Godfrey, king of Jerusalem, who had previously been the powerful duke of Lorraine, son of Eustace the Elder, count of Boulogne, died and lies buried in the church of Golgotha. After his death, the Christians unanimously elected his brother Baldwin king. Robert de Belèsme, earl of Shrewsbury, son of Earl Roger, began to repair and surround with a broad and lofty wall—as the outcome proved, in opposition to King Henry—the castle which Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, had formerly built during the reign of her brother Edward the Elder, at a place called in the Saxon tongue Bryege (Bridgnorth), on the west bank of the River Severn. He also began building another castle in Wales at a place called Caroclove.

Robert de Belèsme’s Rebellion. #

A.D. 1102. #

¹ The aforementioned Robert, earl of Belèsme, who was then also master of the county of Ponthieu and possessed a great number of castles in Normandy, strongly fortified against King Henry the town of Shrewsbury and the castle which stands within it, as well as the castles of Arundel and Tickhill, supplying them with provisions, siege engines, and arms, and stationing knights and foot soldiers in them. He also hastened, by every means in his power, the completion of the walls and towers of the castles of Brycge and Caroclove, having the work carried on night and day. Moreover, in order to induce his Welsh vassals to submit readily, faithfully, and willingly to his commands, he bestowed upon them generous grants of lordships and lands, horses and arms, and all kinds of largesse. But his plans and operations were quickly cut short, for when his plots and designs were revealed by reliable evidence, the king proclaimed him a traitor. Then, having quickly assembled all the Welshmen and Normans he could gather, he and his brother Arnulph ravaged part of Staffordshire and carried off into Wales many horses and cattle, together with a few men. The king, without delay, first besieged his castle of Arundel and, having built forts against it, withdrew. He then ordered Robert, bishop of Lincoln, with part of his troops, to lay siege to Tickhill, while he himself, with nearly the whole military force of England, encamped before Bridgnorth and began to construct siege engines and erect a strong fort against it. Meanwhile, by moderate bribes, he easily induced the Welsh, in whom Robert placed great confidence, to break the oaths they had sworn to him, desert him entirely, and turn their arms against him. The town of Shrewsbury and all the castles having been surrendered within thirty days, the king forced his enemy Robert to submit and drove him from England in disgrace; his brother Arnulph was shortly afterwards condemned to a similar fate for his treason.

A Synod held at London. #

¹ After this, the king was in London on the feast of St Michael, at his palace of Westminster, with all the great men of his realm of both orders, spiritual and temporal, where he invested two clerics with bishoprics, namely Roger, the chancellor, with the see of Salisbury, and Roger, his larderer, with that of Hereford. There also Anselm, the archbishop, held a great synod on ecclesiastical affairs, at which were present Gerard, archbishop of York; Maurice, bishop of London; William, bishop-elect of Winchester; Robert, bishop of Lincoln; Samson of Worcester; Robert of Chester; John of Bath; Herbert of Norwich; Ralph of Chichester; Gundulph of Rochester; Hervey of Bangor; and the two newly invested bishops, Roger of Salisbury and Roger of Hereford. Osbern, bishop of Exeter, could not attend, being detained by illness. At this synod several abbots, both French and English, were deposed and deprived of the preferments which they had obtained unfairly or in which they lived disreputably, namely Guy, abbot of Pershore; Aldwin, abbot of Ramsey; the abbot of Tavistock; Haimon, abbot of Cerne; the abbot of Michelney; Ethelric, abbot of Middleton; Goodric of Peterborough; Richard of Ely; and Robert of St Edmund’s. Roger, the aforementioned bishop-elect of Hereford, fell ill in London and died; and Reignelm, the queen’s chancellor, was appointed in his place by a similar investiture. Henry, king of England, gave Mary, the queen’s sister, in marriage to Eustace, count of Boulogne.

The King and Archbishop’s quarrel about Investitures. #

A.D. 1103. #

¹ There was a violent dispute between King Henry and Archbishop Anselm; the archbishop opposed the king’s conferring investitures of ecclesiastical preferments and refused either to consecrate or to communicate with those to whom the king had already given churches, because the apostolic pope had forbidden this to him and to all others. Consequently, the king commanded Gerard, archbishop of York, to consecrate the bishops to whom he had given investitures, namely William Giffard and Roger, who had been his chaplain and was now appointed to the bishopric of Salisbury. Gerard was willing to comply with the king’s command, but William, out of respect for the canons, disregarded both that command consecration by Archbishop Gerard. Therefore the king sentenced him to forfeit all that he possessed, and he was banished from the realm; the others remained unconsecrated. Shortly before this, Reignelm had surrendered the bishopric of Hereford to the king, believing that he had offended God by accepting the investiture of a church from the hands of a layman.

² The king held his court at Winchester during Easter. Anselm, the archbishop, after the many injuries and insults he had endured, set out for Rome at the king’s request on the fifth day before the calends of May (27 April), as had been agreed between him and the king; he was accompanied by William, bishop-elect of Winchester, and the deposed abbots Richard of Ely and Aldwin of Ramsey.

³ Robert, earl of Normandy, came to England to confer with his brother and, before returning, released him from the annual payment of three thousand silver marks which the king was bound to pay him each year according to their agreement. Blood was seen by many people flowing from the ground at a place called Heamstede in Berkshire. In the same year, on the third of the ides (3 August), there was a violent storm of wind which did more damage to the fruits of the earth in England than any living person had ever witnessed in former times.

A.D. 1104. #

¹ Two venerable abbots died: Walter of Evesham, on the thirteenth day before the calends of February (20 January), and Serlo of Gloucester, on the fourth day before the nones (4 March). Henry, king of England, held his court at Westminster during Whitsuntide. On Tuesday, the seventh day before the ides (7 June), at about the sixth hour, four white circles were seen around the sun, one beneath another, as if in a painting. All who saw them marvelled, for none of them had ever seen such appearances before. William, earl of Morton, was deprived of all his English estates. It would be difficult to describe the miseries which the land of England suffered at that time from the king’s exactions.

² The body of St Cuthbert the bishop was exposed to view while Ranulph was bishop and was clearly found to be incorrupt, as were also the head of St Oswald, king and martyr, and the relics of St Bede and other saints, by Ralph, abbot of Séez, afterwards bishop of Rochester, and the monks of Durham, in the presence of Earl Alexander, brother of Edgar, king of Scots, and afterwards himself king. Having been permitted to assist on so sacred an occasion, he caused a shrine to be made at the cost of many marks of gold and silver, in which the sacred body was placed, wrapped in new vestments.

The King invades Normandy. #

A.D. 1105. #

¹ Henry, king of England, crossed the sea, and on his arrival nearly all the Norman barons deserted the earl, their lord, whom they despised, and flocked to the king for the gold and silver which he had brought with him, placing their castles and fortified cities and towns in his hands. After burning Bayeux, together with the church of St Mary there, and taking Caen from his brother, he returned to England, finding that it was not then within his power to make himself master of the whole of Normandy, and intending to return the following year and subdue the remainder, thereby disinheriting his brother. William, earl of Morton, in revenge for the loss of his English estates, did all the harm he could to the king’s vassals and possessions.

A.D. 1106. #

¹ Robert, earl of Normandy, came over to England to confer with his brother Henry and met him at Northampton. The earl then begged him to restore what he had taken from him in Normandy; but the king flatly refused all his demands, and the earl left him in great anger and recrossed the sea.

² On Friday, in the first week of Lent, the fourteenth day before the calends of March (16 February), in the evening, a strange star was visible between the south and west and shone for twenty-five days in the same form and at the same hour. It appeared small and dim, but the light which issued from it was exceedingly bright; and flashes of light, like brilliant beams, darted into the star itself from the east and north. Many affirmed that they saw several strange stars at that time. On the night of Holy Thursday, shortly before daybreak, two moons were visible, one in the east and the other in the west; both were full, although the moon was then fourteen days old. In this year a most execrable quarrel arose between the emperor of Germany and his son.

The Battle of Tinchebrai. #

¹ Henry, king of England, crossed the sea before the month of August and proceeded to Normandy; nearly all the principal Normans submitted to him except Robert de Belèsme, William de Morton, and a few others who remained faithful to Earl Robert. On the Assumption of St Mary (15 August), King Henry came to Bec, where he met Anselm, the archbishop, and they reached terms of peace and concord on all the matters over which they had differed. Soon afterwards, at the king’s command request, the archbishop returned to England. The king, having assembled an army, marched to a castle belonging to the earl of Morton called Tinchebrai and laid siege to it. While the king was detained before the place, his brother Robert attacked him at the head of his army on the eve of St Michael, having with him Robert de Belèsme and William, earl of Morton; but right and victory were on the king’s side. Robert, earl of Normandy, William, earl of Morton, and Robert d’Estoteville were taken prisoner in the battle, but Robert de Belèsme escaped by flight. William Crispin was also captured, together with many others. Affairs having taken this turn, the king brought all Normandy into submission and governed it according to his will; news of this he communicated by letters to Archbishop Anselm.

A.D. 1107. #

¹ Edgar, king of the Scots, died on the eighth day before the ides (6 January), and was succeeded by his brother Alexander. Peace having been established in Normandy under the king’s government, and Robert, duke of Normandy, and William, earl of Morton, having been sent ahead to England in custody, the king himself returned to his kingdom before Easter (14 April).

A Council at London respecting Investitures. #

¹ On the calends (1 August), a great council of all the bishops, abbots, and barons of the realm was held in the royal palace at London; and for three days, in the absence of Archbishop Anselm, the subject of ecclesiastical investitures was fully discussed between the king and the bishops. Some of them sought to persuade him to follow the practice of his father and brother and disregard the decree of the apostolic see; for Pope Paschal, adhering strictly to the decision already pronounced, had agreed with Pope Urban on all points and, like him, had forbidden lay investitures, and thus the king was brought to agreement with him on the matter. Afterwards, when Anselm was present, the king publicly permitted and ordained that from then on no person should ever be invested with any bishopric or abbey in England by receiving the pastoral staff or ring from the hands of the king or any layman; Anselm, on his part, conceding that no one elected to a prelacy should be refused consecration to his office on account of having done homage to the king for it. Gerard, archbishop of York, placing his hand in that of Anselm, according to Anselm’s desire, solemnly promised that he would show to him and his successors in the archbishopric the same submission and obedience which the bishop-elect of Hereford had promised to Gerard himself before his consecration.

² The following bishops-elect, namely William of Winchester, Roger of Salisbury, Reignelm of Hereford, William of Exeter, and Urban of Glamorgan in Wales, came to Canterbury at the same time and were consecrated together by Archbishop Anselm on Sunday, the third day before the ides (2 August); the suffragan bishops of his see, namely Gerard, archbishop of York, Robert, bishop of Lincoln, John of Bath, Herbert of Norwich, Robert of Chester, Ralph of Chichester, and Ranulph of Durham, all assisting in the office of consecration. There was certainly no one then living who remembered so many bishops being elected and consecrated together in England at any earlier time since the reign of Edward the Elder, when Archbishop Plegmund ordained seven bishops to seven churches in a single day. In this year also died Maurice, bishop of London; Richard, abbot of Ely; Robert, abbot of St Edmundsbury; Miles Crispin; Robert Fitz-Hamon; Robert Bigod; and Richard de Redvers, all of whom were members of the king’s council.

A.D. 1108. #

¹ Gundulph, bishop of Rochester, died on the nones (7 March). Henry, king of England, in order to preserve the peace strictly, made a law that any man caught in the act of theft or robbery should be hanged. He also suppressed base and counterfeit coinage under the severest penalties, enacting that no person found making false money should be allowed to compound for the offence without losing his eyes and being mutilated in the lower limbs. And since it frequently happened that the pennies in circulation were so bent and broken that they were refused, he enacted that no penny or halfpenny, which he also ordered to be round, nor even a farthing, should be accepted unless it was perfect. Great benefit resulted to the whole kingdom from this enactment; and thus the king dealt with secular affairs, relieving the sufferings of the country. Gerard, archbishop of York, died, and Thomas, cousin of his predecessor Thomas, succeeded him.

Decrees of a Synod held at London. #

¹ In the year of our Lord 1108, the following decrees concerning priests, deacons, subdeacons, and canons of every order were made by Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, together with Thomas, archbishop-elect of York, and all the bishops of England, in the presence of the glorious King Henry and with the assent of his barons:

² “It is decreed that priests, deacons, and subdeacons shall live chastely and shall not have any women in their houses except those who are their nearest kindred, according to the rule of the holy Council of Nice. Those priests, deacons, or subdeacons who, after the prohibition of the synod of London, have retained their wives or taken others, if they choose to continue celebrating mass, are to put them away so completely that neither the women are to come to their houses nor they to the women’s houses; nor are they ever to meet by arrangement in any other house, nor are such women to reside on the lands of the church. If it is necessary for any lawful purpose to converse with them, let them meet out of doors in the presence of two credible witnesses.

³ “If any cleric is charged with violating this statute, on the testimony of two or three lawful witnesses or the common report of his parishioners, he shall clear himself by the oaths of credible witnesses of his own order in addition to his own oath: namely, by six if he is a priest, by four if he is a deacon, and by two if he is a subdeacon. He who fails to clear himself in this way shall be judged a transgressor of the sacred canons.

⁴ “Those priests who, without reverence for God’s altar and their own holy orders, choose to live with women are to be excluded from the performance of divine offices, deprived of all ecclesiastical benefices, assigned places outside the choir, and declared infamous.

⁵ “Whoever wilfully and contumaciously retains his wife and yet presumes to celebrate mass shall be summoned to answer, and if he fails to appear for eight days, shall be excommunicated.

⁶ “This decree applies to all archdeacons and canons, both as regards putting away their wives and avoiding any association with them, and the penalties imposed if the rules are transgressed.

⁷ “All archdeacons shall swear that they will not receive money for permitting the violation of this decree, nor allow priests who, to their knowledge, keep their wives to sing mass or appoint vicars in their place. Deans shall do the same.

⁸ “Every archdeacon or dean who refuses to take this oath shall be deprived of his archdeaconry or deanery.

⁹ “Priests who choose to put away their wives and serve God and his holy altars shall suspend their functions for ten days, during which they shall appoint vicars to perform them, and shall do such penance as their bishops see fit to impose.”

¹⁰ Philip, king of France, died and was succeeded by his son Lewis. Henry, king of England, crossed the sea. Anselm, the archbishop, at the king’s request, consecrated Richard, bishop-elect of London, in his chapel at Peckham; William, bishop of Winchester, Roger, bishop of Salisbury, Ralph, bishop of Chichester, and William, bishop of Exeter, assisting at the ceremony, after the bishop-elect had first made the customary professions of obedience and submission. After this, he went to Canterbury and consecrated Ralph, abbot of Séez, a devout man, to the church of Rochester on the third day before the ides (11 August), in place of Gundulph; William, bishop of Winchester, Ralph, bishop of Chichester, and Richard, bishop of London, assisting him. This Richard, following the custom of his predecessors, made a noble offering on the same day to the mother church of Canterbury.

A.D. 1109. #

¹ Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, died there on Wednesday, the eleventh day before the calends of May (21 April), and was buried with great honour on the following day, Holy Thursday. Henry, king of England, returned to England around the Rogation days and held his court during Whitsuntide (13 June) at Westminster. Thomas, archbishop-elect of York, was consecrated at London on the fifth day before the calends of July (27 June) by Richard, bishop of London, and afterwards received at York, on Sunday, the calends (1 August), the pallium sent to him by Cardinal Ulric. On the same day he consecrated Turgot, prior of Durham, to the bishopric of St Andrew’s in Scotland, which is called Cenrimunt. In the same year, the king converted the abbey of Ely into an episcopal see and appointed Hervey, bishop of Ely, to govern that church. A comet was seen near the Milky Way in the month of December, its tail extending towards the northern quarter of the heavens.

A.D. 1110. #

¹ Henry, king of England, gave his daughter Matilda in marriage to Henry, king and emperor of Germany. In the same year many extraordinary things were witnessed throughout England. At Shrewsbury there was a great earthquake. At Nottingham the River Trent dried up for the length of a mile, from daybreak until the third hour, so that people walked dry-shod in its channel. A comet appeared on the sixth day before the ides (8 June) and remained visible for three weeks.

A.D. 1111. #

¹ Henry, king of Germany, came to Rome and, laying hands on Pope Paschal, imprisoned him; but afterwards made peace with him at the bridge on the Via Salaria, and they celebrated the feast of Easter on the Field of Mars.

These are the Terms of the Peace made between the King and our Lord the Pope; and this is the Form of the King’s Oath. #

¹ “I, Henry, will set free, on Thursday or Friday next, the lord pope and the bishops and cardinals; and to all the prisoners and hostages who have been taken for him or with him I will grant safe conduct within the walls of the Transteverine city. I will never again seize, or permit to be seized, those who remain faithful to the lord Pope Paschal; and, for myself and my people, I will maintain peace and tranquillity with the Roman people, both of the Transteverine city and of that within the island, as regards their persons and goods, provided that they maintain peace towards me. I will faithfully assist our lord Pope Paschal in maintaining his right to the papacy in peace and security. I will restore the patrimony and possessions of the Roman Church which I have taken away, and I will faithfully aid her in recovering all that she ought to possess, as my predecessors have done. I will obey our lord Pope Paschal, saving the rights of my crown and empire, in the same manner as Catholic emperors have obeyed Catholic popes of Rome. All these things I will faithfully observe, without fraud or deceit.

² These are the jurors on the king’s part: Frederick, archbishop of Cologne; Gebhard, bishop of Trent; Burchard, bishop of Munster; Bruno, bishop of Spires; Albert, chancellor; Count Herman; Frederick, count palatine; Count Berenger; Count Frederick; Marquis Boniface; Albert, count de Blandrai; Count Frederick; Count Godfrey; and Marquis Warnerio.”

The Second Convention made between the Pope and the King. #

¹ “Our lord Pope Paschal, the one hundred and fifty-sixth pope, agrees to grant to King Henry and his kingdom, and will ratify and confirm by his apostolic privilege, under pain of excommunication, that when a bishop or abbot is freely elected, without simony and with the royal licence, it shall be lawful for my lord the king to invest him with the ring and staff. The bishop or abbot so invested by the king shall freely receive consecration from the bishop to whom the right belongs. But if any person is elected by the clergy and people, unless he also receives investiture from the king, he shall not be consecrated; and archbishops and bishops shall be permitted to consecrate only those who have received investiture from the king. In respect of these matters, the lord Pope Paschal shall not trouble King Henry, his kingdom, or his empire.”

This is the Oath on the Part of the Pope. #

¹ “Our lord Pope Paschal shall not trouble my lord King Henry, nor his empire and kingdom, concerning the investiture of bishoprics and abbeys, nor for any injuries done to himself and his people, nor shall he do any harm to him or to any other person on that account. In particular, he shall never pronounce any sentence of excommunication against the person of King Henry, nor shall the lord pope retain the power to refuse to crown him according to the form in the ordinal. He shall also assist him, to the best of his power and by the authority of his office, in maintaining himself in his kingdom and empire. All this the lord pope will perform without fraud or deceit.”

² These are the names of the bishops and cardinals who, by command of our lord Pope Paschal, ratified by their oaths the bull of privileges and the alliance made with the lord Emperor Henry: Peter, bishop of Porto; Censius, bishop of Sabinum; Robert, cardinal of St Eusebius; Boniface, cardinal of St Mark; Anastasius, cardinal of St Clement; Gregory, cardinal of SS Peter and Paul the Apostles; Gregory, cardinal of St Chrysogonus; John, cardinal of St Potentiana; Risus, cardinal of St Lawrence; Rainier, cardinal of SS Marcellinus and Peter; Vitalis, cardinal of St Balbina; Duuzo, cardinal of St Martin; Theobald, cardinal of SS John and Paul; and John, deacon of St Mary-in-Schola Græca.

This is the Bull of Privileges granted by the Lord Pope to the Emperor, concerning the Investitures of Bishoprics. #

¹ “Paschal, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his most beloved son in Christ, Henry, king of the Germans and, by the grace of God, emperor of the Romans, health and the apostolic benediction.

² Divine Providence has so ordained that there is a special union between your kingdom and the holy Roman Church. Your predecessors, by virtue of their superior worth and prudence, obtained the Roman crown and imperial dignity; to which, dearest son Henry, the Divine Majesty has advanced you through the ministry of our priestly office. The prerogatives, therefore, of that dignity, which my predecessors granted to the Catholic emperors, your predecessors, and confirmed by bulls of privileges, we also grant to you, beloved, and confirm by this present instrument; namely, that it shall be lawful for you to confer investiture, by staff and ring, upon the bishops and abbots of your realm, freely elected without compulsion or simony; and that after their investiture they may receive canonical consecration from the bishop to whom it belongs. If anyone, however, is elected by the people and clergy without your assent, unless he receives investiture from you, let him not be consecrated. Let archbishops and bishops have licence from you to give canonical consecration to bishops and abbots who have received your investiture. For your predecessors have so richly endowed the churches of your realm from their royal domains that it is very expedient that the possessions of bishops and abbots should contribute to the defence of the kingdom, and that the popular disturbances which often arise in elections should be restrained by royal power. Therefore, it is your duty, in the exercise of your prudence and authority, to ensure, with God’s help, that the pre-eminence of the Roman Church and the welfare of all are protected by your beneficial acts and services. If any person, ecclesiastical or secular, shall rashly attempt to distort the meaning of this our grant, let him be excommunicated unless he repents, and moreover incur the danger of losing his office and dignity; and may Divine mercy protect those who observe it and grant you a happy reign, both in your person and in your power, to his honour and glory.”

³ With these conventions and oaths, peace was concluded between the lord pope and the king during the feast of Easter. Then the king entered Rome on the ides (13 April), and the pope, having celebrated mass in the church of St Peter, consecrated him emperor, granted absolution to him and his followers, and pardoned them for all the injuries he had suffered at their hands.

A Colony of Flemings settled in South Wales. #

¹ Henry, king of England, removed to Wales all the Flemings who were living in Northumbria, together with their possessions, and settled them in the district called Rhos. The king also ordered that the new monastery which stood within the walls of Winchester should, under the direction of William, bishop of Winchester, be rebuilt outside the walls; and soon afterwards he crossed the sea. In this year there was a very severe winter, a grievous famine, great mortality, a murrain among animals, both wild and domestic, and vast numbers of birds also perished.

Acts of the Lateran Council against the Heresy respecting Investitures. #

A.D. 1112. #

¹ In the thirteenth year of the pontificate of Pope Paschal II, the fifth indiction, in the month of March, on the fifteenth day before the calends of April (18 March), the Lateran Council was held at Rome in the basilica of Constantine. At this council, on the last day of the assembly, the pope, having taken his seat with the archbishops, bishops, and cardinals, and a mixed multitude of clergy and laity, made a profession of the Catholic faith in the presence of all, so that no one might doubt his belief, saying:

² “I embrace all Holy Scripture, namely the Old and New Testaments, the law written by Moses and the holy prophets. I embrace the four Gospels, the seven canonical epistles, the epistles of the glorious doctor St Paul the Apostle, the holy apostolic canons, the four general councils, like the four Gospels, namely the councils of Nice, Ephesus, Constantinople, and Chalcedon; the Council of Antioch; and the decrees of the holy fathers, the popes of Rome, especially the decrees of the lord Pope Gregory VII and of Pope Urban of blessed memory. What they approved, I approve; what they held, I hold; what they confirmed, I confirm; what they condemned, I condemn; what they rejected, I reject; what they interdicted, I interdict; what they prohibited, I prohibit, in all things and throughout; and in this faith I will always persevere.”

³ When he had finished, Gerard, bishop of Angoulême, legate in Aquitaine, rose in the name of all and, with the common consent of the lord Pope Paschal and the whole council, read this instrument:

⁴ “All of us assembled in this holy council with the lord pope condemn, by canonical censures, by our ecclesiastical authority, and by the judgement of the Holy Ghost, that act of privilege which is no privilege, but ought rather to be called a breach of privilege: namely, that act which was extorted by the violence of King Henry from our lord Pope Paschal for the liberation of the prisoners and of the Church. We adjudge it null and void, quash it altogether, and utterly repudiate it as possessing no authority or force. It is condemned because it contains a provision that one canonically elected by the clergy and people may not be consecrated unless he has first received investiture from the king, which is contrary to the Holy Spirit and the canonical institutions.”

⁵ When the reading of this instrument was finished, it was approved by the whole council with the acclamation, “Amen, Amen! Fiat, fiat!” (Be it so). The archbishops present with their suffragans were these: John, patriarch of Venice; Semies of Capua; Landulph of Benevento; and those of Amalfi, Reggio, Otranto, Brindisi, Capua, and Gyrontium. Of the Greeks there were Risano and the archbishop of San Severino. The bishops present were Censius of Savona; Peter of Porto; Leo of Ostia; Cono of Præneste; Gerard of Angoulême; Walo of Lyons, legate for the archbishops of Bourges and Vienne; Roger of Volterra; Geoffrey of Sienna; Roland of Populonia (Pisa); Gregory of Terracina; William of Troga in Naples; Gibin of Syracuse, legate for the whole of Sicily; and nearly one hundred other bishops. Bishops Siguin and John of Tusculum (Frascati), although they were at Rome at the time, were not present at the council; but afterwards, having read the condemnation of the act of privilege, they accepted and approved it.

⁶ Samson, the twenty-fifth bishop of Worcester, died on Sunday, the third day before the nones (9 May). Henry, king of England, imprisoned Robert de Belèsme at Carisbrook in the month of October.

A.D. 1113. #

¹ The city of Worcester, together with the cathedral church, all the other churches, and the castle, was destroyed by fire on Thursday, the thirteenth day before the calends of July (19 June). One of the monks, who had rendered great service to the monastery, together with two of his servants and fifteen citizens, perished in the flames. Henry, king of England, returned to England in the month of July and committed Robert de Belèsme, who had been brought over from Normandy, to the closest confinement at Wareham. Two high-born monks of the monastery of St Mary at Worcester, men of exalted worth, Thomas, the lord prior, and Coleman, both died on Saturday, the fourth day before the nones (4 October).

² Together summoned from this mortal state
To realms above, they shared a common fate:
There, with the saints, in never-ending joy,
May God grant them rest and peace without alloy!

³ Theowulf, the king’s chaplain, was appointed bishop of Worcester on Sunday, the fifth day before the calends of January (28 December), at Windsor.

A.D. 1114. #

¹ Matilda, daughter of Henry, king of England, was married to Henry, emperor of the Romans, and crowned empress at Mentz on the eighth day before the ides (6 January). Thomas, archbishop of York, died on Tuesday, the sixth day before the calends of March (24 February). Ralph, bishop of Rochester, was chosen archbishop of Canterbury at Windsor on Sunday, the sixth day before the calends of May (26 April). The city of Chichester, together with the principal monastery, was burnt through negligence on the third day before the nones (5 May). Thurstan, one of the king’s chaplains, was appointed at Winchester to the archbishopric of York on the feast of the Assumption of St Mary (15 August). Arnulph, abbot of Peterborough, was elected bishop of Rochester. Henry, king of England, after undertaking an expedition into Wales, crossed the sea before the feast of St Michael. The River Medway became so shallow for many miles on the sixth day before the ides (10 October) that the smallest vessels ran aground for lack of water. The Thames suffered the same failure on that day, for between the bridge and the Royal Tower, even beneath the bridge itself, the water in the river was so low that not only horses but even crowds of men and boys forded it, with the water scarcely reaching their knees. The water remained this shallow from the middle of the preceding night until it was completely dark on the following night. We have heard from trustworthy reports that the waters receded in the same way on that day at Yarmouth and other places in England.

A.D. 1115. #

¹ This year the weather was so severe that nearly all the bridges in England were carried away by the ice. Henry, the emperor, having besieged Cologne for a long time and lost many of his troops in a pitched battle, made a sworn peace in the city of Nuys. Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, received the pallium from Anselm, legate of the Roman Church, on Sunday, the fifth day before the calends of July (27 June), at Canterbury, where nearly all the bishops of England were assembled. On the same day Theowulf, bishop of Worcester, was consecrated with great ceremony. Wilfrid, bishop of St David’s in Wales, died; up to his time, all the bishops had been Welshmen.

² On the octave of the apostles SS Peter and Paul (6 July), a great council was held at Châlons by Conon, cardinal of the Roman Church, at which he excommunicated the bishops who were not present at the council; he degraded some abbots, deprived many of their staffs, deposed them from their dignities, and interdicted them from ecclesiastical functions.

³ Henry, king of England, returned to England in the middle of July. Bernard, the queen’s chancellor, was chosen bishop of St David’s in Wales on Saturday, the fourteenth day before the calends of October (18 September), and on the same day was ordained priest at Southwark by William, bishop of Winchester; on the following day, at Westminster, he was consecrated bishop by Ralph the archbishop. Reignelm, bishop of Hereford, died on the sixth day before the calends of November (27 October), and Geoffrey, the king’s chaplain, was chosen in his place. Arnulph was ordained to the see of Rochester and Geoffrey to the see of Hereford on the feast of St Stephen (26 December), at Canterbury, by Ralph the archbishop.

A.D. 1116. #

¹ Griffyth, son of Rhys, made a plundering expedition and burnt some castles in Wales because King Henry would not give him a portion of his father’s territories. The witan of all the nobles and barons of England was held at Salisbury on the fourteenth day before the calends of April (19 March), and in the presence of King Henry they did homage and swore fealty to his son William.

Quarrel between the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. #

¹ The controversy which had continued for a whole year between Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, and Thurstan, archbishop-elect of York, was brought before the court. When required by the primate to make due submission to the church of Canterbury and receive his benediction according to the canons, the archbishop-elect replied that he was ready to receive consecration, but that nothing would induce him to make the profession demanded of him. King Henry, finding that Thurstan persisted in his resolution, openly declared that he must either follow the usages of his predecessors, both in making the profession and in other matters pertaining by ancient right to the church of Canterbury, or lose the archbishopric of York and consecration altogether. On hearing this, he was so moved by the sudden impulses of his temper that he gave up the archbishopric, promising the king and the archbishop that he would never claim it as long as he lived and would assert no claim to it, whoever might be appointed in his place. Owen, king of Wales, was slain, and Henry, king of England, crossed the sea, accompanied by Thurstan, archbishop-elect of York, who hoped to recover the investiture of his archbishopric and obtain consecration from the primate by the king’s command without being compelled to make the required profession. About the month of August, Anselm, returning from Rome with the pallium for the archbishop of Canterbury, joined King Henry in Normandy. He also brought letters from the pope appointing him his legate for ecclesiastical affairs in England, which he announced in a brief to the English nation. Consequently, at the suggestion of the queen and her council of nobles in England, Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, crossed the sea after the feast of the Nativity of St Mary to meet the king, whom he found residing at Rouen; and, having consulted him closely on the business for which he had come, he continued his journey to Rome on the king’s advice.

A.D. 1117. #

¹ By King Henry’s command, a new building was begun at the abbey of Cirencester. There was a great earthquake in Lombardy which, according to the accounts of well-informed people, lasted forty days and reduced a vast number of houses to ruins; and, remarkably, a large villa was suddenly removed from its original site and may now be seen by all standing in a very distant place. At Milan, while some men of patrician rank were holding a meeting in a tower concerning affairs of state, a voice from outside was suddenly heard by all those assembled, calling one of them by name to come out immediately. When he delayed, a phantom appeared before them and, by earnest entreaties, induced the man who had been named to leave the building. As soon as he had gone out, the tower suddenly collapsed and buried all who remained inside beneath its ruins. Robert, bishop of Stafford, and Gilbert, abbot of Westminster, died on the eighth day before the ides (6 December).

The Continuation of the Chronicle of Florence of Worcester. #

A.D. 1118. #

¹ Pope Paschal, of blessed memory, died on the fourteenth day before the calends of February (19 January), and one John, a native of Gaeta, succeeded him and changed his name to Gelasius. He had been brought up as a monk from his youth in the monastery of Monte Cassino, and in his mature years had filled the office of chancellor with great diligence in the service of the venerable and apostolic men Popes Desiderius, Urban, and Paschal. Meanwhile, the king of Germany, who was also emperor of the Romans, hearing of the pope’s death, hastened to Rome and made the bishop of Braga pope, although he had been excommunicated the previous year at Benevento by Pope Paschal; his name was changed from Maurice to Gregory.

² Matilda, queen of England, died at Westminster on the calends (1 May) and was buried with due ceremony in that monastery. Many of the Normans broke the fealty they had sworn to King Henry and, disregarding the rights of their natural lord, transferred their homage to Lewis, king of France, and his great lords, although they were enemies. The aforementioned pope, Gelasius, came by sea to Burgundy, and news of his arrival was immediately sent throughout France.

Death of the Author of the Chronicle. #

¹ Dom Florence of Worcester, a monk of that monastery, died on the nones (7 July). His acute observation and laborious and diligent studies have made this Chronicle of Chronicles pre-eminent above all others.

² His spirit to the skies, to earth his body given,
For ever may he reign with God’s blessed saints in heaven!

Death by a Thunderstorm in Herefordshire. #

¹ After the dedication of the church of Momerfield by Geoffrey, bishop of Hereford, all who had attended the consecration set out for home; but although the weather had been remarkably calm until that time, a violent storm of thunder and lightning suddenly arose, and some of them, overtaken by it on the road and unable to retreat from the place they had reached, stopped there. They were five in number, three men and two women; one of the women was killed by a bolt of lightning, and the other, being scorched by the flash from the navel to the soles of her feet, died miserably, while the men only narrowly escaped with their lives. Their five horses were also struck by lightning and killed.

A.D. 1119. #

¹ Pope Gelasius died and was buried at Cluni; he was succeeded by Guy, bishop of Vienne, who changed his name to Calixtus. Geoffrey, bishop of Hereford, died on the third day before the nones (3 February), and Herbert on the eleventh day before the calends of August (22 July).

Wars between Henry and Lewis. #

¹ War having broken out between Henry, king of England, and Lewis, king of France, together with the count of Anjou and the count of Flanders, King Henry seized an opportunity to make a separate peace with the count of Anjou, receiving his daughter in marriage for his son William, whom he had already declared heir to his entire kingdom. The count of Anjou went to Jerusalem. After this, King Henry, with the agreement of his nobles, made peace with the king of France, on which occasion his son William was invested with Normandy, to be held of the king of France. The king also made peace with his nobles who had unjustly and treacherously revolted against him, and also with the count of Flanders. An earthquake was felt in several parts of England on Sunday, the fourth day before the calends of October (28 September), at about the third hour of the day.

A Council held at Rheims. #

¹ Pope Calixtus held a general council at Rheims on Sunday, the thirteenth day before the calends of November (20 October), at which there was a great gathering of archbishops, bishops, abbots, and lords from various provinces, and immense multitudes of clergy and people. The English bishops who were then at Henry’s court in Normandy, namely William of Exeter, Ralph of Durham, Bernard of St David’s, and Urban of Glamorgan (Landaff), together with the bishops and abbots of Normandy, were sent by the king himself to the council. Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, was prevented by illness from attending. Thurstan, archbishop-elect of York, having requested the king’s licence to attend, obtained it with some difficulty, after pledging his word that he would on no account accept consecration from the pope. Bound by this pledge, he continued his journey and presented himself to the pope; but immediately, disregarding his undertaking, he won over the Romans with bribes to support his cause, and through them prevailed upon the pope to consecrate him bishop with his own hands. He was thus ordained to the see of York, and by the pope’s command many of the bishops from France assisted at the ceremony. The English bishops had not yet arrived at the council; but when they learnt what had been done, they informed the king, who, being greatly indignant, forbade Thurstan and his followers from returning to England or Normandy, or to any place within his dominions.

A.D. 1120. #

¹ Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, returned to England on Sunday, the second day before the nones (4 January); and on Sunday, the second day before the nones (4 April), at Westminster, he consecrated to the bishopric of Bangor a venerable cleric named David, who had been chosen by King Griffyth and the clergy and people of Wales. At this consecration he was assisted by Richard, bishop of London, Robert, bishop of Lincoln, Roger of Salisbury, and Urban of Glamorgan.

Shipwreck of King Henry’s children. #

¹ Henry, king of England, having successfully accomplished all his designs, returned from Normandy to England. His son William, hastening to follow him, embarked in company with a great number of nobles, knights, women, and boys.

² Having left the harbour and put out to sea, encouraged by the extraordinary calmness of the weather, the ship in which they were sailing shortly afterwards struck a rock and was wrecked, and all on board were swallowed up by the waves except one churl, who, as is reported, was not worthy to be named, but by the wonderful mercy of God escaped alive. Of those who perished, those of highest rank were William, the king’s son; Richard, earl of Chester; Othiel, his brother; William Bigod; Geoffrey Riddel; Walter d’Evereux; Geoffrey, archdeacon of Hereford; the king’s daughter, the countess of Perche; the king’s niece, the countess of Chester; and many more who are omitted for the sake of brevity. This disaster horrified and distressed the king, who had reached England after a safe voyage, and all who heard of it, and filled them with awe at the mysterious decrees of a just God.

Henry I marries Alice of Louvaine. #

A.D. 1121. #

¹ Henry, king of England, having been a widower for some time, resolved, so that he might not in future lead a dissolute life, to marry Alice, daughter of Godfrey, duke of Lorraine, a young maiden of great beauty and modesty, on the advice of Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, and the barons of his realm, who had assembled at London by his command on the feast of our Lord’s Epiphany. Envoys were sent overseas, and they brought the future queen with signal honour from lands beyond the sea to Henry’s court.

² Meanwhile, two clerics were chosen to fill sees which had been vacant for some time: Richard, who was keeper of the king’s seal under the chancellor, and Robert, who had diligently filled the office of steward of meat and drink in the king’s household. The first was appointed to the see of Hereford, and the latter to the see of Chester. Herbert, also, a monk of Westminster, was made abbot of that monastery. Richard, chosen bishop of Hereford on Friday, the seventh day before the ides (7 January), was consecrated at Lambeth on Sunday, the seventeenth day before the calends of February (17 January), by Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, with the assistance of Richard, bishop of London, and the bishops Robert of Lincoln, Arnulph of Rochester, Urban of Glamorgan, and Bernard of St David’s.

³ On the fourth day before the calends of February (29 January), the maiden already mentioned as having been selected for queen was married to the king by William, bishop of Winchester, at the command of Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury; and on the following day, the third day before the calends of February (30 January), she was consecrated and crowned queen by the archbishop himself. After this, the archbishop, having accompanied the king to Abingdon, consecrated on Sunday, the third day before the ides (13 March), the aforementioned Robert as bishop of Chester, with William, bishop of Winchester, William, bishop of Exeter, and the Welsh bishops Urban and Bernard present and assisting at the sacrament. A few days later, one Everard, attached to the king’s chapel, was elected bishop of Norwich and consecrated at Canterbury by Archbishop Ralph on the second day before the ides (12 June), Arnulph, bishop of Rochester, Richard, bishop of Hereford, and Robert, bishop of Coventry, having assembled for the purpose.

⁴ Pope Calixtus, assembling forces from all quarters, captured the aforementioned Maurice, surnamed Bourdin, who had been intruded by the emperor and his adherents into the papal see under the name of Gregory, and thrust him in disgrace, stripped of all he possessed, into a monastery, he having previously been a monk. King Henry led an army against the Welsh and, taking hostages from them, brought the whole of Wales under his dominion. A certain cleric named Gregory, an Irishman by birth, having been chosen by the king of Ireland, together with the clergy and people, to fill the see of the city of Dublin, came to England so that, according to former custom, he might be ordained by the archbishop of Canterbury, the primate of England. Then, by the archbishop’s command, Roger, bishop of Salisbury, conferred upon him the orders of priest and deacon at his castle of Devizes on Saturday, the eleventh day before the calends of October (21 September). He was ordained bishop on Sunday, the sixth day before the nones (2 October), at Lambeth by Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, with the following bishops assisting at the consecration: Richard of London, Roger of Salisbury, Robert of Lincoln, Everard of Norwich, and David of Bangor. The mother church at Tewkesbury was consecrated with great ceremony by Theowulf, bishop of Worcester, Richard, bishop of Hereford, Urban, bishop of Glamorgan, and the aforementioned Gregory, bishop of Dublin, on Monday, the ninth day before the calends of November (24 October).

A.D. 1122. #

¹ The city of Gloucester, together with the principal monastery, was again destroyed by fire on Wednesday, the fourth day before the ides (4 March), in the twenty-second year of King Henry’s reign. It had previously been burnt in the first year of his reign, on Thursday, the eleventh day before the calends of June (22 May). Ralph, the twenty-fifth archbishop of Canterbury, died at Canterbury on Thursday, the fourteenth day before the calends of November (19 October). John, bishop of Bath, died on the fourth day before the calends of January (29 December); during his lifetime he had bought the whole city of Bath from King Henry for five hundred pounds.

A.D. 1123. #

¹ Robert, the eighteenth bishop of Lincoln, while riding on horseback and conversing with King Henry at Woodstock in the month of January, fell to the ground and, losing the power of speech, was carried to his lodgings, where he died shortly afterwards. Ralph, the king’s chancellor, also came to a wretched end. William, a canon of St Osythe at Chiche, was appointed to the archbishopric of Canterbury at Gloucester, where the king held his court at the feast of the Purification of St Mary; and he was consecrated at Canterbury by William, bishop of Winchester, assisted by many other bishops, on the fourteenth day before the calends of March (16 February). With his approval, the bishopric of Lincoln was given to Alexander, archdeacon of Salisbury. Afterwards, Archbishop William, accompanied by Thurstan, archbishop of York, Bernard, bishop of St David’s, Sigefred, abbot of Glastonbury, and Anselm, abbot of St Edmund’s, went to Rome to receive the pallium. Alexander, king of Scots, died on the seventh day before the calends of May (25 April). Henry, king of England, crossed the sea after the feast of Whitsuntide (3 June). William, archbishop of Canterbury, having received the pallium from Pope Calixtus, and Thurstan, archbishop of York, with their companions, visited the king, who was still in Normandy, on their return from Rome. After a short stay, Archbishop William returned to England, on the eleventh day before the calends of August (22 July), at Canterbury, consecrated Alexander as bishop of Lincoln; and on the seventh day before the calends of September (26 August), in the church of St Paul the Apostle in London, he consecrated Godfrey, the queen’s chancellor, to the bishopric of Bath. Theowulf, the twenty-sixth bishop of Worcester, died on Saturday, the thirteenth day before the calends of November (20 October), at his vill of Hampton. Robert, abbot of Tewkesbury, died on the sixth day before the ides (8 December). Alexander, king of Scots, was succeeded by his brother David.

A.D. 1124. #

¹ Arnulph, the twenty-third bishop of Rochester, died in the month of March. Waleran, earl de Mellent, was taken prisoner during Passion Week, together with many others, by King Henry’s troops in Normandy, and committed to close custody in the Tower of Rouen. Geoffrey, abbot of the New Minster at Winchester, died. The reverend prior of the church of Worcester, Nicholas by name, died on Wednesday, the eighth day before the calends of July (24 June).

² God, in his mercy, grant him bliss in heaven!

³ William, archbishop of Canterbury, crossed the sea by the king’s command. Pope Calixtus died and was succeeded by Honorius, bishop of Ostia.

A.D. 1125. #

¹ Coiners in England who were caught with counterfeit money suffered the penalty of the king’s cruel law by having their right hands cut off and their lower limbs mutilated. Afterwards, following a change in the coinage, all goods became very expensive and, as a consequence, a great scarcity arose, and many died of famine.

² Simon, the queen’s chancellor, and Sigefred, abbot of Glastonbury, both men of distinguished worth and piety, were chosen as bishops while they were in Normandy; Simon was appointed to the see of Worcester and Sigefred to the see of Chichester. Hugh, a man of great prudence, who had served successively as archdeacon to Samson and Theowulf, bishops of Worcester, died on the twelfth day before the calends of April (21 March). After Easter (29 March), the bishops-elect Simon and Sigefred, together with Archbishops William and Thurstan and a Roman cardinal named John, came to England, and Sigefred was consecrated bishop of Chichester at Lambeth by Archbishop William on the second day before the ides (12 April); present at this consecration were the Roman cardinal, Thurstan, archbishop of York, Everard, bishop of Norwich, Richard of Hereford, Bernard of St David’s, David of Bangor, Urban of Glamorgan, and John, bishop-elect of Rochester. Simon, bishop-elect of Worcester, was conducted into Worcester by the clergy and people in joyful procession on the eighth day before the ides (8 May), being the day of our Lord’s Ascension; and on the tenth day before the calends of June (23 May), he was ordained priest at Canterbury by William the archbishop. The Emperor Henry died and was buried at Spires, where his grandfather was also interred. Lothaire, the ninety-eighth emperor of the Romans, reigned for thirteen years.

³ Simon, bishop-elect of Worcester, went to Canterbury in company with Godfrey, bishop of Bath, and, having been ordained priest by the archbishop on Saturday in Whitsun week (23 May), was on the following day consecrated with great pomp as bishop of the holy mother church of Worcester; John, archdeacon of Canterbury, was consecrated bishop of Rochester at the same time. Richard, bishop of Hereford, David of Bangor, Godfrey of Bath, and Sigefred of Chichester assisted at the consecration. When Simon arrived at Worcester, his episcopal see, he was again met by great crowds of people, by whom he was conducted in procession with great pomp and enthroned, while a “Te Deum” was chanted. On the same day, that is, on the ninth day before the calends of June (24 May), Benedict, a loving and faithful servant of God in all his household, was consecrated by Simon, the new bishop, as the new abbot of the convent of Worcester. The year before, having previously been prior, he had been elected abbot of Tewkesbury, where he had been brought up under the monastic rule from boyhood, and in due course had been admitted in peace and love as one of the monks of Worcester by licence of Wulfstan, the lord bishop, from whose hands he had received all the ecclesiastical orders. Present at the consecration of this abbot were the bishops who had received Bishop Simon in procession, namely Richard of Hereford, Godfrey of Bath, and David of Bangor, together with Benedict’s fellow abbots of the diocese of Worcester: Guy of Pershore, William of Gloucester, and Godfrey of Winchcombe. The lord Walchere, prior of Malvern, represented his abbot, who lay sick, and Dominic, prior of Evesham, was also present. These were men to whom the words of the Psalmist might be applied, “He sends the springs into the rivers which run among the hills” [Psalm 104:10], and such was the company which met the bishop in procession.

A Synod held at London. #

¹ A synod was held at London, in the church of the blessed prince of the apostles at Westminster, on 9 September, that is, on the fifth day before the ides of that month, at which, after various matters had been discussed, the following seventeen canons were published with unanimous consent. John of Crema, a cardinal priest of the holy and apostolic Church, with the title of St Chrysogonus, and legate in England of the lord Pope Honorius, presided at this synod; and it was attended by William, archbishop of Canterbury, and Thurstan, archbishop of York, and the bishops of various dioceses, twenty in number, together with about forty abbots and a great gathering of clergy and people. These are the canons:

² THE FIRST CANON. Following in the footsteps of the holy fathers, we forbid, by apostolic authority, the conferring of any ecclesiastical ordination for money.

³ II. We also prohibit the exaction of any fee for chrism, oil, baptism, penance, the visitation or anointing of the sick, the communion of the body of Christ, or burial.

⁴ III. Moreover, we ordain and decree, by apostolic authority, that at the consecration of bishops, the benediction of abbots, or the dedication of churches, no cope, tippet, maniple, ewer, or any other thing shall be exacted by force, but such things are to be voluntary offerings.

⁵ IV. No abbot or prior, monk or cleric, shall accept any church, tithe, or ecclesiastical benefice by the gift of a layman without the authority and consent of his own bishop. If he presumes to do so, the gift shall be void, and he shall be subject to canonical censure.

⁶ V. Moreover, we decree that no person shall claim the patronage of a church or prebend by right of inheritance, or bequeath any ecclesiastical benefice to a successor. If anyone presumes to do so, we declare that it shall have no effect, saying with the Psalmist, “O my God, make them like a wheel” [Psalm 83:13], while they said, “Let us take for ourselves the houses of God in possession” [Psalm 83:12].

⁷ VI. Furthermore, we decree that clerics holding churches or ecclesiastical benefices who avoid being ordained so that they may live with greater freedom, and continue to treat holy orders with contempt after being summoned to them by the bishop, shall be deprived of their churches and benefices.

⁸ VII. No one but a priest shall be promoted to the office of dean or prior, and no one but a deacon to an archdeaconry.

⁹ VIII. No person shall be ordained priest without a regular title. Whoever is ordained independently shall forfeit the degree he has obtained.

¹⁰ IX. No abbot, cleric, or layman shall presume to eject any person ecclesiastically ordained to a church without the judgement of his own bishop. Whoever presumes to do otherwise shall be subject to excommunication.

¹¹ X. No bishop shall presume to ordain or judge a person belonging to another diocese, for everyone stands or falls before his own master [Romans 14:4]; nor shall anyone be bound by a sentence which has not been pronounced by his own judge.

¹² XI. No one shall presume to receive into communion anyone who has been excommunicated by another. If he knowingly does so, he himself shall be deprived of Christian communion.

¹³ XII. We also ordain that two archdeaconries or dignities of another kind shall not be held by one person.

¹⁴ XIII. We prohibit, by apostolic authority, priests, deacons, subdeacons, and canons from living with wives, concubines, or women generally, except a mother, sister, aunt, or other women free from all suspicion. Whoever violates this canon shall, upon confession or conviction, suffer the loss of his order.

¹⁵ XIV. We utterly prohibit usury and filthy lucre to clerics of every degree. Whoever pleads guilty to such a charge, or is convicted of it, shall be degraded from the rank he holds.

¹⁶ XV. We decree that sorcerers, fortune-tellers, and those who practise divination of any kind shall be excommunicated, and we brand them with perpetual infamy.

¹⁷ XVI. We prohibit marriages being contracted between persons related by blood or affinity as far as the prescribed generation. If any persons so related have married, let them be separated.

¹⁸ XVII. We forbid men being permitted to allege consanguinity against their own wives, and the witnesses whom they bring forward are not to be admitted; but let the authority of the fathers be maintained.

¹⁹ “Are you content?” “Be it so."—“Are you content?” “Be it so."—“Are you content?” “Be it so.”

²⁰ The same cardinal, after leaving England, went to Normandy and at length returned to Rome. William, the archbishop, also considering that the Church of England had suffered grievous offence through the humiliation of the see of Canterbury, crossed the Channel himself on his way to Rome, to obtain the best support he could in the disordered state of affairs and prevent matters from growing worse. He therefore proceeded to Rome and was received with honour by Pope Honorius, who had succeeded Calixtus and who made the archbishop his vicar-general in England Scotland appointed him legate of the apostolic see.

A.D. 1126. #

¹ King Henry returned to England at Christmas and held his court at Windsor Castle with great magnificence, having summoned all the nobles of the realm to attend him there. On this occasion, when the archbishop of York, claiming equality with the archbishop of Canterbury, offered to place the crown on the king’s head, as his predecessors had done, his claim was rejected by the judgement of all who were present, and it was unanimously agreed that nothing pertaining to the royal crown belonged to him. Moreover, the bearer of the cross which he caused to be carried before him into the king’s chapel was thrust out of the chapel, together with the cross he carried; for, by the judgement of the bishops and certain learned men skilled in ecclesiastical law, it was established and settled that it was not lawful for a metropolitan to have his cross carried before him outside his own province.

Fealty sworn to the Empress Matilda. #

¹ As soon as the Christmas feast days were over, the king went to London, attended by all the men of rank in the realm who had flocked to his court, and there, by the king’s command, William, the archbishop and legate of the see of Rome, together with all the other bishops of England the nobles of the land, swore fealty to the king’s daughter, undertaking to defend her right to the crown of England, if she should survive her father, against all opponents, unless before his death he should beget a son in lawful wedlock to succeed him. On the death of the Emperor Henry, who had lived in marriage with her for many years without leaving children, she had returned to her father’s court, where she was surrounded with all the honours befitting her rank. The king, therefore, having lost his son William in the manner already described, and there being as yet no other direct heir to the kingdom, for that reason transferred the right to the crown to his daughter, subject to the proviso just mentioned.

The Custody of Rochester Castle granted to the Archbishops of Canterbury. #

¹ The king also, by the advice of his barons, granted to the church of Canterbury, to William the archbishop, and to all his successors, the custody and constableship of Rochester Castle, to hold for ever, with liberty to build within the same castle a fort or tower as they pleased, and to possess and guard it for ever; and he granted that the garrison stationed in the castle should have free ingress and egress for their own purposes and should provide security for it to the archbishop. Robert, surnamed Pecceth, bishop of Coventry, died and lies buried at Coventry. Hugh, abbot of St Augustine’s at Canterbury, died.

A Synod held at Westminster. #

A.D. 1127. #

¹ William, archbishop of Canterbury, convened a general synod of all the bishops and abbots, together with certain religious men from all parts of England, at the monastery of St Peter, situated in the western part of London. At this synod he himself presided as archbishop of Canterbury and legate of the apostolic see, assisted by William, bishop of Winchester; Roger of Salisbury; William of Exeter; Hervey of Ely; Alexander of Lincoln; Everard of Norwich; Sigefrid of Chichester; Richard of Hereford; Geoffrey of Bath; John of Rochester; Bernard of St David’s in Wales; Urban of Glamorgan or Llandaff; and David of Bangor. Richard, bishop of London, and Robert, bishop of Chester, were then dead, and no successors had yet been appointed to their sees. Thurstan, archbishop of York, however, sent messengers with letters giving reasonable cause for his failure to appear at the convocation. Ralph, bishop of Durham, fell ill on the journey and was unable to complete it, as the prior of his church and the clerics whom he sent ahead solemnly testified. Simon, bishop of Worcester, had gone overseas to visit his relatives and had not yet returned. Great multitudes of clergy and laity, both rich and poor, also flocked together, and the assembly was numerous and important. The council sat for three days, namely the third day before the ides (13 May), the following day, and the third day thereafter, being the seventeenth day before the calends of June (16 May). There were also proceedings concerning secular affairs: some matters were determined, some adjourned, and some withdrawn from the hearing of the judges because of the disorderly conduct of the immense crowd. But we have thought it desirable to record in this work the decrees and statutes made at this synod by the common consent of the bishops, as they were publicly declared and accepted there. They are as follows:

² I. We wholly prohibit, by the authority of St Peter, prince of the apostles, and by our own authority, the buying or selling of any ecclesiastical benefices or ecclesiastical dignities whatever. Whoever is convicted of violating this decree, if he is a cleric, even a regular canon or monk, let him be degraded from his order; if a layman, let him be declared an outlaw and excommunicated, and deprived of his patronage of the church or benefice.

³ II. We totally forbid, by the authority of the apostolic see, the ordination or promotion of any person in the Church of God for the sake of gain.

⁴ III. We condemn certain payments of money exacted for the admission of canons, monks, and nuns.

⁵ IV. No one shall be appointed dean unless he is a priest, nor archdeacon unless he is a deacon. If anyone in minor orders is appointed to these dignities, he shall be required by the bishop to take the necessary orders. But if he disobeys the bishop’s admonition to take such orders, he shall lose his appointment to the dignity.

⁶ V. We utterly forbid all illicit intercourse with women by priests, deacons, subdeacons, and all canons. If, however, they retain their concubines—which God forbid—or their wives, they are to be deprived of their ecclesiastical orders, dignity, and benefice. If there are any such among parish priests, we expel them from the chancel and declare them infamous. Moreover, we command, by the authority of God and our own, all archdeacons and officials whose duty it is to use the utmost care and diligence in rooting out this deadly evil from the Church of God. If they are found negligent in this, or—which God forbid—consenting to it, they are, for the first and second offence, to be duly corrected by the bishops, and for the third to be punished more severely, according to the canons.

⁷ VI. The concubines of priests and canons shall be expelled from the parish unless they have contracted a lawful marriage there. If they are afterwards found offending, they shall be arrested by the officers of the Church, in whatever lordship they may be; and we command, under pain of excommunication, that they shall not be sheltered by any jurisdiction, whether inferior or superior, but shall be duly delivered up to the officer of the Church to be subjected to ecclesiastical discipline or reduced to bondage, according to the sentence of the bishop.

⁸ VII. We prohibit, under pain of excommunication, any archdeacon from holding several archdeaconries in different dioceses; let him retain only that to which he was first appointed.

⁹ VIII. Bishops are to prohibit all priests, abbots, monks, and priors subject to their jurisdiction from holding farms.

¹⁰ IX. We command that tithes be honestly paid, for they are the sovereign right of the Most High God.

¹¹ X. We forbid, by canonical authority, anyone from giving or receiving churches, tithes, or other ecclesiastical benefices without the consent and authority of the bishop.

¹² XI. No abbess or nun is to wear garments made of richer material than lamb’s wool or cat-skin.

¹³ King Henry, who remained in London during these proceedings, being informed of the acts of the council, assented to them and, by his royal authority, ratified and confirmed the decrees of the synod held at Westminster by William, archbishop of Canterbury and legate of the holy Roman Church. One Hugh, of the diocese of Rochester, having been appointed abbot, was advanced with due honour to the dignity for which he had been designated, that of abbot of St Augustine’s, by William, archbishop of Canterbury, on Sunday, the second day before the ides (12 June), at Chichester. Richard, bishop of Hereford, died at his vill called Dydelebyrig on Monday, the eighteenth day before the calends of September (15 August); his body was carried to Hereford and buried in the church there with the bishops, his predecessors. Henry, king of England, crossed the sea.

A.D. 1128. #

¹ Thurstan, the archbishop, consecrated at York Robert, who had been intruded into the see of St Andrew’s by Alexander, king of Scots, at the request of David, his brother and successor. The archbishop had called upon Ralph, bishop of Durham, and another Ralph, formerly ordained bishop of the Orkney Islands, to assist him in the ceremony. This Ralph, having been ordained without the election or consent of the lord of the land, or of the clergy and people, was rejected by them all and acknowledged as bishop by no one. Being bishop of no city, he attached himself sometimes to the archbishop of York and sometimes to the bishop of Durham; he was supported by them and employed by both as a coadjutor in the performance of their episcopal functions. Robert, having been consecrated by these bishops, was not permitted by the Scots, as is reported, to make any profession of submission or obedience to the church of York or its bishop, although he was a canon of that church.

² A worthy man of advanced years, who was a canon of the church of Lyons, was elected bishop of London; for Richard, bishop of that city, was dead, and this man, named Gilbert and surnamed The Universal, was appointed in his place by King Henry and Archbishop William, with the assent of the clergy and people. He was consecrated by the archbishop himself in the mother church of Canterbury on Sunday, the eleventh day before the calends of February (22 January). Sigefrid, bishop of Chichester, and John, bishop of Rochester, assisted and took part in the ceremony, in the presence of the abbots and other great and noble persons assembled at Canterbury for the occasion; he first made his profession in the same manner as his predecessors had done, by which he promised canonical submission and obedience in all things to the archbishop and his successors.

³ Urban, bishop of Glamorgan or Llandaff, considering that he had not been dealt with justly concerning certain questions with Bernard, bishop of St David’s, which he had litigated at the council of the preceding year, crossed the sea after the feast of the Purification of St Mary (2 February) and, proceeding to Rome, laid the reason for his journey, supported by clear attestations from his own diocese, before the apostolic pope. The pope gave a favourable hearing to his claims and statements and addressed letters to King Henry, Archbishop William, and the other bishops of England, commanding them by his apostolic authority to permit no one to oppose Urban’s just demands.

⁴ The venerable Godfrey, abbot of Shrewsbury, died on Wednesday, the fourth day before the calends of April (24 March). Geoffrey, prior of Canterbury, was, at the request of David, king of Scots, and with the permission of William the archbishop, elected abbot of a place in Scotland called Dunfermline and ordained by Robert, bishop of St Andrew’s. Urban, bishop of Llandaff, returned to England after a successful journey, and by the king’s command the apostolic mandates concerning him were carried into effect.

⁵ One of the monks of the church of Shrewsbury, named Herbert, having been elected abbot and consecrated by Archbishop William at Lewes, assumed the government of the monastery at Shrewsbury as its abbot. Hugh, abbot of Chertsey, died. William, count of Flanders, surnamed The Sad, falling into an ambush, was wounded by his enemies and, as his sufferings increased, died amid universal lamentation on the sixth day before the calends of August (27 July), and was buried at St Bertin. Ralph, bishop of Durham, died on the nones (5 September); and Geoffrey, archbishop of Rouen, died on the fourth day before the calends of December (28 November).

A.D. 1129. #

¹ William, bishop of Winchester, died on the eighth day before the calends of February (25 January) and was buried at Winchester. In the month of July, Henry, king of England, returned from Normandy to England. His nephew Henry, abbot of Glastonbury, having been elected to the see of Winton in the month of October, was consecrated bishop by William, archbishop of Canterbury, on Sunday, the fifteenth day before the calends of December (17 November). Roger, archdeacon of Buckingham and nephew of Geoffrey de Clinton, having been elected to the see of Chester, was ordained priest on the twelfth day before the calends of January (21 December), and on the following day was consecrated bishop at Canterbury by the archbishop. He was afterwards enthroned, by the archbishop’s mandate, in the episcopal chair at Coventry by Simon, bishop of Worcester, on Monday, the sixth day before the calends of February (27 January).

A.D. 1130. #

¹ Hugh, abbot of Reading, was elected archbishop of Rouen. Christ Church at Canterbury was dedicated with great pomp by William, archbishop of that city, on the fourth day before the nones (4 May). The following bishops were present at the consecration: John, bishop of Rochester; Gilbert of London; Henry of Winchester; Simon of Worcester; Alexander of Lincoln; Roger of Salisbury; Godfrey of Bath; Everard of Norwich; Sigefrid of Chichester; Bernard of St David’s; together with Owen, bishop of Evreux, and John, bishop of Séez, from overseas. On the fourth day afterwards, that is, on the nones (7 May), the city of Rochester was destroyed by fire while the king was there; and on the following day, being the feast of our Lord’s Ascension, the new church of St Andrew was consecrated by William the archbishop, with some of the aforementioned bishops assisting him in the service. [Ansger], the excellent prior of Lewes, was elected at Winchester as abbot of Reading and afterwards ordained; Ingulph, prior of Winchester, having been elected at Woodstock as abbot of Abingdon, was also ordained by Roger, bishop of Salisbury. William, abbot of Gloucester, having voluntarily resigned his pastoral charge because of his age, chose, with the consent of the brethren, a pious monk of the same house named Walter, who was ordained abbot by Simon, bishop of Worcester, on Sunday, the nones (3 August). Serlo, also, a canon of Salisbury, was ordained abbot by the same bishop at Blockley, an episcopal vill, and appointed to govern the abbey of Cirencester. Robert, prior of the church of Llanthony, having been elected to the see of Hereford, was consecrated at Oxford by William, archbishop of Canterbury. Henry, king of England, crossed the sea.

A.D. 1131. #

¹ Reginald, the reverend abbot of Ramsey, died on the thirteenth day before the calends of June (20 May). William, the venerable abbot of Gloucester, and Hervey, who had been bishop of Bangor and was afterwards the first bishop of Ely, died on the third day before the calends of September (30 August), in the ninth indiction.

A.D. 1132. #

¹ A comet was seen on the eighth day before the ides of October (8 October) and remained visible for nearly five days. The greater part of the city of London, together with the principal church of St Paul the Apostle, was destroyed by fire in Whitsun week, that is, on the second day before the ides (14 May). In the thirty-third year of the reign of Henry, king of England, on Wednesday, the same day of the year on which his brother and predecessor, King William Rufus, had been slain, and on which King Henry himself had assumed the government at the beginning of his reign, the following appearance is said to have occurred. While the king, having gone to the coast in order to cross the sea, delayed his departure although the wind was often favourable for the voyage, at last, on the day mentioned, he went down to the shore at about noon to embark, surrounded by his guards, as is customary with kings. Then suddenly a cloud was seen in the air, visible throughout England though not of the same size everywhere; for in some places the day merely appeared gloomy, while in others the darkness was so great that people needed candlelight for whatever they had to do. The king and his attendants, and many others, walked about in great wonder and, raising their eyes to the heavens, observed that the sun appeared to shine like a new moon. But it did not long retain the same shape; for sometimes it was broader, sometimes narrower, sometimes more curved, sometimes more upright, now steady as usual and then moving, quivering, and fluid like quicksilver. Some say that the sun was eclipsed. If this is true, the sun was then in the head of the dragon and the moon in its tail, or the sun in the tail and the moon in the head, in the fifth sign and the seventeenth degree of that sign. The moon was then in her twenty-seventh day. On the same day and at the same hour, many stars appeared.

² Moreover, on the same day, when the ships lay anchored near the shore ready for the king’s voyage, the sea being very calm and little wind stirring, the great anchors of one of the ships were suddenly wrenched from their hold in the ground, as though by some violent shock, and the ship, getting under way, to the astonishment of the many people who strove in vain to stop her, set the ship next to her in motion; and thus eight ships collided with one another through some unknown force, so that they all suffered damage. It was also widely reported that on the same day and at about the same hour, many churches in the province of York were seen, as it were, sweating great drops.

³ All these events took place, as is said, on Wednesday, the fourth day before the nones (2 August). On Friday of the same week, the second day before the nones of the same month (4 August), at daybreak, there was a great earthquake in many parts of England. Some also said that in the following week, on Monday, the sixth day before the ides of the same month (8 August), when the moon was three days old, they first saw her as she usually appeared at that age and, after a short interval, in the evening of the same day, observed her full, like a round and very bright shield. Many also reported that on the same night they saw two moons, about a spear’s length apart from one another.

A.D. 1133. #

¹ Nevertheless, King Henry crossed the sea, leaving England for Normandy, never to return alive or see England again. In the month of November, the city of Worcester was exposed to the ravages of fire, a frequent occurrence.

A.D. 1134. #

¹ Robert, brother of King Henry and formerly earl of Normandy, who had been taken prisoner of war by the king in Normandy at the castle of Tinchebrai and had long been confined in England, died at Cardiff and, being carried to Gloucester, was buried with great honour beneath the pavement of the church before the altar. Godfrey, bishop of Bath, died on the seventeenth day before the calends of September (16 August); after some interval he was succeeded by a monk named Robert, a Fleming by descent but born in England. Thus Robert, from being a monk, became a bishop, such being the pleasure of Henry, bishop of Winchester, who is now, but was not at that time, legate of the Roman Church.

A.D. 1135. #

¹ Henry, king of England, died on the fourth day before the nones (2 December), in the sixty-ninth year of his age, after a reign of thirty-five years and four months; and Stephen, his sister’s son, having been elected to the kingdom of England, was consecrated king by William, archbishop of Canterbury, on the thirteenth day before the calends of January (20 December), at London, where he held his court at Christmas, surrounded by the nobles of England, with great courtesy and royal pomp. When the holy festival was over, the body of the recently deceased King Henry was brought from Normandy to England, and the king went to meet it, attended by a large body of nobles; and, for the love he bore his uncle, he supported the bier on his royal shoulders, assisted by his barons, and thus brought the body to Reading. Masses were sung, many rich offerings made, and alms distributed to multitudes of the poor; and, the obsequies having been duly solemnised and his effigy exposed to view upon a hearse, the royal body was laid with the highest honours in a tomb constructed, according to custom, before the altar in the principal church dedicated to the most blessed and glorious Virgin Mary, which King Henry himself, for the good of his soul, had endowed with lands, woods, meadows, and pastures, and enriched with many ornaments.

² May Henry, England’s king, to whom such wealth was given, Released from purgatorial pains, partake of bliss in heaven!

³ After his burial, with Stephen on the throne—and indeed long before—the bonds of peace were broken apart, and the greatest discord prevailed throughout Normandy and England. Man rose against man; discord was rife throughout the land, wasting the substance of both high and low and penetrating on every side within strong and lofty walls. Everyone plundered his neighbour’s goods. The powerful oppressed the weak by violence and escaped inquiry through the terror of their threats. Death was the lot of anyone who resisted. The wealthy nobles of the land, living in abundance, cared little about the injustices suffered by the wretched; all their concern was for themselves and their own followers. They stocked their castles and fortified towns with everything necessary and garrisoned them with armed bands, fearing a revolution which might alter the succession to the crown and failing to reflect upon the dispensations of the providence of God, “whose ways are past finding out” [Romans 11:33]. While all ought to have been hushed in peace in the presence of royalty, as before a roaring lion, there was no end to devastation and ravaging in countless places, especially in Wales. From this anyone may perceive with how little prudence and firmness, and with what injustice rather than justice, England, which ought to be governed very differently, was now ruled. Amid the prevailing lust for money and inordinate ambition for preferment of every kind, moderation, the mother of virtues, was scarcely to be found.

⁴ Stephen, king of England, marched into Devonshire with a large force of horse and foot and for a long time besieged the castle of Exeter, which Baldwin, surnamed de Redvers, had fortified in defiance of royal authority. At length, however, when the garrison ran short of provisions, terms were agreed, and Baldwin, with his wife and children, was expelled from England his lands forfeited. Ansger, the venerable abbot of Reading, died on the sixth day before the calends of February (27 January), and Godfrey, bishop of Bath, on the seventeenth day before the calends of September (16 August).

A.D. 1136. #

¹ Soon after the death of King Henry on the fourth day before the nones (2 December), a severe battle was fought in Gower between the Normans and the Welsh, on the calends (1 January), in which five hundred and sixteen men from the two armies perished. Their bodies were horribly dragged about the fields and devoured by wolves. Afterwards, the Welsh made a desperate incursion, accompanied by widespread destruction of churches, vills, corn, and cattle, the burning of castles and other fortified places, and the slaughter, dispersion, and sale into captivity in foreign lands of countless numbers of both rich and poor. Among these, the noble and amiable Richard, son of Gilbert, fell into an ambush and was slain by the Welsh on the seventeenth day before the calends of May (15 April); his body was carried to Gloucester and honourably buried in the chapter house of the brethren. Another bloody battle was afterwards fought at Cardigan, in the second week of October in this same year, in which the slaughter was so great that, without counting those who were carried away into captivity, there remained ten thousand women whose husbands, together with innumerable children, had either been drowned, burnt, or put to the sword. When the bridge over the River Tivy was broken down, it was a wretched spectacle to see crowds passing to and fro across a bridge formed by the horrible mass of human corpses and horses drowned in the river.

² William, archbishop of Canterbury, died at one of his vills on the twelfth day before the calends of December (20 November), in the fifteenth year of his patriarchate, and was buried at Canterbury. Guy, abbot of Pershore, a man of great prudence, died on the nones (5 August). Benedict, abbot of Tewkesbury, a man of devoted piety and strict continence, died on the ides (15 March).

³ Removed from this world’s strife,
God grant them endless life!

A.D. 1137. #

¹ In the month of March, before Easter, which fell on the fourth day before the ides (10 April), Stephen, king of England, crossed the sea and spent some time abroad. Griffyth-ap-Rhys, king of Wales, perished through the artifices of his wife. The Welsh, having suffered greatly in defence of their native land, not only from the powerful Normans but also from the Flemings, after many had fallen on both sides, at last subdued the Flemings and did not cease to cause devastation on all sides, plundering and burning the vills and castles and putting to death all who offered any resistance, the helpless as well as the armed. Among the rest, a knight, they say, of great bravery, named Paganus, was killed, pierced through the head by a lance while engaged in capturing and slaying some plundering Welshmen; his body was carried to Gloucester and buried in the monks’ chapter house. The city of York was destroyed by fire, together with the principal monastery, on Friday in Whitsun week, which fell on the sixth day before the ides (8 June). Shortly afterwards, the city of Rochester was also destroyed by fire. On Thursday, the fourth day before the calends of August (29 July), the church of Bath, and in the same month of August the city of Leicester, were burnt.

Miracles at Windsor. #

¹ One day, while the people were attending the celebration of mass at Windsor, as we have been informed by trustworthy persons, there was a sudden radiance inside the church; and some people, wondering what it was, went outside and saw a strange star shining in the heavens, and on returning observed that the light within descended from the star. Miracle followed miracle. Many saw the crucifix which stood on the altar moving and wringing its hands, the right with the left or the left with the right, in the manner of people in distress. After this had happened three times, the whole crucifix trembled and was bathed in sweat for nearly half an hour, afterwards returning to its former state.

Relics found at Southwell. #

¹ At Southwell, a vill belonging to the archbishop, while a grave was being dug for a burial, some relics of saints were found, together with a glass phial with raised sides to prevent it from being broken, full of very clear water; when this was given to the sick, they were restored to their former health after tasting it. I give the first of these miracles as I heard it; the last was related to me by Henry, bishop of Winchester.

Thurstan, Archbishop of York, with Roger, Bishop of Salisbury, and some other Bishops and Great Men of the Realm, held a Council at Northampton, in the Hearing of many Persons. #

Schism in the Church of Rome—Pope and Antipope. #

¹ The see of Rome had now been in an unsettled state for seven years because there were two popes, namely Gregory, who was also called Innocent, and Peter, called Leo, over whose cause war broke out between Lothaire, emperor of the Romans, and Roger, duke of Apulia. Both these princes possessed great wealth, but the former was the more religious as well as superior in dignity; the latter, to his own confusion, was more liberal with his gold. But the imperial majesty, as is fitting and just, surpasses the royal dignity in all things. Each appointed a bishop of bishops at Rome. Lothaire supported Gregory, who had been canonically elected; Roger granted the papacy of Rome to Peter Leo. But this mutual strife offended the cardinals and the prefect of the city, and for gain they admitted first Gregory, expelling Leo, and then Leo, expelling Gregory, to the apostolic see. At last Gregory, appointed by Lothaire, ruled the see of the apostles. Peter Leo, the whelp of the ancient Peter the Lion, sat at the Lateran like another pope. If both were inspired by ambition for power, neither was pleasing to God. While they played their parts in the world, they were reserved for the judgement of God, whose judgements are profound [Psalm 36:6]. Since this great schism had lasted for so many years in the chief of all the churches throughout the world, a day was fixed by common agreement among the princes on which a battle, by way of single combat between the two nations, the Romans and Apulians, should be fought, so that God, the omnipotent Judge of all, might give victory to whom he pleased. The Emperor Lothaire, therefore, although suffering from illness, assembled an immense army and pitched his camp in Apulia. Roger met him at the head of many thousands of troops, both horse and foot. In the encounter that followed, by God’s providence the emperor and his army gained the victory, while Roger and his forces were defeated and fled. The royal crown which he had caused to be made so that he might be crowned king, inlaid with gold and precious stones, and the royal spear, resplendent with gold, were discovered through treachery and presented to the emperor as an acceptable gift. Returning to his own country, he soon afterwards lost his kingdom and his life. Lewis, king of France, died and was succeeded by his son Lewis. Stephen, king of England, returned to England in the month of December and held his court during Christmas at Dunstable, a town in Bedfordshire.

A Thuringian Tradition. #

A.D. 1138. #

¹ Conrad [II], duke of Bavaria, the ninety-ninth emperor of the Romans, and nephew of Henry the Elder, whose empress had been the daughter of Henry, king of England, died after a reign of twelve years. In former times, a tribe migrating from the north reached the country of Thuringia, intending to settle there; and the inhabitants of that country granted them a large portion of their territory, as the foreigners requested. The people increased and multiplied exceedingly. After a long period had passed, they refused to pay the acknowledgement due to the Thuringians. Consequently, both sides met under arms, as was the custom of that nation, so that the debt might be demanded and paid. This happened not only once but a second time, without anyone on either side receiving a wound; on the third occasion it was agreed that both parties should meet unarmed under a guarantee of peace. The great body of foreigners assembled under the impression that the Thuringians were weak and that their country lacked both counsel and courage for its proper government. On the appointed day they came to the conference, having, as a precaution and for their own protection, long knives concealed beneath their garments. The proceedings were not conducted peacefully, but with violent disputes. In short, the Thuringians were overcome and the fierce foreign race triumphed; for, drawing their long knives, they slaughtered many of the Thuringians. The native inhabitants were driven in disgrace from their country and kindred, and nearly all their territory fell into the hands of those upon whom fickle fortune now smiled. The country which until that time had been called Thuringia then changed its name and, from the long knives of the conquerors, was afterwards called, not Saxony, but, in the English idiom, Sæxony.

Siege of Bedford—Irruption of the Scots. #

¹ When the Christmas feast days were over, Stephen, king of England, in order to maintain his royal crown in accordance with his name, placed himself at the head of his army and besieged and took the castle of Bedford, which resisted him, as he had previously taken Exeter. Receiving news from a messenger that his enemies had made an irruption and were devastating the lands, burning the vills, and besieging castles and towns, he marched with a strong force into Northumbria. He did not remain there long, having with some difficulty accomplished the object he had in view. Those well acquainted with the facts relate that, for nearly six months, a terrible irruption was made by numerous enemies of different races into Northumbria and the neighbouring country, both far and near. Multitudes were captured, plundered, imprisoned, and tortured; ecclesiastics were put to death for the sake of the property of their churches; and scarcely anyone could calculate the number slain either on the enemy’s side or our own.

² On the death of the apostolic Leo Peter, Innocent succeeded him, all who had supported Peter against him making satisfaction and being entirely reconciled to him. This pope consecrated Alberic, abbot of Vercelli, as bishop of Ostia on Easter Day at Rome.

How the Devil, in the Shape of a Black Dwarf, was made a Monk. #

¹ About this time, reports of the following miracle circulated everywhere. There is a noble monastery in the archdiocese of Treves called Prum, dedicated to the apostles St Peter and St Paul and founded in ancient times by Pepin, king of the Franks, father of Charles the Great. A strange occurrence was reported by all who were then inmates of this monastery. One morning, the cellarer, accompanied by his servant, went into the wine cellar to obtain wine, as usual, for the sacrifice of the altar, and found that one of the casks which he had left full the previous day had been emptied down to the opening commonly called the bung-hole, with the wine spilt over the entire floor. Greatly dismayed by the loss, he sharply rebuked the servant who was with him, saying that he had secured the spigot very negligently the previous evening and that the loss had therefore occurred. Having said this, he sternly ordered him to tell no one what had happened, fearing that if it reached the abbot’s ears he would disgracefully remove him from his office. When evening came, before the brethren retired to rest, he went into the cellar and, having carefully secured the bung-holes of the vessels containing wine, shut the door and went to bed.

² In the morning, entering the cellar as usual, he saw that another cask had been emptied as far as the bung-hole and the wine spilt, as on the previous day. At this sight, not knowing whose negligence he could blame for the waste, he was filled with wonder and grief; and, repeating his command to the servant to tell no one what had happened, in the evening before going to bed he fastened all the bungs of the casks with the greatest care and went to his bed, sorrowful and anxious. Rising at daybreak and opening the cellar, he saw for the third time that the bung had been drawn from a cask and that the wine had spilt as far as the hole. Being terrified, and not without cause, by these events, and fearing to conceal the community’s loss any longer, he hastened to the abbot and, throwing himself at his feet, related in order everything he had seen. The abbot, after consulting his brethren, ordered that towards evening the bung-holes of all the casks containing wine should be anointed around with chrism; and this was done. At dawn, the aforementioned brother entered the cellar according to his custom and found a remarkably dwarfish black boy clinging with his hands to one of the bungs. Hastily seizing him and bringing him to the abbot, he said: “Look, my lord, this urchin whom you see has caused all the damage we have discovered in the cellar;” after which he related how he had found the boy hanging from the bung. The abbot, astonished at the boy’s extraordinary appearance, took counsel and ordered that a monk’s habit should be prepared for him and that he should associate with the youths who were scholars in the monastery. This was done, and, as the abbot commanded, the boy lived with the young scholars day and night, but never took food or drink and never spoke either in public or private; while the others rested at night or during the midday hours, he sat upon his bed, constantly moaning and continually heaving sighs. Meanwhile, the abbot of another monastery came to offer his devotions in that church and remained there for several days. As the young scholars frequently passed before him while he sat with the abbot and elders of the monastery, the little boy stretched out his hands towards him and cast a tearful glance at him, as though wishing to ask some favour. When this happened repeatedly, the abbot, wondering at his diminutive appearance, asked those sitting with him why they kept such a little boy in the convent. They replied, smiling, “My lord, the boy is not what you suppose;” and they told him of the loss he had caused them, how he had been found clinging by his hands to the bung of a cask, and how he had behaved while living among them. On hearing this, the abbot was alarmed and, groaning deeply, exclaimed, “Quickly expel him from your monastery, lest you suffer greater loss or serious danger; for he is clearly a devil lurking in human form, but by the mercy of God protecting you, through the merits of the saints whose relics you have here, he has been unable to do you further harm.” At the command of the abbot of that monastery, the boy was immediately brought before him, and while they were stripping off his monastic habit, he vanished from their hands like smoke.

A Council at Northampton. #

¹ Stephen, king of England, held a council at Northampton in the octave of Easter, which fell on the fourth day before the ides (10 April). Thurstan, archbishop of York, and all the bishops, abbots, earls, barons, and nobles of England took their seats at it. At this council an archdeacon named Robert, the choice of a few, was appointed bishop of the church of Exeter, then vacant through the death of its bishop, William de Warewast. Two abbeys were also given away: that of Winchcombe to a monk of Cluni, said to be a relative of the king, named Robert; and the other, that of York, to a monk of the same abbey. One of these, the abbot-elect of Winchcombe, was ordained abbot of that monastery by the venerable Simon, bishop of Worcester, on the eleventh day before the calends of June (22 May).

Royal Visit to Gloucester. #

¹ The king, breaking up his camp at Northampton, marched towards Gloucester, and when his approach became known, the citizens met him more than five miles along the road with great joy and conducted him into their city, while he received the honours they paid him very graciously. On his arrival there, on the third Rogation day (10 May), the monks received him with the pomp of a procession, and he offered his royal ring upon the altar, which the king’s chaplains redeemed for fifty shillings and returned to him the same day. From there Milo, who was then his constable, conducted him with great honour to the royal palace, where on the following day the citizens swore allegiance to him. On the third day, being Thursday, the king returned with his attendants to the abbey and joyfully attended masses and processions in honour of our Lord’s Ascension.

Stephen marches to Hereford. #

¹ When the festival was over, the king, having heard that the castle of Hereford was fortified against him, placed himself at the head of a powerful expedition and pitched his camp against it, finding on his arrival that the report he had heard was true. He therefore remained there for nearly four or five weeks and issued orders throughout England that bodies of troops should march to support him in suppressing all who opposed his royal title.

² Meanwhile, the city of Hereford below the bridge over the River Wye was burnt before his eyes. Not long afterwards, news of the lamentable burning of the city of Oxford reached the king and his court. The garrison of Hereford, perceiving with certainty from the numbers and strength of the royal army that the king would triumph over them, made terms and surrendered to him. And since Stephen was, and indeed is, a loving and peaceable king, he harmed no one, but allowed his enemies to depart freely. The king also took the fortified place called Wibbeleage, which Geoffrey de Talbot had held against him but afterwards abandoned. It was through his schemes and ability that the king’s adversaries were supported in breaking the peace. The aforementioned castles, together with that of Hereford, were garrisoned by the king’s troops.

³ Meanwhile, Alberic, the aforementioned bishop of Ostia, came to England commissioned as apostolic legate to root out and destroy, build up and plant [Jeremiah 1:10], all things that required it. After the letters from the apostolic see had been read in the presence of the king and the nobles of England, he was at length received, though not at first, out of reverence for the apostolic see. Travelling throughout England, he noted everything and kept in mind whatever required correction through the provision and ordinance of a council. The king, having spent some time at Hereford, departed with his troops. The city, thus deprived of the royal presence, was burnt beyond the River Wye by the aforementioned Geoffrey on the eighteenth day before the calends of July (15 June), none of our own people, but seven or eight of the Welsh, having been killed. I say nothing of the bloodshed of many others, for I know nothing of it; but this I beg:

⁴ May Christian souls in everlasting rest
Be with the saints, their warfare ended, blessed;
And John corrected, if there should occur
Anything in which the reader finds his pages err!

The Bishops arrested. #

¹ Then the king, when the Nativity of St John (24 June) was near, proceeded to Oxford and, hearing that the castle of Devizes was fortified against him, sent messengers to Roger, bishop of Salisbury, the founder of the castle, who was then at Malmesbury, commanding him to come and confer with him. It is said that the bishop undertook this journey with great reluctance, believing that he would never return, and took with him his two nephews, the bishops of Lincoln and Ely, and a large retinue of mounted and well-armed soldiers. Seeing this, the king, suspecting treason, ordered his followers to arm themselves and be ready to defend him if necessary. While the king was engaged with the bishops in discussing various affairs, a furious quarrel arose between the two parties of soldiers concerning their quarters; and, when the king’s troops rushed to arms, the bishops’ men fled, leaving all their baggage behind. Roger, bishop of Salisbury, together with the bishop of Lincoln and his son Roger, surnamed The Poor, were captured; the bishop of Ely escaped and, having reached the castle of Devizes, fortified it and held it against the king. The king, greatly incensed, went in pursuit of him, placing the bishops he had arrested in custody: Roger in the crib of an ox-house, and the other in a mean hut, while he threatened to hang the third unless the castle was quickly surrendered to him. Roger, learning this and fearing for his son, bound himself by an oath that he would neither eat nor drink until the king had possession of the castle; he kept this oath and neither ate nor drank for three days.

Transactions at Bristol and Bath, etc. #

¹ The king proceeded from there with his royal attendants to London. But Geoffrey de Talbot, deserting with his followers, went over to the son of the earl of Gloucester, who held Bristol Castle against the king, and devoted himself to its defence. One day, under the pretext of giving assistance to a certain straggler, but more, as afterwards appeared, with the intention of reconnoitring Bath and later attacking it, he made his way there in company with two valiant knights, William Hoset and another. When this was discovered, Robert, bishop of Bath, thinking to triumph over the king’s enemies, drew out a body of soldiers and marched cautiously against him. Two of them fled, but Geoffrey was captured and placed in custody. The garrison of Bristol, greatly enraged by this, marched threateningly towards Bath under the son of the earl, their lord, and sent a message to the bishop threatening that, unless their comrade Geoffrey was released, they would hang the bishop and his followers on a gallows. At this, the bishop, fearful, like a hireling, for his own life and those of his people, brought Geoffrey out of custody and delivered him to them in accordance with their demands. When this reached the king’s ears, he was inflamed with anger against the bishop, regarding him as an accomplice of his enemies; and he would probably have taken his pastoral staff from him, though in doing so he would have been moved more by anger than by love of peace. But since the bishop had acted under compulsion and against his will, the king did not give way to his wrath, upon which, according to the apostolic precept, it is sinful to let the sun go down [Ephesians 4:26-27].

² Soon afterwards, the king moved his army towards Bristol, where in those times infernal cruelties, worthy of the reigns of Nero or Decius, were practised by a kinsman of the earl named Philip Gay. Through his agency, various bitter torments were devised there which, afterwards introduced far and wide throughout England, nearly reduced the island to ruin. The king, therefore, having wasted and burnt the lands and vills of the earl of Gloucester in that neighbourhood, besieged the castle for some time. At last, weary of the length of the siege, he withdrew to besiege the earl’s other castles, Cariff in Dorsetshire and Harptree in Somersetshire, and, having constructed forts against them and garrisoned them with soldiers, he departed and marched with his whole army to attack Dudley Castle, which Ralph Paganel had fortified against him. Having set the surrounding country on fire and seized and carried away large herds of cattle, he went by sea with a large body of troops to besiege Shrewsbury Castle, which William Fitz-Allan held against him. Hearing, however, of the king’s approach, William secretly escaped with his wife and children and some others, leaving in the castle those who had sworn to remain faithful to him and never surrender it. After the castle had been besieged for several days, according to the accounts of well-informed people, a machine of the following kind was prepared: a large structure of timber was assembled and brought forward; the castle ditch was filled by the king’s command; fire was kindled; and the smoke, rising into the air, suffocated everyone. When the royal gate had been forced open, the whole garrison attempted miserably to escape by leaping from or creeping out of the castle; but the king ordered that they should be pursued and put to death. Five of the highest-ranking men among them were hanged. The enemy having been defeated, the king departed from there and proceeded to attack Wareham; but a treaty having been made, Ralph Paganel and the king agreed to a truce for a time.

³ Meanwhile, the aforementioned earl of Bristol and Milo the constable, having made an alliance against the king and renounced the fealty they had sworn to him, sent envoys to invite the former empress, King Henry’s daughter, promising her that within five months she would possess her father’s kingdom, in accordance with the allegiance that had been sworn to her during his lifetime. This was the beginning of the troubles. This defection, the most serious of all, indeed almost the final one, brought ruin upon the whole country.

Irruption of the Scots, and Battle of the Standard. #

¹ During these events, David, king of Scotland, made a third irruption from the borders of his kingdom with large forces of both horse and foot, and began to set fire to farms, towns, and castles on the borders of Northumbria, and to lay waste nearly the whole country. But when at last he threatened to carry his invasion as far as York and the Humber, Thurstan, archbishop of York, conferred with the Yorkshiremen and prevailed upon them all, with one consent, to swear fealty to King Stephen and resist the king of Scots. David, however, was still more enraged by this and, rejecting all advice to the contrary, reached the River Tees on the octave of the Assumption of St Mary (22 August), which fell on a Monday, and determined to take our troops by surprise, there being a thick fog that morning. Hoping, therefore, to come upon us unawares, he left many vills untouched and would not allow his men to set fire to any place, as they usually did. Meanwhile, our troops, though warned somewhat late by a squire and nearly taken by surprise, armed themselves and drew up in battle order with the utmost speed, sending archers forward, who severely harassed the Scots. Then the king’s barons advanced with the knights, all having dismounted and stationed themselves in the front rank, and thus fought hand to hand with the enemy. The conflict was ended and victory secured at the very first onset, for the Scots gave way and either fell or fled in the greatest alarm. Our men, however, being on foot and having caused all their horses to be led some distance away, were unable to continue the pursuit for long; otherwise they would have captured or put to the sword the king himself, together with his son and all his immediate attendants. Nearly ten thousand men of his army fell in various places, and as many as fifty persons of rank were taken prisoner. The defeated king himself escaped by flight, overwhelmed with terror and shame. His chancellor, William Comyn, was captured by the bishop of Durham; but, being set free, he gave thanks to God, earnestly hoping that he would never again fall into such a predicament. The king’s son reached Carlisle on foot, attended by a single knight; and his father escaped with some difficulty through the woods and thickets to Roxburgh. He had led an innumerable army consisting of Frenchmen, Englishmen, Scots, Galwegians, and the people of all the islands which owed him allegiance; but only nineteen out of two hundred of his mailed knights carried their armour back, for almost everyone left behind nearly all that he possessed as spoil for the enemy, so that an immense booty of horses, arms, clothing, and many other things was taken from his army. Eustace Fitz-John, who had joined his expedition, met with a similar fate, having been wounded and barely escaping with his life to his castle. Among the valiant men who, in Christ’s name, fought on behalf of King Stephen were the earl of Albemarle, Bernard de Baliol, and many others, but the earl was distinguished for his bravery in the battle.

² On his return, the king of Scots, in order to encourage his followers and console himself, laid siege with all his forces and various engines and machines to the castle of Wark, or Carron, belonging to Walter d’Epec, from which he had been driven by the earl of Mellent; but the garrison made a stout and desperate resistance, and he had no success, for they made frequent sallies and either cut to pieces or burnt his engines, besides killing many of his soldiers; therefore, at last, he despaired of being able to take it.

Atmospheric Phenomena—Great Wealth left by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury. #

¹ On the seventh day of October, when the moon was twenty-nine days old, in the dusk of the evening before Saturday, the whole firmament towards the north appeared red, and rays of various colours were seen mingling and moving about. Perhaps these signs portended the vast shedding of blood in Northumberland many other places throughout England, of which we have spoken. A most pious monk named William, belonging to the cell of Eye, having been elected, was ordained abbot of Pershore by Simon, bishop of Worcester, on Sunday, the twelfth day before the calends of December (20 November). Roger, bishop of Salisbury, a great builder of castles and fortified residences, being worn to death by grief and vexation, died at his episcopal see on the second day before the nones (4 December) and was buried in that church, leaving in his castles immense sums of money, which fell not into the hands of God but into those of King Stephen. Some say that more than forty thousand silver marks were found there, and that he had likewise hoarded a vast quantity of gold and various ornaments, not knowing for whom he had gathered them. He enriched the church dedicated to St Mary, mother of God, with magnificent ornaments.

A Synod held at London. #

¹ In the year of our Lord 1138, in the ninth year of the pontificate of Pope Innocent and the third year of the reign of King Stephen, a synod was held at London, in the church of St Peter the Apostle at Westminster, on 13 December. At this synod, after much discussion, sixteen canons were published with universal consent. It was presided over by Alberic, bishop of Ostia, legate in England Scotland of the said lord pope, and attended by seventeen bishops of various dioceses, about thirty abbots, and an immense multitude of clergy and people.

A New Abbot at Gloucester. #

A.D. 1139. #

¹ The feast of our Lord’s Nativity having passed, and that of the Purification of St Mary, his mother, drawing near, the venerable father Walter, abbot of Gloucester, died at about the third hour of the day, after holding his preferment for nine and a half years; he was buried by the venerable abbots Reynold of Evesham and Roger of Tewkesbury on the sixth day before the ides (8 February). After his burial, two of the brethren were sent to Cluni to fetch our lord-elect Gilbert, King Stephen having, on hearing of his eminent worth and at the request of Milo, his constable, conferred upon him at London the preferment of the abbey of Gloucester. Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, Simon, bishop of Worcester, Roger, bishop of Coventry, Robert, bishop of Exeter, and Reynold, abbot of Evesham, having been unanimously chosen, proceeded by the pope’s command to the threshold of St Peter. On their arrival, they were received with great honour by the apostolic see and granted seats in the Roman council, something without precedent for many ages. Having there freely presented their business, they returned home with joy, bringing with them the synodal decrees, now recorded far and wide throughout England. The two monks who had been sent to bring over the lord abbot Gilbert also returned safely and presented him to King Stephen, who received him graciously and conferred upon him, to hold freely, the fief of the church of Gloucester. He came to Worcester on the feast of Whitsuntide, which fell on the third day before the ides (11 June), and was there ordained with great rejoicing and divine praises by the venerable Robert, bishop of Hereford; and, leaving there on the following day, he was installed at Gloucester with great joy and exultation and the acclamations of the common people of both orders, in a manner befitting such a man in the Lord.

King Stephen at Worcester, Hereford, and Oxford. #

¹ Within the octave of Easter, which fell on the second day before the calends of May (30 April), Stephen, the magnificent king of England, came to Worcester with a royal retinue and was received with great festivity by the clergy and the people of the city and surrounding district in solemn procession. When the prayers had ended and the customary blessing had been given, the king took his royal ring from his finger and offered it upon the altar; and on the following day it was returned to him by common consent of the monks. The king, therefore, marvelling at the humility and devotion of the flock of the church of Worcester, or rather of the Lord, took back his ring, as he had been adjured to do for the love of St Mary, mother of God. After leaving Worcester, the king encamped at Ludlow, where he caused forts to be erected in two positions and stationed strong bodies of troops in them to assault the castle, which held out against him; then, returning by way of Worcester, he marched towards London. Some of the soldiers, unsparing in their execrable warfare and driven by their headstrong courage, determined to test their strength against Ludlow. To accomplish this undertaking, large bodies of troops began to gather. It was truly a pitiable sight to see one man level his spear against another and run him through, thus putting him to death without considering what judgement the departing spirit would receive. But King Stephen checked such designs by the terror of his threats; and, going a second time to Ludlow by way of Worcester, settled everything peacefully, and then made a quiet and joyful journey to Oxford, that is, the ox-ford. While he remained there, a charge of rebellion urgently requiring it, he arrested Roger, bishop of Salisbury, and his nephew, the bishop of Lincoln, together with Roger, his chancellor, for engaging in a treasonable conspiracy against his crown, and committed them to custody. On hearing this, Nigel, bishop of Ely, fearing for himself and his followers, fled with a body of soldiers to Devizes so that he might find protection there. The case of these bishops has already been stated more fully in this work, but it appears to have been brought to a conclusion in the present year. At a council afterwards held, it was enacted that all fortified towns, castles, and strong places whatever throughout England, being devoted chiefly to secular purposes, should submit to the jurisdiction of the king and his barons; but that churchmen, namely the bishops, whom I shall call God’s watch-dogs, should not cease to bark in defence of their flock and should take every care lest the invisible wolf, their malignant enemy, tear and scatter the sheep [John 10:12].

The Empress and the Earl, her Brother, land in England. #

¹ In the month of October, the earl of Gloucester, son of King Henry, the late king of England, but illegitimate, together with his sister on their father’s side, formerly empress of the Romans and now countess of Anjou, returned to England with a large army, having landed at Portsmouth before the feast of St Peter ad Vincula, on the calends (1 August), while the king was besieging Marlborough; and their arrival filled all England with alarm. On receiving this news, Stephen, king of England, was greatly disturbed and very angry with those whose duty it was to guard the seaports vigilantly. He is the king of peace, and would that he were also the king of vigour and justice, treading his enemies underfoot, determining all things by the balance of equal justice, and by the power of his might protecting and strengthening the friends of peace. When, however, he learnt that the former queen had received the former empress, with her large band of retainers, at Arundel, he was greatly displeased and marched his army there. But she, awed by the king’s majesty and fearing that she might lose the rank she held in England, swore solemnly that no enemy of his had come to England at her invitation, but that, without prejudice to her dignity, she had granted hospitality to persons of rank who had formerly been attached to her. On hearing this, the king dismissed her and ordered the bishop of Winchester to conduct the former empress with honour, since she was his cousin, to her brother at Bristol Castle, while he himself went in pursuit of the earl. But, hearing nothing certain about him, for he had taken to certain by-roads for a time, he led his troops elsewhere, as he had planned. Milo, the constable, having renounced his oath of allegiance to the king, went over to the earl of Gloucester, his liege lord, with a large body of troops, promising on his fealty to assist him against the king. The calamities which flowed from this quarter, namely the city of Bristol, and spread throughout England are beyond the knowledge or eloquence of man to describe; for as many as could be captured of those who opposed him or obeyed the royal authority were made prisoners, and all the captives were put in chains and subjected to horrible tortures. New forms of cruel punishment were devised; mercenary troops were enlisted in every direction to carry on the work of destruction, and the inhabitants of the villages and farms, together with all their goods and possessions, were given or sold to them as their pay.

The Empress at Bristol Castle—Cruelties at Gloucester. #

¹ This lady remained at Bristol for more than two months, receiving homage from all and exercising the prerogatives of the crown of England at her pleasure. She went there in the month of October, and on the eighteenth day before the calends of November (15 October) came to Gloucester, where she received the submission and homage of the citizens and the people of the surrounding district. But tortures worthy of Decius and Nero, and death in various forms, were inflicted upon those who refused to do her homage and chose to maintain their fealty to the king; and the city, glorious in former ages, was filled with shrieks and fearful torments and became a place of horror to its inhabitants. Amid these miseries, the king laid siege to the castle of Wallingford, which held out against him. Weary of the long siege, and having erected forts against it, he marched away and encamped near Malmesbury, where he also constructed works against his adversaries, the authors of the rebellion.

The City and Cathedral of Worcester Sacked. #

¹ Meanwhile, sad tidings reached the citizens of Worcester. It was widely reported that the city would soon be sacked by the enemy and, after being plundered, set on fire. Terrified by these reports, the citizens of Worcester consulted together about what was best to be done. After this council, in their distress they sought refuge in the sanctuary of the Most High God the Father and his most blessed Mother, and committed themselves and all that belonged to them to his divine protection under their patron saints, SS Oswald and Wulfstan, bishops of that city. Then crowds of citizens could be seen carrying their possessions into the church. Oh, wretched sight! Look, the house of God, which ought to have been entered with offerings, where the sacrifice of praise [Hebrews 13:15] should have been offered and the most solemn vows fulfilled, now seems nothing but a storehouse for furniture! Look, the principal conventual church of the whole diocese is converted into quarters for the townspeople and a kind of council chamber; for little room is left for the servants of God in a lodging crowded with chests and sacks. Within is heard the chant of the clergy, outside the wailing of children; and the notes of the choir mingle with the sobs of infants at the breast and the cries of grieving mothers. Oh, misery of miseries to look! There stands the high altar, stripped of its ornaments, the crucifix removed, and the image of Mary, the most holy Mother of God, taken away. Curtains and palls, albs and copes, stoles and chasubles are hidden in recesses of the walls. Everything that gave grace and splendour to the celebration of divine service on the festivals of the saints, all its customary magnificence, had vanished. All these things were put out of sight for fear of the enemy, lest he should take them by surprise and, sweeping away everything he could lay his hands upon, succeed in his insane enterprise.

² At the beginning of winter, one morning at daybreak, namely on Tuesday, the seventh day before the ides (7 November), while we were engaged in lauds in the church and had already chanted prime, look, the reports we had heard for many days were realised. A numerous and powerful army arrived from the south, the source of the mischief. The city of Gloucester had risen in arms and, supported by a countless host of horse and foot, marched to attack, plunder, and burn the city of Worcester. Alarmed for the treasures of the sanctuary, we put on our albs and, while the bells tolled, bore the relics of Oswald, our most gentle patron, out of the church in a suppliant procession; and, while the enemy were rushing in from one gate to another, carried them through the cemetery. The enemy, gathered in a body, hastened first to attack a strong fort which stood in the southern quarter of the city, near the castle. Our people made a brave and obstinate resistance. The enemy, being repulsed at this point, saw beacons lit on the north side of the city and attempted to enter there. As there were no fortifications on that side, the entire host rushed tumultuously in, mad with fury, and set fire to houses in many places. Alas! A considerable part of the city was destroyed, but most of it remained standing and unburnt. Immense plunder was carried away, consisting of chattels of every kind from the city, and oxen, sheep, cattle, and horses from the countryside. Many people were seized in the streets and suburbs and dragged into miserable captivity, coupled together like hounds. Whether they had the means or not, whatever ransom their cruel enemies fixed for them they were forced to swear that they would pay, and to discharge the amount. These things were done on the first day of winter, which would doubtless be very severe for the wretched sufferers.

³ And now, the plunder having been carried away and many buildings burnt, the host of fierce revellers withdrew, never to return on so foul an enterprise. The earl came to Worcester on 13 November and, seeing the devastation caused by the flames, mourned over the city and felt that the injury had been done to himself. Burning for revenge, therefore, he hastened to Sudely with a body of troops, having heard that John Fitz-Harold had revolted against the king and joined the earl of Gloucester. If it is asked what the earl did there, the answer is scarcely fit to record: returning evil for evil [Romans 12:17; 1 Peter 3:9], he seized the people, their goods, and cattle and, carrying them away, returned the following day to Worcester.

King Stephen at Worcester and Hereford. #

¹ After these events, the king marched from Oxford to Worcester with a large army and, seeing before his eyes what he had previously heard of its disaster, mourned over it. Remaining there for three or four days, he conferred the dignity of constable, of which he had deprived Milo of Gloucester, upon William, son of Walter de Beauchamp, sheriff of Worcestershire. Here a report reached the king that his enemies, having broken their sworn promises of peace, had attacked Hereford and forced their way into the monastery of St Ethelbert, king and martyr, as though it were a fortified castle. The king therefore set out and encamped at Little Hereford, or Leominster, where some of the inhabitants, after taking counsel, swore fealty to him; while others, refusing, sent him this message: “Although we will not swear, the king may, if he pleases, trust in the truth of our words.” As the holy days of Advent were close at hand (3 December), a truce was agreed between them, and the king returned to Worcester, where a certain cleric of eminent piety named Maurice, who had been elected by the clergy and people to the church of Bangor, was presented to the king at the castle by Robert, bishop of Hereford, and Sigefrid, bishop of Chichester, who, accompanying him, attested his canonical election and fitness for the office of bishop; and the king confirmed the appointment. But when urged by the bishops to do homage to the king, he replied that he could by no means do so. “There is,” he said, “among us a man of great piety whom I regard as my spiritual father, and who was archdeacon to my predecessor David, and he forbade me to take this oath.” To this they replied, “Reason requires that you should do as we have done.” Whereupon he said, “If you, who are men of high authority, have done this, I will hesitate no longer to do the same.” He therefore swore fealty to the king.

King Stephen goes to Oxford, and from there to Salisbury. #

¹ From Worcester the king proceeded to Oxford, and from there with his court to Salisbury, where he intended to celebrate the feast of Christmas and, according to royal custom, to wear his crown. The canons presented him with two thousand pounds, and he granted them complete exemption from all taxes on their lands; moreover, he gave them twenty marks for their own use and forty for roofing the church, and promised that, when peace was restored, he would repay them what they had bestowed upon him.

The King at Reading—Marches against Ely. #

A.D. 1140. #

¹ A few days after Christmas, the king and his court proceeded to Reading, where the lot of mortals teaches a lesson concerning the little value of royal pomp. While there, by the advice of his council, he gave pastors of their own to two abbeys, Malmesbury and Abbotsbury, which Bishop Roger, as long as he lived, had stripped of their honours and kept in his own hands. He bestowed Malmesbury Abbey upon John, a monk of great worth, and that of Abbotsbury upon another named Geoffrey. Then, in order to secure peace and put an end to warfare, which I call a vain thing, he prepared an expedition against Ely; a measure much to be deplored, because it tended to increase the arrogance of the soldiery by gratifying their love of vain glory. They enlist themselves, accept the terms, array themselves in arms, and the conqueror seizes everything belonging to the vanquished, according to agreements founded upon the detestable love of gain; and, if I may compare great things with small, they whisper to one another, like Judah and his brother Jonathan, dwelling in the land of Gilead, to Joseph and Azarias: “Let us also get us a name, and go fight against the heathen that are round about us” [1 Maccabees 5:57]. They inflict wounds with sword and spear, caring little what will become of the miserable souls of the slain. During the rebellion of those who revolted against the king, many on both sides were wounded, taken prisoner, and thrown into confinement. The bishop of Ely, finding himself confronted by the valour of the king and the impetuosity of his troops, gave way, indeed fled like a hireling [John 10:12], and, withdrawing to the neighbourhood of Gloucestershire, went over to Earl Robert. Nor was this surprising, for he had lost, as it were, his right hand when his uncle Roger, bishop of Salisbury, died. The king took possession of Ely Castle and placed his own soldiers in it.

Thurstan, Archbishop of York, retires to Pontefract. #

¹ Thurstan, the twenty-sixth archbishop of York in succession, a man advanced in years and full of days, put off the old man and put on the new [Ephesians 4:22-24], retiring from worldly affairs and becoming a monk at Pontefract on the twelfth day before the ides of February (21 January); and, dying in a good old age on the nones (5 February), he lies buried there.

Winchcombe and other Places attacked. #

¹ Milo, the former constable, having assembled a numerous body of troops, attacked Winchcombe on Thursday, the second day before the calends of February (31 January), and burnt the greater part of the place, which he plundered; and he carried away those whom he had stripped of their goods in order most unjustly to exact from them the mammon of unrighteousness [Luke 16:9] in the form of ransom. From there he turned aside to Sudely, but while he was contemplating an attack, the royal garrison of the place fell upon him and forced him to retreat, leaving, as is reported, two of his men dead on the spot and fifteen taken prisoner. The king and the earl of Worcester came with a large army to Worcester, and after a few days the earl first, and then the king, advanced in great force to Little Hereford for the purpose of driving out their enemies. During the king’s stay in those parts, the earl, mindful of the injuries he had received from his townsmen, attacked Tewkesbury with a strong body of men-at-arms and burnt the magnificent house of the earl of Gloucester, which stood within a mile of Gloucester, together with everything in its vicinity and some property belonging to others; but, yielding to the entreaties of the lord abbot and monks of Tewkesbury, he spared their possessions. Having taken much spoil, both people and their goods and cattle, he was moved by clemency to order the captives to be released and allowed to return to their homes; and on the following day he returned to Worcester, declaring to everyone that he had scarcely ever caused so great a conflagration either in Normandy or England. The king also, on his return to Worcester, set out on the road to Oxford.

² The aforementioned Maurice and Uhtred were consecrated bishops of Bangor and Llandaff by Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by the bishops of Hereford and Exeter. The king, on his arrival at Winchester, by the advice of his barons, gave the bishopric of Salisbury to Philip, his chancellor, and the abbey of Fécamp to Henry, a monk who was his kinsman. The sun was eclipsed while the moon was in the tail of the Dragon, but it illuminated the head.

³ An agreement was made between Philip, king of France, and Stephen, king of England, after consultation with their barons, that Stephen’s son should marry the sister of the king of France. The betrothal took place overseas in the month of February, in the presence of the queen-mother of England a great number of English nobles assembled there.

Robert Fitz-Hubert, a Freebooter. #

¹ There was a certain knight named Robert, the son of a nobleman named Hubert. This man, fearing neither God nor man [Luke 18:2], but trusting solely in his own might, took the castle of Malmesbury by a well-devised stratagem. Some of the king’s knights who were stationed there took refuge for sanctuary in the church of St Aldhelm the bishop. Pressing them to surrender, Robert one day burst into the monks’ chapter house at the head of armed men and, with terrible threats, demanded that they surrender the distinguished royalists, together with their horses, on pain of confiscation of their property. They, however, horrified at allowing the peace of God and of their patron, St Aldhelm, to be violated, refused to consent to his demand; but at last, though reluctantly, they surrendered the horses in order to appease his fury. After Robert Fitz-Hubert had held the castle for some time and exhausted the whole neighbourhood by his ravages, the king came to its relief and besieged the place for nearly eight days. William d’Ypres, said to be a kinsman of this Robert, acted as intermediary for the surrender of the castle and at last agreed terms of peace with the king, the castle being surrendered with complete submission to his royal rights; and this was done.

² Meanwhile, Robert joined the earl of Gloucester, intending to remain with him for a time, though all the while plotting treachery. Not long afterwards, since he had neither the sense nor the inclination to follow a right course, but still thirsted for blood, he went with his own retainers to Devizes without the earl’s knowledge; and, having first made an agreement with his followers that the castle, once taken, should never be surrendered, he scaled the wall by force or stratagem, sounded the note of triumph over the king’s soldiers in the garrison, took the outer forts by surprise, and subjected many to his cruelty. Four days afterwards, by force or fraud, he gained possession of the citadel within and, in the pride of his heart, ravaged every part of the surrounding country by day and night, incessantly doing all the damage he could. At last he went to John, a renowned knight who then held Marlborough Castle in fealty to the king, and threatened him to follow his advice, or rather his command, and join with him in wreaking his satanic malice not only upon the king, but upon the earl and everyone else; threatening that, if he refused, he would lose his life when he least expected it. John replied, “In the name of God, I would rather make another man my prisoner than be taken prisoner myself”; and immediately seized him and, throwing him into confinement, in just retaliation caused all the tortures which Robert had inflicted upon others to be inflicted upon him.

³ The earl of Gloucester and Milo, the former constable, hearing of these events, came to the said John with many followers, and the earl promised to give him five hundred marks on condition that, after receiving good hostages from the earl, he should deliver Robert to him on an appointed day. John, won over by the promise of the money and the hostages, delivered Robert to the earl on condition that he should be restored to him within fifteen days. This agreement having been made, the earl returned to Gloucester, taking Robert with him. They then negotiated concerning the castle of Devizes, which the earl required Robert to surrender voluntarily. Robert, however, refused, being unwilling to break the oath he had sworn to his comrades that the castle should never be surrendered. But, terrified by threats that he would be hanged on a gallows, he agreed, in order to save his life, to comply with the demand. Within the time fixed by the agreement, this ruffian was brought back into John’s presence; and the earl told John everything that had happened, and how Robert, terrified by his threats, had promised to surrender the castle. He also asked him again to allow Robert to accompany him to Devizes, pledging that, if he should succeed in obtaining possession of the castle, it would be given to John to hold in fealty to him. John agreed to the earl’s proposal, and he immediately returned to Devizes with Robert. Meanwhile, the said John sent letters to everyone both within and outside the castle, assuring them on his solemn oath that neither he nor the earl would harm Robert; in any event, they were to ensure that their oath not to surrender the castle to anyone was faithfully observed. The earl returned to Gloucester, leaving the former constable and a man of great power named Humphrey, together with some others, behind him, with general orders that Robert should be hanged if he refused voluntarily to surrender the castle. Robert did refuse, and his friends refused likewise, lest they should appear perjured. In short, after his two nephews had been hanged, he too was taken and hanged. All praise be to God, who delivered up the wicked!

⁴ Before the Assumption of St Mary (15 August), the earl of Gloucester marched his army towards Bath, but the king had long before sent light troops to watch the enemy’s movements and set an ambush for the defence of themselves and the country. The two parties met: on one side were the king’s troops, among whom were two knights, John and Roger, both men of spirit and courage; on the other were the earl’s retainers. Many were taken prisoner; more were wounded and slain. Among the latter was Geoffrey Talbot, a bold but crafty knight, now joining the king and now the earl, and thus steeped in treachery; he was mortally wounded and, dying as a result on the eleventh day before the calends of September (22 August), was buried with the canons at Gloucester. The royal troops, however, gained the victory.

Nottingham plundered and burnt. #

¹ Before the Nativity of St Mary (8 September), Robert, son of King Henry, instigated by Ralph Paganel, took with him the knights of the earl of Warwick, together with those whom he drew from Gloucestershire and a great body of common soldiers, and made a sudden attack upon the town of Nottingham. Finding no force there to defend it, they began to plunder the town, while the townspeople fled from all quarters to take refuge in the churches. One of them, who was reported to be a wealthy man, having been seized, was led tightly bound to his house so that he might be forced to surrender his money. The man conducted the freebooters, excessively greedy for spoil, into an underground chamber where all his household wealth was supposed to be stored. But while they were intent upon plunder and breaking open doors and locks, he cunningly slipped away and, reaching first the chambers and then the hall, closed all the doors behind them and secured them with bolts. He then set fire to his house and consigned the buildings and all his possessions, together with the robbers, to the flames. It is reported that more than thirty men who were in the cellar perished in the fire, and some say that it spread throughout the whole town and burnt it to the ground; for the knights and the entire army swore that they were innocent of having set it on fire. Thus the whole place was consumed, and all who could be seized outside the churches were carried into captivity, some of them as far as Gloucester. The rest of the common people, men, women, and children, who had fled to the churches and dared not come out for fear of being captured by the enemy, nearly all perished when the churches fell prey to the raging conflagration. It was a cruel sight, and even the enemy were filled with sorrow when they saw the temples of God, which even the heathen would have spared, consumed by fire. Thus Nottingham was laid in ruins, a most noble town which, from the time of the Norman conquest of England until the present, had flourished in the greatest peace and tranquillity and abounded in wealth of every kind and in a numerous population.

² A certain monk of profound learning and knowledge, named Peter, was appointed to the abbey of Malmesbury by Henry, bishop of Winchester and legate of the holy Roman Church. Having assumed the monastic habit at Cluni, he held for some time the office of prior of La Charité and was transferred from there to preside over the monastery of St Urban, pope, in the diocese of Catalonia; but, as troubles increased and threatened his own safety, he was compelled to leave the place and, at the request of the aforementioned bishop of Winchester, came to England in this year undertook the government of the same church.

Stephen made Prisoner at the Battle of Lincoln. #

¹ Stephen, king of England, after long labours and sieges of castles, in which for five years and six weeks he had struggled for the peace of the kingdom, was at last, on the day of the Purification of St Mary (2 February), which fell on Sexagesima Sunday, by the just judgement of God outmanoeuvred and taken prisoner at the siege of Lincoln Castle by Robert, earl of Gloucester, his uncle’s son, and Ranulph, earl of Chester. Having first been brought to Gloucester on Quinquagesima Sunday (9 February), he was then conducted to the city of Bristol and placed in custody. Many of his adherents were captured with him and thrown into prison.

The Empress Matilda acknowledged Queen. #

¹ Meanwhile, the lady empress-queen, Henry’s daughter, who was staying at Gloucester, was overjoyed at this event, having now, as it seemed to her, obtained possession of the kingdom for which fealty had been sworn to her. Therefore, after consulting her council, she left the city on the fifth day after Ash Wednesday (17 February) and, attended by two bishops, Bernard, bishop of St David’s, and Nigel, bishop of Ely, together with Gilbert, abbot of Winchester, and many barons, knights, and officers, proceeded to Cirencester, the first place at which she lodged after receiving such joyful news, and received its allegiance. Leaving there and drawing near to the city of Winchester, she was met with great state and pomp by the bishops of almost all England, many barons, a great number of men of high rank, innumerable knights, various abbots with their communities, two convents of monks and a third of nuns chanting hymns and thanksgivings in procession, and the local clergy, together with the citizens and crowds of people. Then, the famous city of Winchester was delivered into her hands; she received possession of the royal crown of England, and the legate himself cursed those who cursed her and blessed those who blessed her [Genesis 12:3], excommunicating her adversaries and absolving those who submitted to her government.

² The lady Matilda, leaving Winchester with her court, went to Wilton, where Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, came to pay his respects. Such crowds of people flocked there to meet her that the gates of the town could scarcely admit them. After celebrating the feast of Easter there, she came during the Rogation days (4 May) to Reading, where she was received with honour, the leading men and the people pouring in from all quarters to offer their allegiance. While there, she sounded out one of the leaders, Robert D’Oyley, concerning the surrender of Oxford Castle, and when he consented to it, she proceeded there and received the fealty and homage of the whole city and the surrounding country. Continuing her progress, she was received at the monastery of St Albans with processions, honours, and rejoicing. Many of the citizens of London came to her there and held various conferences with her concerning the surrender of the city.

A Violent Thunderstorm. #

¹ About this time, a terrible event occurred in the diocese of Worcester which we think worthy of record. On the Wednesday before the octave of our Lord’s Ascension (11 May), at about the ninth hour of the day, at a village called Walesburn, one mile from Hampton, the country seat of the bishop of Worcester, there arose a violent whirlwind accompanied by a frightful darkness stretching from earth to heaven. Striking the house of a priest named Leofrid, it levelled it to the ground and shattered it to pieces, together with all the outbuildings; it also tore the roof from the church and carried it across the River Avon. Nearly fifty houses belonging to the villagers were thrown down and ruined in the same way. Hailstones also fell as large as pigeons’ eggs, one of which struck a woman and caused her death. At this spectacle, all who were present were filled with terror and dismay.

Matilda goes to London. #

¹ The empress, as we have already said, having negotiated with the Londoners, lost no time in entering the city with a great company of bishops and nobles; and, being received at Westminster with a magnificent procession, took up residence there for several days to set the affairs of the kingdom in order. Her first concern was to make provision for the good of God’s holy Church, according to the advice of good men. She therefore gave the bishopric of London to a monk of Reading, a venerable man named Robert, who accepted it in the presence and by the command of his reverend abbot, Edward. God’s business having thus been done, the queen of England interceded with the lady Matilda on behalf of her lord the king, who was a captive in close custody and fetters. She was also entreated on his behalf by the highest and greatest nobles of England, who offered to deliver to her any number of hostages, together with castles and large sums of money, if the king were set free and his liberty, though not his kingdom, restored to him; promising to persuade him to abdicate the crown and thereafter devote himself solely to the service of God as a monk or pilgrim. But she would not listen to them. The bishop of Winchester also petitioned her that the earldom which belonged to his brother should be given to his nephew, the king’s son, but the lady Matilda likewise refused to listen to him. The citizens also begged her to permit them to live under the laws of King Edward, which were excellent, instead of those of her father, King Henry, which were burdensome. But, refusing to accept good advice, she rejected their petition very harshly, and consequently a great tumult arose in the city; and, a conspiracy having been formed against her, the citizens who had received her with honour now attempted to seize her person with indignity. Being forewarned, however, by some of them, she fled shamefully with her retinue, leaving behind all her own clothing and theirs.

² The bishop of Winchester, who was also legate of the holy Roman Church, perceiving this, turned his attention to the liberation of his brother and, in order to accomplish it, secured the goodwill and influence of the Londoners for his purpose. Meanwhile, the fugitive lady reached Gloucester by way of Oxford, where, having consulted Milo, the former constable, she immediately returned with him to Oxford, intending to remain there while she reassembled her scattered troops. And since she had chiefly relied upon Milo’s counsel and been supported by his assistance, so much so that up to that time she had neither received provisions for a single day nor had her table supplied except through his generosity and foresight, as we have heard from Milo’s own mouth, she conferred upon him while she was there the earldom of Hereford, to bind him more closely to her service and as a distinguished reward for it.

The Siege and “Rout” of Winchester. #

¹ Her forces having increased in strength and numbers, as the feast of St Peter ad Vincula (1 August) approached, she went to Winchester without the knowledge of her brother, the earl of Bristol; but, finding the place already ill-disposed towards her, she took up quarters in the castle. Astonished at her unexpected arrival and greatly disturbed by it, Henry, bishop of that city, left by another gate and withdrew then and for ever from her presence. They being now at variance, this wealthy city, glorious for ages and renowned throughout all lands, was suddenly placed under siege, kinsmen engaging in mutual hostilities, while the inhabitants and their possessions were destroyed by common and mercenary soldiers who, breathing fury, spread throughout the city for that purpose. Nor was this alone enough to satisfy the bishop’s wrath, for, goaded by rage and wishing to strike terror and dismay into the hearts of the people, he determined to set fire to the city and burn it to the ground; and this he did. Thus, on 2 August, having set the city on fire, he reduced to ashes the monastery of nuns with its buildings, more than forty churches, together with the largest and best part of the city, and lastly the monastery of monks devoted to God and St Grimbald, with its buildings.

² In this church of St Grimbald there was a great and holy cross, made long before by order of King Canute and exquisitely enriched by him with gold and silver, jewels and precious stones. Wonderful to relate, as the flames approached, this cross, as though conscious of the impending danger, began to sweat and grow black before the eyes of the monks who were present; indeed, it became as black as the incendiaries themselves. At the very instant it caught fire, three terrible peals of thunder sounded as though from heaven. The city being thus burnt within and besieged by the enemy without, the bishop is reported to have said to the earl of Northampton, “Look, lord earl, you have my command; let it be your task to raze it to the ground,” words which reveal the innermost feelings of the speaker’s heart. Seven weeks having been spent in the siege, the bishop, at last weary of its long duration, on the eve of the day preceding the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 September), ordered peace to be proclaimed throughout the city and the gates to be thrown open.

³ The empress had already mounted her horse, accompanied and guided by her brother Reginald, leaving more than two hundred cavalry under the command of the earl of Bristol, or Gloucester, as a rear guard, when the bishop suddenly ordered his troops to take up arms and, making a desperate attack upon the enemy, to capture as many prisoners as they could. Many were thus captured, and very many scattered and slain, among them a knight named William de Curcell and six troopers; he was buried at St Grimbald’s. The lady Matilda, learning this, was filled with great terror and dismay and reached the castle of Luggershall, for which she was making, sad and sorrowful; but she found it no safe refuge for fear of the bishop. Consequently, on the advice of her friends, she once more mounted her horse in the manner of a man and was conducted to Devizes; but, fearing that even there she would not be safe from her pursuers, she was placed, already nearly half-dead, upon a hearse and, bound with cords like a corpse and borne upon horses, was carried, ignominiously enough, to the city of Gloucester.

⁴ Meanwhile, her brother Robert, the earl of Bristol, or Gloucester, having left Winchester by another road, was closely pursued and, being captured at Stolbridge by the Flemings under Earl Warrene and brought to the queen, who was residing there, was by her command placed in the custody of William d’Ypres and confined at Rochester. Milo, earl of Hereford, being hemmed in by the enemy, threw off his armour and all his equipment and, glad to escape with his life, fled in disgrace, reaching Gloucester weary, alone, and half-naked. John, also, their supporter, was pursued by the bishop’s soldiers to the monastery of Wherwell, where he had taken refuge; and, being unable to drive him out, they set fire to the church of St Cross on the very feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 September), burnt it to the ground together with the nuns’ houses and possessions, and carried away without scruple their vestments, books, and ornaments, after a horrible shedding of human blood before the holy altar; yet they could neither capture nor drive out the aforementioned John. Elfrida, wife of Edgar, the glorious king of England, had during his reign founded this monastery in honour of St Cross, being struck with remorse for the murder of her stepson.

⁵ After these events, Bishop Henry’s wrath having somewhat abated while his covetousness knew no bounds, at the suggestion of the prior of the New Minster which had just been burnt down, he recovered from the ashes of the cross five hundred pounds of silver, thirty marks of gold, and three crowns, with as many steps of the purest Arabian gold, studded all around with precious stones of the most exquisite and admirable workmanship, and placed them in his own treasury.

Stephen exchanged for the Earl of Gloucester. #

¹ Meanwhile, the king and the earl were kept in custody, but the queen actively exerted herself on the king’s behalf, while the countess made great efforts for the earl. After many messengers and trusted friends had passed to and fro between them, the following terms resulted from the deliberations on both sides: namely, that the king should be restored to his royal dignity and the earl invested under him with dominion over the whole of England, and that both should become just administrators and restorers of peace in the government and the country, as they had until then been the authors and promoters of all its dissensions and disturbances. But the earl, refusing to carry this into effect without the consent of the empress, his sister, repudiated everything that had been agreed in the matter and utterly rejected all terms of peace and alliance with the king. Hence it came to pass that they parted without any reconciliation, and throughout the whole of the following year, in every part of the kingdom and country, the plundering of the poor, the slaughter of men, and the violation of churches ….. cruelly . . . . .

The End of the First Continuation #

The Second Continuation of the Chronicle #

A.D. 1152. #

¹ The emperor Conrad succeeded the emperor Frederic. A divorce was decreed between Lewis, king of France, and Queen Eleanor, daughter of William, duke of Aquitaine, by whom the king then had two daughters. Henry, duke of Normandy, married Eleanor and received with her the county of Aquitaine. St Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, died on the thirteenth day before the calends of September (20 August).

A.D. 1153. #

A.D. 1154. #

¹ Benedict, prior of Canterbury, was transferred to Peterborough as abbot. Adrian was made pope.

A.D. 1155. #

¹ Queen Eleanor bore a son, whom she named Henry. Frederic was crowned emperor.

A.D. 1156. #

¹ Queen Eleanor gave birth to a daughter named Matilda.

A.D. 1157. #

¹ Queen Eleanor gave birth at Oxford to her son Richard.

A.D. 1158. #

¹ Queen Eleanor gave birth to Geoffrey.

A.D. 1159. #

¹ Adrian died, and a schism then arose from the election of two popes. The kings of France and England acknowledged Pope Alexander, while the emperor adhered to Octavian, on whose behalf he wrote to the two kings already mentioned, but did not achieve his object.

A.D. 1160. #

¹ The marriage between Henry, son of the king of England, and the daughter of the king of France was celebrated. Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, died.

A.D. 1161. #

¹ Queen Eleanor bore a daughter, whom she named Eleanor.

A.D. 1162. #

¹ The council of Tours was held, at which Thomas, the archbishop, was greatly honoured by the pope.

A.D. 1163. #

A.D. 1164. #

¹ The bishops of England were summoned to Clarendon to consider the customs of the realm. Clerks of loose conduct were denounced. Archbishop Thomas withdrew privately; the king duly summoned him to answer before his court.

A.D. 1165. #

¹ Eleanor bore a son, who was called John Sans-terre.

A.D. 1166-69. #

A.D. 1170. #

¹ In this year the king held his court at Windsor during the feast of Easter; present at the festival were William, king of Scotland, and his brother David, together with nearly all the nobles and great men of England, including bishops, earls, and barons.

A council of nobles at London. #

¹ After celebrating the feast of Easter, the king went from there to London, where he held a great council concerning the coronation of his eldest son Henry and the making of laws for his kingdom. There he dismissed nearly all the sheriffs of England their bailiffs for having ill-treated the liegemen of his realm. Each of the sheriffs and bailiffs found pledges for himself to abide by the judgement of the court and to make such redress to our lord the king and the liegemen of the realm as they ought to make out of their reprises. Afterwards, the king caused all the liegemen of his realm, namely the earls, barons, knights, free tenants, and even villeins, to swear on the holy Gospels, in their respective counties, that they would tell the truth: namely, what and how much the sheriffs and their bailiffs had levied from them, what had been levied judicially and what extrajudicially, and for what default. But great injury was thereby done to the English nation, for after the inquiry had been made, the king reinstated some of the sheriffs in their offices, and they afterwards became more oppressive than they had been before. Moreover, at the same council, the king caused Roger, archbishop of York, Hugh, bishop of Durham, and the other bishops of his kingdom to be summoned to meet at London at an appointed time.

Coronation of Henry II’s eldest son Henry. #

¹ On the following Sunday, which was the eighteenth day before the calends of July (14 June), and the vigil of SS Vitus and Modestus, martyrs, and St Crescentia, virgin, King Henry caused his eldest son Henry to be crowned and consecrated king at Westminster by Roger, archbishop of York and legate of the episcopal see. He was assisted in the ceremony by Hugh, bishop of Durham, Gilbert, bishop of London, Josceline, bishop of Salisbury, and Walter, bishop of Rochester, while almost all the earls, bishops, and nobles of the realm were present. On the day after the consecration, the king caused William, king of Scotland, and his brother David, together with all the earls, barons, and free tenants of his kingdom, to do homage to the new king, his son, and to swear on the relics of the saints allegiance and fealty to him against all the world, saving only their fealty to himself. There the king also obtained the consent of the earls and barons to cross the sea to Normandy, because Lewis, king of France, had spread abroad the report that his daughter Margaret had not been crowned with her husband, the new king of England, and therefore intended to stir up war in Normandy.

King Henry falls ill in Normandy. #

¹ Accordingly, the king crossed to Normandy, sailing from Portsmouth about the feast of St John the Baptist (24 June), and sent his son, the new king, to England, empowering him to administer affairs and justice under a new seal, which he ordered him to have made. About the octave of the feast of SS Peter and Paul (6 July), the king came to Ferté-Bernard and consulted Count Theobald about making peace between himself and the king of France, after which they departed. About the feast of St Mary Magdalene (22 July), the king went as far as Vendôme to confer with the king of France, and at that meeting they came to such a mutual understanding that for the time being they remained in alliance.

² When the conference had ended, the king returned to Normandy and, reaching La Motte Gernée, not far from Domfront, about the feast of St Lawrence (10 August), fell so dangerously ill there that it was reported throughout France that he was dead. There he divided his kingdom and dominions among his sons. He gave Henry, his eldest son, the kingdom of England the duchy of Normandy, together with the counties of Anjou and Maine, and entrusted to him the maintenance and advancement of his youngest brother John. To his son Richard he gave the duchy of Aquitaine, with all its appurtenances, to be held of the king of France.

³ Afterwards, he commanded the bishops, earls, and barons who were with him during his illness that, if he did not recover, they should convey his body to Grammont, near St Leonard’s, and showed them a charter which the good men of Grammont had granted him for the burial of his remains at the entrance to the chapter-house of Grammont, at the feet of the superior of that house, who lay buried there. On hearing this, they were greatly surprised and were unwilling to permit it, saying that it was derogatory to his royal dignity. The king, however, persisted in ordering that his wishes should be obeyed; but, by the will of Divine Providence, he shortly afterwards recovered from his illness and, as soon as he was able, in fulfilment of a vow made during his sickness, proceeded with all haste, about the feast of St Michael (29 September), to St Mary’s of Rocamadour. Having completed his pilgrimage, he returned to Anjou.

Disputes between King Henry and Thomas à Becket. #

¹ Meanwhile, St Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, who was now in the sixth year of his exile, hearing that in his absence, and in defiance of his privileges, a new king had been consecrated in England, at London, by Roger, archbishop of York, was greatly distressed. Considering how he might best vindicate the rights of the church of Canterbury, he sent frequent messengers to Pope Alexander, entreating him to censure the archbishop of York and his coadjutors who had assisted him in the consecration of the new king of England. Likewise, in the same year, Lewis, king of France, appealed to the Roman pontiff on behalf of the same archbishop of Canterbury, entreating him, in consideration of the king’s personal regard and the respect he paid him, from his love of the kingdom of France, and for the honour of the apostolic see, no longer to permit the delaying pleas lodged by the king of England. William, archbishop of Sens, also, moved by compassion for the desolate condition of the church of England, petitioned the apostolic see and begged the church of Rome that, all appeals being quashed, the king of England should be sentenced to excommunication and the kingdom placed under an interdict unless peace were restored to the church of Canterbury. The peremptorily appointed day, beyond which the sentence could no longer be deferred, was now at hand.

² The king of England, therefore, constrained by fear of the rigour of the canons, at last consented to restore peace to the English church and, about the feast of St Denys, on Monday, the fourth day before the ides of October (12 October), came as far as Amboise, near Tours, accompanied by the archbishops, bishops, and great men of his realm, to meet William, archbishop of Sens, and Theobald, count of Blois, who brought with them St Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury. On the following day, King Henry, in accordance with the will of Divine Providence, in compliance with the entreaties of the king of France and the mandate and admonition of Pope Alexander, and also on the advice of the archbishops and bishops of his realm, restored the same archbishop of Canterbury to his favour and affection. He pardoned him and all who were in exile with him and had shared in his wrath and persecution, promising that all the possessions of the church of Canterbury should be restored to him entire, as he had held them in the year before he left England.

³ There was great rejoicing among the people throughout the kingdom at the arrival and restoration of their father, Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury; for he, apprehensive of the peril of souls and conducted to his see by the king’s orders, returned to England on the calends of December (1 December), in the seventh year of his exile. Arriving at Canterbury, he was received by the clergy and people as an angel of the Lord, the multitude crying with one voice, ‘Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord’ [Psalm 118:26; Matthew 21:9]. For his part, like a good shepherd, he received them all with the kiss of peace and, addressing them with a paternal admonition, enjoined upon them the love of their brethren, while, if necessary, they should lay down their lives [John 15:13] and contend to death for the law of God [Sirach 4:28]. The lord pope, having learnt from St Thomas’s complaint of the presumption of the same archbishop of York and the bishops who were his coadjutors, suspended Roger, archbishop of York, Hugh, bishop of Durham, and Walter, bishop of Rochester, from their episcopal functions, and issued a sentence of excommunication against Gilbert, bishop of London, and Josceline, bishop of Salisbury. This harsh proceeding, which was published upon the restoration of St Thomas, further embittered the king’s mind and gave fresh force to the envenomed tongues of the archbishop’s detractors. For Roger, archbishop of York, Josceline, bishop of Salisbury, and Gilbert, bishop of London, as soon as the sentence against them was published, sailed for Normandy and, sharpening their tongues like a sword, prejudiced the king by their complaints against the archbishop of Canterbury and increasingly roused his indignation against him. The champion of Christ was therefore again subjected to losses and again made the target of more atrocious and excessive injustice; he was even prohibited by public edict from going beyond the bounds of his church. Whoever spoke a civil word to him or any of his friends was regarded as a public enemy. But the man of God bore all these injuries with exemplary patience and, living on familiar terms with those around him, edified everyone by his conversation.

Martyrdom of St Thomas à Becket. #

¹ This year the son of the empress Matilda held his court at Bures in Normandy on the day of our Lord’s Nativity, which fell on Friday, in great sorrow and distress at the refusal of the archbishop of Canterbury to absolve the English bishops from the sentence of excommunication he had pronounced upon them. The king’s indignation being thus aroused, four knights of his household and family, wishing to relieve him of the disturbance of mind which they saw preying upon him, secretly and without the king’s knowledge hurried to the coast in order to cross the sea to England, having landed there, lost no time in taking the road to Canterbury. The holy father had scarcely resided a month at his church when, five days after Christmas, the four knights, or rather the hirelings of Satan, already mentioned, whose names were William de Tracy, Hugh de Morville, Richard Briton, and Reginald Fitz-Urse, rushed furiously and fully armed into the church, at the entrance of which they cried loudly, ‘Where, where is the traitor?’ When no one answered, they again demanded, ‘Where is the archbishop of Canterbury?’ To which he replied, ‘Here am I, the servant of Christ, whom you seek.’ One of the ill-omened knights then said to him in a rage, ‘You shall die, for you must not live any longer.’ The archbishop answered with as much firmness of expression as of spirit, ‘I am ready to give up my life in the cause of God and as the champion of justice and of the liberties of the church. But if you seek my life, I forbid you, in God’s name and under penalty of being held accursed, to do any kind of injury to anyone else, whether monk, clerk, or layman, of high or low degree; let them be free from harm, since they have given no cause for it.’ Do not his words seem to echo those of Christ when he said during his Passion, ‘If you seek me, let these go their way’ [John 18:8]? Having said this, and seeing the executioners draw their swords, he bowed his head in prayer and uttered these final words: ‘I commend myself and the cause of the church to God and St Mary, and to the saints who are patrons of this church, and to St Denys.’

² After this, amid all his anguish, the undaunted martyr, with wonderful firmness, uttered neither word nor cry, nor allowed a groan to escape him; nor did he raise his arm or cover himself with his robe to protect himself from his assailants, but remained immovably in the position he had assumed, bowing his head beneath the blows of their swords until their work was done. Then the knights already mentioned, fearing from the gathering of multitudes of both sexes, who flocked together from every side, that a rescue would be attempted and their purpose thwarted, hastened to complete their villainous deed. One of them, brandishing his sword and aiming a blow at the archbishop’s head, nearly struck off the arm of a clerk named Edward Grim, while at the same time wounding the Lord’s anointed on the head; for this clerk had thrust his arm over the father’s head to intercept the assailant, or rather to ward off the blow. Still the righteous sufferer for justice stood like an innocent lamb [Isaiah 53:7], without murmur or complaint, and offered himself as a sacrifice to the Lord. And now, so that none of the accursed band might be able to say that the bishop had escaped injury at his hands, a second and third knight dealt heavy blows upon the head of the intrepid champion of the faith, fracturing it and bringing the victim of the Holy Spirit to the ground; and a fourth, raving with excessive barbarity, cut off his shaven crown as he lay prostrate and near death and, shattering his skull, inserted the point of his sword and scattered his blood and brains upon the stone pavement.

³ Thus, at the beginning of the seventh year after his banishment, this martyr Thomas contended even to death for the law of his God [Sirach 4:28] and the rights of the church, which in England were almost lost, fearing not the words of wicked men; but, founded upon a rock of strength, that is Christ [1 Corinthians 10:4], he fell in Christ’s church and for Christ’s cause, himself innocent, beneath the swords of the impious, on the fifth day of Christmas, which is the day after the feast of the Innocents (29 December). Then all left him and fled, so that the saying of Scripture might be fulfilled: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered’ [Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31]. Meanwhile, the knights who had perpetrated this accursed deed withdrew by way of the martyr’s stable and, bringing out his horses, divided them among themselves, each taking whichever he pleased. Then, without delay, conscious of the atrocity of their crime and despairing of pardon, they did not dare to return to the king’s court, from which they had come, but withdrew into the western part of England as far as Knaresborough, the vill of Hugh de Morville, where they remained until they were treated as infamous by the inhabitants of that district; for everyone avoided intercourse with them, nor would anyone sit at table in their company. They therefore ate and drank alone, and the remnants of their meal were thrown to the dogs, which, having tasted them, even refused to devour them. See here plainly the just vengeance of God: those who despised the Lord’s anointed were themselves spurned even by dogs!

⁴ Meanwhile the king, who was holding his court at Bures as we have already mentioned, had gone to Argentan, where, hearing that the archbishop of Canterbury had been cruelly murdered in Canterbury church, his grief was intense and inexpressible, and his existence became wretched to an extraordinary degree. For three days he took no food and refused to speak to anyone, and for five weeks lived in solitude behind closed doors, until Rotrou, archbishop of Rouen, and the bishops of Normandy came and comforted him. After they had done so, however, Lewis, king of France, and William, archbishop of Sens, wrote to Pope Alexander against the king of England concerning the death of the archbishop of Canterbury, as follows:

The Letter of the king of France. #

¹ ‘To his most holy lord and father Alexander III, by the grace of God pope, Lewis, king of France, sends greeting and due reverence.

² ‘The son who dishonours his mother is a stranger to the laws of human feeling; nor is he mindful of the Creator’s benefits who does not grieve over insults offered to the holy see. But it is especially to be lamented, and the unprecedented enormity draws forth a fresh outburst of unspeakable grief, when the Lord’s saint has been the target of a malignant attack, the pupil of Christ’s eye has been pierced by the sword, and the light of the church of Canterbury has been no less cruelly than basely extinguished. Let justice be aroused in its keenest form, and let the sword of Peter be unsheathed to avenge the martyr of Canterbury! For his blood cries out for vengeance [Genesis 4:10] throughout the universal church, which demands it not so much for his sake as for the injury inflicted upon herself. Look! The Divine glory has, as we are informed, been revealed in miracles at the martyr’s tomb, and is manifested from heaven at the place where the mortal remains of him who fought to the end for His name now rest. The bearers of this letter, men bereaved of their father, will relate the particulars to your Holiness; and we ask you to lend a willing ear to their testimony of the truth and, in this matter as in others, to give them the same credence as you would give to ourselves. Your Holiness, farewell.’

How the king sent to the pope of Rome, after the death of St Thomas. #

¹ While affairs were in this state, the lord [archbishop] of Rouen, the lord [bishop] of Evreux, and the lord [bishop] of Worcester, together with several of the clerks and others attached to the king’s court, set out on a journey to the Roman pontiff on behalf of the king and his realm. But the lord of Rouen, being worn down by age and infirmity, could proceed no further when he had completed nearly half the journey, and returned to his own see. The same bishops, however, together with the king’s clerks, continued on their way and, with great difficulty, succeeded in obtaining the pope’s consent that two cardinals, Theodine and Albert, should come on his behalf into Normandy to take cognisance of the dispute between the king and the church of Canterbury concerning the death of St Thomas, and concerning other ecclesiastical dignitaries, and to decide these matters as God should direct. The envoys who had gone to Rome wrote to their lord and king as follows:

The Letter to the king by his clerks whom he sent to Rome. #

¹ ‘To their most dearly beloved lord Henry, the illustrious king of England, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, R., abbot of W 1, R., archdeacon of Salisbury, Robert, archdeacon of Lisieux, Richard Barre, and Master Henry send greeting and loyal service in all things and in all places.

² We would have your majesty know that Richard Barre, having gone ahead of us and, after much danger and suffering, arrived first at the court of our lord the pope, we four, together with the two bishops, the dean of York, and Master Henry, with much difficulty reached Siena. There we were detained for several days, because Count Macarius had so beset all the roads that there was no way open for us to leave the place. When, however, we four, who together with the bishops were very anxious to depart, could not accomplish this, and were greatly troubled in mind, by common consent we made our escape secretly at midnight and, by mountain paths and almost impassable tracks, at length, after much danger and apprehension, reached Tusculum. There we found Richard Barre very anxious, as was his duty, to uphold your honour, and exerting himself with great prudence and diligence for your advantage. But he was in great distress and dismay, since he had neither been admitted to an audience with the lord pope, nor had others shown him any kindness or courtesy. On our arrival, the pope refused to see us or even allow us the kiss of his foot, and scarcely any of the cardinals condescended even to exchange a word with us. After a long delay, during which we were greatly harassed by anxiety and bitterness of spirit, we entreated those who were faithfully attached to you to use their influence so that the pope might somehow grant us a hearing. At length, at their request, the lord abbot of W and R., archdeacon of Lisieux, were admitted to an audience, as being those among us who were least suspected. But when, in presenting their greetings on your behalf, they referred to you as a most devoted son of the Roman church, the whole conclave cried out, “Stop, stop!”, as though it were hateful to the lord pope even to hear your name. So, leaving the conclave, they later returned to our lord the pope and, after consulting together, laid before him what your majesty had commanded us, at the same time recounting all the benefits you had conferred upon the late archbishop of Canterbury and the succession of usurpations and affronts to your dignity of which he had been guilty. We set out all these matters, first in private and afterwards in the presence of our lord the pope and all the cardinals, while the clerks of Canterbury, Alexander and Gunter the Fleming, argued the opposing case before them.

³ The Thursday before Easter (23 March) was now drawing near, this being the day on which, according to the custom of the Roman Church, the lord pope is accustomed publicly to absolve or excommunicate. Since we had certain information that, up to this point, their deliberations tended towards bringing trouble upon you and your kingdom, we consulted those whom we knew to be most favourable to your majesty, namely the lord [bishop] of Porto, the lord Hyacinthus, the lord [bishop] of Pavia, and the lord Peter di Mirio—the lord John of Naples being absent—and urged them most anxiously and earnestly to tell us the pope’s intentions and what he proposed to determine in our case. But as they reported nothing to us except what was disastrous and disgraceful to your highness, we concluded, from the grievous accounts given by these persons and by your faithful servant, Brother Francis, that the pope had firmly resolved, with the general consent of the conclave, to issue that very day a sentence of interdict against you personally and against all your dominions on this side of the sea and beyond it. Placed in these most difficult circumstances, we used our utmost efforts, through the cardinals and those of our companions who had access to them, and through their close friends, to induce the pope to abandon this measure or at least to defer it until the arrival of your bishops.

⁴ Finding it impossible to accomplish this, we, as is our duty and as we are your debtors, being neither able nor willing to endure the indignity to your person or the oppression of all your dominions, at last held a meeting of our friends in the presence of some of the cardinals, at which means were found by which your honour and welfare might be secured, to the advantage of your territories and the benefit of the bishops. By this proceeding we escape the danger and disgrace with which you, your dominions, and your bishops were threatened, although in securing this immunity we expose ourselves to extreme peril; believing, however, and having firm hope, that the whole affair will take the course which we think you would desire. The lord bishop of Worcester and the lord bishop of Lisieux, together with Robert, dean of Lisieux, and Master Henry, will soon be here. We left them exceedingly anxious and troubled because they were unable to come with us, as they wished to attend to your affairs. It was their opinion, as well as our own, that we ought to hasten somewhat ahead of them in order to place obstacles in the way of the proceedings of your adversaries to your dishonour and injury. For we had certain information that the accusation against you had been lodged in court, and we were apprehensive of what is customary on that day. Farewell, and may your highness live long. Be comforted in the Lord, and let your heart rejoice; for after this cloud there will be fair weather, to your glory. We arrived at the court on the Saturday before Palm Sunday (21 March), and the bearer of this letter leaves us on Easter Day (28 March).’

King Henry’s Reconciliation with the Court of Rome. #

A.D. 1172. #

¹ King Henry crossed over to Ireland made peace with the people there. He then returned and obtained absolution from the cardinals. Rotro [archbishop] of Rouen crowned Margaret, the king’s daughter, as the future queen of England. Meanwhile the king returned from Britain and, about the feast of St Michael the apostle, came into Normandy to the city of Avranches, where he found the same cardinals. On Wednesday, the fifth day before the calends of October (27 September), being the feast of SS Cosmas and Damian, martyrs, he made satisfaction to God and the pope concerning the death of St Thomas the martyr. For he declared his innocence before the same cardinals, the archbishop of Rouen, and the bishops, clergy, and people of his dominions, in the church of St Andrew the Apostle at Avranches. He also swore on the Holy Gospels before the churchmen already named that he had neither commanded nor wished that the archbishop of Canterbury should be slain, and that when he heard of it he was plunged into the deepest distress. But because he could not apprehend the malefactors who had murdered Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, of blessed memory, and because he feared that they had committed that impious deed as a consequence of observing his disturbed state of mind, he swore the following oath by way of satisfaction:—

² First, he swore that he would create no schism with Pope Alexander or with his catholic successors, so long as they treated him as a catholic king.

³ Next, he swore that he would neither hinder, nor allow any hindrance to, appeals being freely made in his kingdom to the pope of Rome in ecclesiastical causes; provided that, if he saw reason to suspect the parties, they should give security that they would not seek to injure him or his kingdom.

⁴ Moreover, he swore that he would take the cross from the following Christmas for a period of three years, and would go in person to Jerusalem during the following summer, unless he remained behind with the permission of Pope Alexander or his catholic successors. But if, in the meantime, urgent necessity should require him to go into Spain against the Saracens, the time spent on that expedition should be reckoned as part of that devoted to the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

⁵ He also swore that, in the meantime, he would pay the Knights Templars such sums of money as, in the judgement of the brethren of the order, would be sufficient to maintain two hundred knights for the defence of the territory of Jerusalem for the space of one year.

⁶ Moreover, he pardoned all, both clerks and laymen, who were in exile on account of St Thomas, for their anger and disaffection, and granted them permission to return home in freedom and peace.

⁷ He also swore that whatever possessions had been taken from the church of Canterbury should be restored in full, as the same archbishop had held them in the year before he departed from England.

⁸ He also swore that he would entirely disallow any customs derogatory to the rights of the church within his territories which had been introduced during his reign. He swore that he would observe all this in good faith and without covin.

⁹ He also caused King Henry, his eldest son, to swear that he would observe all these articles, except those which concerned his father personally. And so that this compact might be placed on record in the Roman Church, the king ordered his own seal and the seals of the cardinals to be affixed to the instrument containing these articles.

A.D. 1173. #

¹ This year Richard, archbishop of Canterbury, deposed William, abbot of Peterborough, for certain causes.

² The count of St Giles did homage to the king-father. King Henry and his son quarrelled. One hundred and forty Flemings, making an incursion into England, were drowned. Geoffrey Ridel, archdeacon of Canterbury, was elected bishop of Ely; his consecration by Richard, archbishop of Canterbury, was deferred until the following year. William Turbe, bishop of Norwich, died on the seventeenth day before the calends of February (16 January). St Thomas the Martyr was canonised at the beginning of Lent (21 February). Mary, sister of St Thomas, was made abbess of Barking. Robert, earl of Leicester, landing in England with three thousand Flemings, burnt the castle of Hagenest; but he and his wife, together with all the Normans and French who accompanied him, were taken prisoner. Some of the Flemings were slain and others drowned; none escaped. This took place outside the borough of St Edmund’s on the sixteenth day before the calends of November (17 October).

A.D. 1174. #

¹ The Flemings, coming over in aid of the king’s son, burnt Norwich. Richard, prior of Dover, was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury by the lord pope. The whole world was afflicted with coughs and colds.

² The king-father, on his arrival in England, found the kingdom in rebellion against him; but while he was paying his vows at the shrine of St Thomas, the king of Scotland was taken prisoner, and the king carried him with him to Normandy. On the same day the king-son returned to France, the fleet which he had assembled against his father having been dispersed.

A.D. 1175. #

¹ The castles were razed to the ground throughout both England Normandy. William, king of the Scots, a captive according to the laws of war, gave hostages and so returned from Normandy to Scotland.

² John of Oxford, dean of Salisbury, was consecrated bishop of Salisbury on the nineteenth day before the calends of January (14 December).

A.D. 1176. #

¹ The emperor Frederick sacked Milan. Roger, archbishop of York, was maltreated at Westminster because he claimed a seat in the council at the right hand of the legate. John of Salisbury, an excellent clerk, was made bishop of Chartres.

A.D. 1177. #

¹ Johanna, daughter of the king of England, was married to William, king of Sicily. Secular canons were removed from Waltham and regular canons introduced. The emperor Frederic, renouncing his schism at Venice, acknowledged Pope Alexander.

A.D. 1178. #

¹ William, abbot of Ramsey, was made archabbot of Cluny. The king knighted his son Geoffrey. Richard de Lucy founded the abbey of Lesnes. Saladin, having been defeated by Eudes, master of the Temple, took to flight.

A.D. 1179. #

¹ Roger, the [abbot]-elect of St Augustine’s, received the pontifical ornaments from the pope. A council of three hundred and ten bishops was held at Rome on the fourteenth day before the calends of April (19 March). Seven ears of corn grew on one stalk. Lewis, king of France, made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St Thomas. Pope Alexander sent a letter to Prester John in India.

A.D. 1180. #

¹ A new coinage, round in shape, was struck in England. Lewis, king of France, died and was buried at the abbey of Barbeaux. Hugh, abbot of St Edmund’s, returning from the tomb of St Thomas, fell from his horse and died from infirmity and old age.

A.D. 1181. #

¹ A boy named Robert was sacrificed by the Jews at St Edmund’s on Wednesday, the fourth day before the ides of June (10 June). King Lewis was succeeded by his son Philip, who placed himself under the guidance of the king of England. Pope Alexander wrote concerning the rendering of aid to the Holy Land. Lucius succeeded Alexander.

A.D. 1182. #

¹ Henry, duke of Saxony, having incurred the hostility of the emperor Frederic, came into Normandy to King Henry with his wife and family. Tax-gatherers were burnt throughout France.

A.D. 1183. #

¹ King Henry, the son, died penitent, in sackcloth and ashes, on the third day before the ides of June (11 June), and was buried at Mans. Walter de Constance was then consecrated bishop of Lincoln at Rouen; the following year he was raised to the archiepiscopal see of Rouen.

A.D. 1184. #

¹ Richard, archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was succeeded by Baldwin, bishop of Worcester. A fountain in Scotland flowed with blood. Saladin and Safadin, kings of the Saracens, wrote to the lord pope concerning the ransom of captives, in the year of the Hejira 578. The emperor Frederic gave the crown of the German empire to his son Henry. The holy order of knights in Spain, whose badge was the red sword, was confirmed by the pope. Astrologers struck terror into men’s hearts by predicting future events from the conjunction of the planets.

A.D. 1185. #

¹ The patriarch Heraclius and Roger, master of the Hospital, came into England. John, the king’s son, was knighted. Duke Henry returned to Saxony, content with his patrimonial states. The church of Lincoln was shattered by an earthquake on the eighteenth day before the calends of May (15 April). Pope Lucius died, and Urban succeeded him.

A.D. 1186. #

¹ Geoffrey, duke of Brittany, the king’s son, died and was buried at Paris. Hugh, a native of Grenoble and prior of the Carthusian order in England, became bishop of Lincoln. Henry, king of Germany, married Constance, daughter of Roger I, king of Sicily, who was the son of Roger, count of Sicily, brother of Robert Guiscard, of Norman origin. The following verse was inscribed on King Roger’s seal:—

² ‘Apulia, Calabria, Sicily, and Africa are mine.’

³ Guy of Joppa was crowned king of Jerusalem.

A.D. 1187. #

¹ Constance, countess of Brittany, gave birth to a posthumous son named Arthur. The cross of Christ was captured by Saladin near Tiberias on the fourth day before the nones of July (4 July), and two hundred and thirty persons were beheaded with B. de Châtillon, their lord. Pope Urban died; Gregory VIII succeeded him. Richard, earl of Poitou, the first of the peers, took the cross. Pope Gregory died; Clement III succeeded him.

A.D. 1188. #

¹ The kings of France and England took the cross. Richard Barre, archdeacon of Lisieux, was sent as ambassador to the emperors of Rome and Constantinople concerning free passage for the kings of France and England. At Dunstable, on the fifth day before the ides of August (9 August), at the ninth hour of the day, a cross of wonderful size was seen in the heavens, with Jesus Christ nailed to it and crowned with thorns [Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2]: blood flowed from the wounds but did not fall to the ground. This appearance lasted from the ninth hour until evening. The emperor Frederic wrote to Saladin concerning the liberation of King Guy and twenty thousand Christian souls.

Order of the Gilbertines. #

A.D. 1189. #

¹ St Gilbert, founder and creator of the order of Sempringham, died on the nones of February (5 February).

² King Henry Fitz-empress died on the second day before the nones of July (6 July), and was buried at Fontevrault. Earl Richard was absolved by the archbishops of Canterbury and Rouen for having taken up arms against his father. Geoffrey Ridel, bishop of Ely, died on the twelfth day before the calends of September (21 August). Earl Richard was crowned king at London on the third day before the nones of September (3 September), on which day the Jews were massacred at London. King Richard gave the Cistercian monks one hundred marks yearly to provide themselves with a chapter.

A.D. 1190. #

¹ William de Longchamp, the [bishop-]elect of Ely, caused himself to be enthroned on the feast of Epiphany with great pomp and ceremony; in consequence, the following verses were composed:—

² ‘When Ely keeps high festival, a glorious sight,
Others before her pale, as day outshines the night.’

³ Geoffrey, a son of King Henry, was elected archbishop of York, and the election was confirmed by the pope. Numbers flocking to Jerusalem put Jews to death. The Jews were massacred at Norwich; many were trampled down during the fair held at Stamford; at York five hundred fell by one another’s hands on the seventeenth day before the calends of April (16 March). At St Edmund’s, the Jews were butchered on the fifteenth day before the calends of April (18 March), being Palm Sunday; those who survived were, at the instigation of Abbot Sampson, banished from that place for ever. William, bishop of Ely, became the pope’s legate, justiciar of England, and the king’s chancellor. The emperor Frederic, on his journey to Jerusalem, was drowned in the river Cydnus; Henry succeeded him as emperor.

⁴ The kings of France and England landed at Messina in the month of October. The Sicilian insurgents were excluded from Messina by the king of England. Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury, died on St Edmund’s Day, having encumbered his see with much extraordinary expense. Pope Clement died; Celestine III succeeded him.

A.D. 1191. #

¹ This pope crowned Henry, king of Germany, emperor of Rome on Easter Monday (15 April). On the fourth day of Easter, the city of Tusculum, founded by the Romans, was laid in ruins. King Richard conquered Cyprus and its emperor Isaac, whose standard he sent to St Edmund’s. While he was in Cyprus, he married Berengaria, daughter of the king of Navarre, on the fourth day before the ides of May (4 May). King Richard sank a large Saracen bark between Tyre and Acre. Geoffrey, archbishop of York, who had recently been consecrated at Tours, was arrested at Dover on his return to England. William [bishop] of Ely, fleeing in terror from the presence of Earl John, was taken at Dover dressed as a woman; but, being released soon afterwards, he crossed the sea to seek the intervention of our lord the pope. The sun suffered an eclipse on the ninth of July (23 June), so that the stars were visible for three hours. The city of Acre was surrendered to the kings of France and England on the fourth day before the ides of July (12 July), with many prisoners and a great store of wealth.

Richard taken prisoner on his return from the Holy Land. #

A.D. 1192. #

¹ The king of France returned from the Holy Land was welcomed at Paris. A caravan of Saracens was captured by King Richard on its way from Babylon. King Richard recovered Joppa, which the Saracens had taken. A truce was made between the Christians and Saracens on the eighth day before the ides of August (6 August), from the following Easter (5 April), for three years, three months, three weeks, three days, and three hours. King Richard, returning from the Holy Land, entered the territories of Leopold, duke of Austria, by whom he was taken prisoner at the city of Vienna on the thirteenth day before the calends of January (20 December). He had embarked on the feast of St Denys, on the seventh day before the ides of October (9 October).

² John, hearing of his brother’s captivity, entertained the hope of seizing the crown and fortified many castles in England; he also crossed the sea and made an alliance with the king of France. The duke of Austria delivered the king of England, for a sum of money, to Henry, emperor of Rome, who placed him in custody at a place called Trifels, of which Aristotle says, at the close of the second book of his Topics, ‘Parricide is reckoned a virtue at Trifels; but common murder is no virtue.’

³ Hubert Fitz-Walter, bishop of Salisbury, was elected archbishop of Canterbury on the third day before the calends of June (30 May). The king’s ransom amounted to the large sum of one hundred thousand pounds in money. The emperor allotted fifty thousand marks as Leopold’s share and covetously kept the rest. The prelates and nobles flocked in great numbers to Germany to visit the king. Eleanor, the queen mother, also went over to him. Hubert [archbishop] of Canterbury was enthroned.

A.D. 1194. #

¹ On the second day before the nones of February (4 February), King Richard was released from captivity, in which he had spent one year, six weeks, and three days, and landed at the port of Sandwich on the third day before the ides of March (13 March). He then hastened to visit St Edmund’s. For reasons of policy, King Richard was crowned again at Winchester on the octave of Easter (17 April). King Richard, crossing over to Normandy, received the submission of all the country from Verneuil to Carlcroix. Leopold, duke of Austria, fell from his horse on St Stephen’s Day and, having crushed his foot in the fall, had it amputated on the advice of his physicians; he died as a consequence, by the just judgement of God, in great suffering.

A.D. 1195. #

¹ Hubert [archbishop] of Canterbury was created papal legate on the fifteenth day before the calends of April (18 March). The Old Man of the Mountain had recently sent a letter to Leopold, duke of Austria, exonerating Richard, king of England, from the charge of murdering the marquis Conrad. It was dated in the year one thousand five hundred and five from the time of Alexander the Great. Hugh, bishop of Lincoln, paid the king a thousand marks instead of the mantle of sables annually presented by his predecessors. Eustace, bishop of Nidaros in Norway, was banished because he refused to take part in the coronation of Suerre, prince of Norway, which was performed contrary to the pope’s prohibition. Alfonso, king of Castile, expelled the Pagans from his territories.

A.D. 1196. #

¹ William Long-beard, a citizen of London, was hanged, and eight others with him. King Richard gave the county of Poitou to his nephew Otho, son of Henry, duke of Saxony. The count of St Giles married Joanna, formerly queen of Sicily and sister of Richard, king of England. William, earl of Salisbury, son of Earl Patrick, died; and King Richard gave his daughter, together with the earldom, to William, his bastard brother. King Richard fortified the castle of Andelys against the wishes of the archbishop of Rouen, the lord of that castle; then the archbishop placed the whole of Normandy under an interdict. Marchades, the infamous prince of Brabant, and John, count of Mortain, captured Philip, bishop of Beauvais.

A.D. 1197. #

¹ William, bishop of Ely, died and was buried at the Cistercian abbey of Des-Pins. John, bishop ‘Caneriensis’, having died, three others who were successively elected in his place all died within forty days. Robert Longchamp, the chancellor’s brother, was made abbot of York; Henry de Longchamp, his third brother, was the eminent abbot of Croyland. The archbishop of Rouen received, in exchange for Andelys, the vill of Dieppe with its appurtenances, and several others. The son of the emperor Frederic by the empress Constance, daughter of Roger, king of Sicily, a child seven years old, was baptised with the name Frederic. He succeeded Otho as emperor of the Romans. Safadin, brother of Saladin, took Joppa and slew there more than twenty thousand Christians. Henry the emperor died and was succeeded by Otho, son of Henry, duke of Saxony, and nephew of King Richard.

² Frederic, son of the emperor Henry, was made king of Sicily by the pope. John Comyn, archbishop of Dublin, preferring exile to enduring the injuries inflicted upon him by the vassals of John, the king’s brother, departed after excommunicating the offenders. After his departure, a certain wooden crucifix in the church at Dublin appeared to shed tears at about the sixth hour, and blood and water flowed from its right teat [John 19:34]; the clergy of the church collected them and sent an account of the miracle to the pope, attested by themselves.

A.D. 1198. #

¹ Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, had, in the year of our Lord nine hundred and seventy-three, partly expelled secular canons from the English church and substituted monks. Hugh, bishop of Chester, being of the contrary opinion, in the year of our Lord one thousand ninety-one expelled the monks from Coventry and introduced clerks. In the present year, Hubert, archdeacon of Canterbury, Hugh [bishop] of Lincoln, and Sampson, abbot of St Edmund’s, by order of the pope, removed the canons and restored the monks. Pope Celestine III died; Lotharius, a cardinal-deacon, succeeded him under the name of Innocent III.

² Otho was crowned emperor of Germany. Eustace, bishop of Ely, was consecrated on the eighth day before the ides of March (8 March). Geoffrey Fitz-Peter was made justiciar of England in place of Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury. King Richard defeated the king of France at Gisors on the fourth day before the calends of October (28 September). A tax of five shillings was imposed on every ploughland throughout England. The shrine of St Edmund was consumed by fire on the sixteenth day before the calends of November (17 October). It rained blood on the castle of le Roche-Andelys. Richard, bishop of London, died; he was succeeded by William, of St Mary’s church, of Norman race.

Death of Richard I and Accession of King John. #

A.D. 1199. #

¹ King Richard died in Aquitaine on the eighth day before the ides of April (6 April), after a reign of nine years, six months, and ten days, and eleven days after he was wounded by Bertrand de Gurdun before the castle of Chaluz. He was buried at Fontevrault beside his father. John, lord of Ireland, was crowned king at Westminster on the sixth day before the calends of July (26 June); on that day he gave William Marshal the earldom of Strigul, and Geoffrey Fitz-Peter the earldom of Essex. Philip, king of France, knighted Arthur, duke of Brittany. The pope and the Romans made Otho emperor.

A.D. 1200. #

¹ King John levied three shillings on every ploughland, except those belonging to the monks. Lewis, son of the king of France, married Blanche, daughter of the king of Castile, through the mediation, for the sake of peace, of King John, Blanche’s uncle. Marchades of Brabant was slain by a townsman of Bordeaux. France was placed under an interdict because the king had divorced Botilde. King John married Isabel, daughter of the count of Angoulême, on the ninth day before the calends of September (24 August). John, bishop of Norwich, died; John de Grey succeeded him. The church of Rouen and nearly the whole city were consumed by fire. A quarrel arose between the citizens of Paris and the German scholars, in which the [bishop]-elect of Liège was slain. Eustace, abbot of Haye, illustrious for the miracles he worked, came into England to preach and forbade the sale of goods in the market on the Lord’s Day. St Hugh, bishop of Lincoln, died at London on the sixteenth day before the calends of December (16 November).

A.D. 1201. #

¹ There was an earthquake in England on the sixth day before the ides of January (8 January). King John, crossing over to Ireland, collected a large sum of money and, on his return to England, was crowned at Canterbury together with his queen on Easter Day (25 March). He then went to Paris, where he was received in solemn procession and lodged in the royal palace. Walter de Ghent, the first abbot of Waltham, died on the sixth day before the nones of May (6 May). Eustace, abbot of Haye, returned to France because his preaching displeased many prelates of the church.

A.D. 1202. #

¹ Hugh, who had been abbot of St Edmund’s and afterwards bishop of Ely, became a monk on the feast of the Assumption of St Mary (15 August). In the same year, Arthur, son of Geoffrey, duke of Brittany, was knighted by the king of France. Eleanor was besieged by Arthur and the troops of the king of France in the castle of Mirabeau; but King John, coming to her aid, raised the siege and captured Arthur and more than two hundred of the nobles with him. The count of Flanders, together with the countess, set out on the road to Jerusalem. Arthur was sent as a prisoner to Falaise.

A.D. 1203. #

¹ The king of France took several of the king of England’s fortresses in Normandy, some of which he razed to the ground, while others he preserved intact for his own protection. Hugh de Gournay, who betrayed the castle of Montfort, which the king of England had entrusted to his custody, surrendered it, together with all its domains, to the king of France. The castle of Roche was besieged by the king of France. The Norman nobles revolted from King John. The seventh part of the revenues of the barons and conventual churches in England was paid to King John. The king came over from Normandy and landed at Portsmouth on St Nicholas’s Day (6 December).

A.D. 1204. #

¹ The king levied scutage in England, namely two and a half marks for each scutage. The castle of Roche was taken, and the soldiers of the king of England were carried away into France. There was a red light in the sky, like fire, on the calends of April (1 April), which lasted until midnight, and the stars also appeared bright red. The whole of Normandy, Anjou, Maine, and Poitou submitted to the king of France. Queen Eleanor died on the twelfth day before the calends of April (21 March) and was buried at Fontevrault. The count of Flanders took Constantinople and was made emperor.

A.D. 1205. #

¹ A severe frost lasted from the nineteenth day before the calends of February (14 January) until the eleventh day before the calends of April (22 March). The money issued long before, in the year eleven hundred and fifty-eight, was recoined this year. At this time there was a severe famine, for a quarter of wheat sold for fourteen shillings. The king of France took Chinon. Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the third day before the ides of July (13 July).

A.D. 1206. #

¹ King John, sailing from England with a large army, landed at Rochelle on the seventh day before the ides of July (9 July). A truce for two years was agreed between the kings of France and England on the calends of November (1 November). The king of England then returned and landed at Portsmouth on the second day before the ides of December (12 December). John of Florence, the papal nuncio, having collected large sums of money, held a synod at Reading on the thirteenth day before the calends of November (20 October). Then, having carefully packed up his treasures, he hurried back to Rome.

A.D. 1207. #

¹ A sudden wind brought down a great number of houses and trees in England on the sixth day before the calends of February (27 January). An eclipse of the sun occurred on the second day before the calends of March (28 February). The elections of the bishop of Norwich and of the sub-prior of Canterbury having been annulled, Master Stephen Langton, priest-cardinal, was elected archbishop and consecrated by Pope Innocent III at the city of Viterbo on the fifteenth day before the calends of July (17 June). The king was so indignant at this that all the monks of Canterbury were expelled from England, except fourteen who were infirm; and some monks from Rochester, St Augustine’s, and Faversham were substituted to perform the service, while Fulk de Canteloupe managed, or rather dissipated, the property, and the lands of the archbishop lay waste.

² King Otho came to England to confer with his uncle, King John, and, having received five thousand marks from his said uncle, returned to his own country. Queen Isabel bore a son on the feast of St Remi (1 October), who was named Henry. The thirtieth part of all the chattels in England was granted to King John. The archbishop of York alone refused his assent and withdrew secretly from England.

A.D. 1208. #

¹ There was an eclipse of the sun, which appeared red, on the third day before the nones of February (3 February). An interdict was laid upon the whole of England on the tenth day before the calends of April (23 March) by William, bishop of London, Eustace, bishop of Ely, and Malger, bishop of Worcester, by mandate of the pope, because John, in disobedience to the pontifical admonitions, had refused to receive the archbishop and the monks of Canterbury. The concubines of the clergy throughout England were compelled by the king’s officers to pay ransom. Philip, duke of Swabia, Otho’s adversary, was assassinated in his own chamber. The princes and nobles of Germany did homage to Otho. The bishops of London, Ely, Worcester, and Hereford withdrew from England. The Cistercian monks, celebrating divine service at the command of their abbot, were excommunicated by the pope. King John, at Bristol during Christmas, prohibited fowling. Henry, duke of Saxony, Otho’s brother, came to England to confer with the king, his uncle.

A.D. 1209. #

¹ Lewis, son of the king of France, was knighted with one hundred others at Compiègne. Conventual churches were granted the privilege of having divine service celebrated once a week with closed doors. At this time the kings of England Scotland made an alliance, hostages being delivered to the king of England. The fences of the forests were burnt, and the corn was left exposed to the ravages of beasts. Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, and the bishops of London and Ely came over to England about the feast of Michaelmas, by the king’s order, to negotiate an accommodation, but returned to France without achieving it. The Albigensians, men of impious character and enemies of the name of Christ, were almost entirely destroyed by an army in the region of Toulouse. King Otho was crowned emperor of Rome on Sunday, the fourth day before the nones of October (4 October). Sentence was pronounced against King John about the feast of St Denys (9 October), unless he made satisfaction before the feast of All Saints (8 November), which he did not do. All the bishops left England except the bishop of Winchester, lest they should have to communicate with the king. Hugh, bishop-elect of Lincoln, was consecrated by Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, at Melun on the twelfth day before the calends of January (21 December).

A.D. 1210. #

¹ A dispute arose between the pope and the emperor Otho. A frost lasted seven weeks, during which cattle, fish, and birds starved. The Jews throughout England, both men and women, were thrown into prison. Matilda de Braiose and her son William were starved to death at Windsor. She gave a precious cloth to the abbey of St Edmund’s for the use of the refectory. The pope excommunicated the emperor Otho for persecuting Frederic, king of Sicily. All the princes of the empire were also absolved from their oath of allegiance to Otho. The tower of the church of St Edmund was thrown down by a violent wind on the ninth day before the calends of October (23 September).

A.D. 1211. #

¹ William de Braiose died at Paris and was buried at St Victor’s. King John reduced Wales to submission and subjected the Welsh to the laws of England. The count of Boulogne revolted from the king of France. Pandulph, a sub-deacon and the pope’s nuncio, and Durand, a brother [of the Temple], came over to England to restore concord, but returned without accomplishing it. Sampson, of blessed memory, abbot of St Edmund’s, died on the third day before the calends of January (30 December). King John knighted the son of the king of Scots.

A.D. 1212. #

¹ The emperor Otho married Isabel, daughter of the king of Swabia, and the marriage was consummated, but she died a few days afterwards. The greater part of the city of London was consumed by fire, and vast numbers of people perished from the fire, smoke, and water.

² It was reported to King John that all the nobles of England had been released from their allegiance by letters received from the pope. Then he suspected everyone, but after taking hostages from them he felt more secure. Robert Fitz-Walter was ordered to be arrested, but took refuge in France with his wife and children. King John received a written assurance from the barons of England that they would stand by him in his opposition to the pope. Geoffrey, a clerk of Norwich, because, as was alleged, he had read the letters of our lord the pope in the presence of the barons, was summoned before the king at Nottingham, and in the meantime was loaded, or rather clothed, with fetters until he died. The archdeacon of Huntingdon, having been imprisoned, gave the king two thousand marks for his release. The burgesses of Bury St Edmund’s promised, though reluctantly, that they would make a contribution through the hands of a monk. The king caused the Welsh hostages to be hanged at Nottingham. The monks and clergy wrote to the pope, at the instigation of the king of England, that they had freely and of their own goodwill forgiven him all the injuries he had inflicted upon them.

³ King Philip assembled a powerful fleet for the invasion and conquest of England, part of which was burnt on the coast by the nobles of England. In those days there lived in England a certain man named Peter the Wise, who predicted to King John the misfortunes that afterwards befell him; for this he was ordered to be hanged at Corfe. Savary de Mauléon, rising in arms against the king of England in Poitou, reduced the whole country within a few days, Rochelle alone resisting his forces.

A.D. 1213. #

¹ Cardinal Nicholas, bishop of Tusculum, performed the functions of legate in England. Hugh, a monk of St Edmund’s, was unanimously elected abbot of that monastery by the monks, but shortly afterwards a schism arose in the convent concerning the election. Nicholas, legate of the apostolic see, was at St Edmund’s on Christmas Day.

A.D. 1214. #

¹ King John made an expedition into Poitou about the feast of the Purification of St Mary (2 February). A battle was fought in Flanders, near Bovines, on a Sunday, between the king of France and the barons of the king of England, in which the counts of Flanders and Boulogne, and William, earl of Salisbury, were taken prisoner on the side of the king of England. The emperor Otho was also present, but, perceiving the outcome of the battle, took to flight. The general interdict in England was relaxed by order of Pope Innocent on the sixth day before the nones of July (10 July). It had now lasted six years, fourteen weeks, and three days.

A.D. 1215. #

¹ Eustace, bishop of Ely, died on the second day before the nones of February (4 February). Frederic, king of Sicily, son of the former emperor Henry, succeeded the emperor Otho. Hugh, the [abbot]-elect of St Edmund’s, had his election confirmed by judges deputed by the pope on the fifth day before the ides of March (11 March), and received the benediction from Benedict, bishop of Rochester.

² In this year, about Easter (19 April), the war began between John and the barons. John de Grey, bishop of Norwich, died, and Pandulph, the pope’s sub-deacon, was elected. A fire broke out on the third day before the nones of June (3 June), which consumed a great part of the town of Bury St Edmund’s. Pope Innocent held a council in the Lateran in the month of November, at which three hundred and twelve bishops and more than two hundred abbots and priors were present, besides the ambassadors of Frederic and many others.

A.D. 1216. #

¹ Walo, a cardinal-priest with the title of St Martin, came to England on the thirteenth day before the calends of June (20 May). The barons of England having given hostages to Philip, king of France, Lewis, his son, invaded England, and the city of London immediately submitted to him. The pope excommunicated the barons and placed under an interdict those parts of England where these rebels against the king were present. Pope Innocent III died on the sixteenth day before the calends of August (17 July); Honorius III succeeded him.

Death of King John. Henry III succeeds to the throne. #

¹ King John died on the fifteenth day before the calends of November (28 October) and was buried at Worcester. He was succeeded by his son Henry, who was crowned at Bristol by Walo, cardinal and legate, on the fifth day before the calends of November (28 October). He was the twenty-second king of England from Alfred, who was the first monarch of England after the time of the Britons.

A.D. 1217. #

¹ In the battle of Lincoln, the count of Perche and many other Frenchmen were slain on the thirteenth day before the calends of July (19 June). Moreover, the barons and the French were driven from their siege of the castle by the royal troops. The army which was on its way from France to aid Lewis was nearly drowned in a naval action against Hubert de Burgh and the other faithful adherents of the king, fought at the mouth of the river Thames on the ninth day before the calends of September (24 August). John, abbot of Wells, was elected bishop of Ely. Lewis, having been absolved by Walo, the legate, from the sentence of excommunication, returned to France. Then, after two and a half years of war, blessed peace was restored about the Nativity of St Mary (8 September).

A.D. 1218. #

¹ Ralph, prior of Norwich, was consecrated bishop of Chichester. Walo departed from England on the twelfth day before the calends of December (20 November). Pandulph, bishop-elect of Norwich, was made papal legate in England. The city of Damietta in Egypt, which according to some is called Memphis, was besieged by the Christians after Easter (15 April). The siege lasted more than a year and a half, during which first the Christians and then the Saracens were victorious, according to the varying fortunes of war.

A.D. 1219. #

¹ The city of Damietta was taken by the Christians on Tuesday, the nones of November (5 November), when, out of forty thousand armed men to whom the defence of the place had been entrusted, and as many women, scarcely fifty were found alive at its capture; for all the others had perished, struck down by the sword of the Lord, and their putrefying corpses were found in the sewers. Frederic II was crowned emperor of the Romans by Pope Honorius.

A.D. 1220. #

¹ The translation [of the remains] of St Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, took place on the nones of June (5 June). Herbert, prior of St Edmund’s, died on the fourth day before the ides of September (10 September). Richard De Lisle succeeded him.

A.D. 1221. #

¹ Pandulph, bishop-elect of Norwich, was removed from the office of legate. Damietta was surrendered to the Saracens, all the Christians being driven from it.

A.D. 1222. #

¹ Ralph, bishop of Chichester, formerly prior of Norwich, died. Pandulph was consecrated bishop of Norwich. Richard De Lisle was elected abbot of Burton, and Henry succeeded him in his priory on the second day before the calends of June (31 May). A comet appeared in the month of June. Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, held a synod at Oxford with his suffragans.

A.D. 1223. #

¹ About this time the pilgrimage to Bromholm began. Philip, king of France, died and was buried at St Denis; Lewis succeeded him.

A.D. 1224. #

¹ The castle of Bedford, which was besieged in the month of June, was taken on the nineteenth day before the calends of September (14 August), and all who were found in it were hanged.

A.D. 1225. #

¹ John, bishop of Ely, died on the second day before the nones of May (6 May). Geoffrey, son of the justiciar Hubert de Burgh, succeeded him. The orders of Friars Minor and Friars Preachers were first established in England.

A.D. 1226. #

¹ William, earl of Salisbury, died. Pandulph, bishop of Norwich, died in Italy on the seventeenth day before the calends of September (16 August). He was succeeded by Thomas de Blunville, who was consecrated on the seventh day before the calends of January (26 December). Lewis, king of France, died at Avignon and was buried at St Denis; his son Lewis succeeded him. Pope Honorius III died; he was succeeded by the bishop of Ostia, who took the name Gregory IX. Disputes arose between the pope and the emperor, whereupon the pope excommunicated the emperor.

A.D. 1227. #

A.D. 1228. #

¹ The French attacked the Albigensians with the sign of the cross upon their breasts. Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the sixth day before the ides of July (10 July). Eustace de Falconberg, bishop of London, died. Geoffrey de Burgh, bishop of Ely, died on the sixteenth day before the calends of January (17 December).

² Quarrels broke out between the scholars and citizens of Paris and the country people of St Marcel. Consequently, the masters suspended their lectures for a whole year, and the scholars, being unable to endure the persecution of the legate, who was then in France, nearly all departed. Someone said of the legate and the queen, with rather too much freedom:—

³ ‘We’re murdered, drowned, stripped, plundered, ground, The work, I ween, of the legate’s quean.’

⁴ Master Richard Magnus, [archbishop]-elect of Canterbury, Master Roger Niger, [bishop-elect] of London, and Hugh, abbot of Ely, elected to the bishopric of Ely, were consecrated on the fourth day before the ides of June (10 June).

A.D. 1230. #

¹ King Henry went over to Brittany with an army. Raymond de Burgh and Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, died. King Henry, returning from Brittany, landed at Portsmouth in the month of October and was at Winchester on the calends of November (1 November).

A.D. 1231. #

¹ Richard, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the fourth day before the nones of August (2 August). Thomas, bishop of Norwich, attended the festival of St Edmund, and Richard, abbot of that house, gave the benediction at the vigil after vespers in the bishop’s presence, vested in a cope of the fashion worn by the secular clergy. William Marshal the younger died. Ranulph, earl of Chester, died.

A.D. 1232. #

¹ Hubert de Burgh, earl of Kent, having incurred the king’s displeasure, was thrown into prison. His wife, having taken sanctuary at St Edmund’s, remained there in safety until a reconciliation took place. The bishops made visitations of the religious houses throughout England.

A.D. 1233. #

¹ Master Edmund of Abingdon was elected archbishop of Canterbury. Richard, abbot of St Edmund’s, died at Ponthieu on the fourth day before the calends of September (29 August). Henry, prior of St Edmund’s, was elected abbot on the feast of SS Cosmas and Damian (27 September).

A.D. 1234. #

¹ Henry, abbot-elect of St Edmund’s, received the benediction from Hugh, bishop of Ely, at Hatfield on the feast of the Purification (2 February). At the same time Gregory was made prior of St Edmund’s. Edmund, [archbishop]-elect of Canterbury, was consecrated on the fourth day before the nones of April (2 April). Richard Marshal was killed in Ireland on the thirteenth day before the calends of May (19 April). Hubert de Burgh was reconciled with the king at Gloucester on the tenth day before the calends of June (23 May). The emperor Frederic married Isabel, sister of the king of England, in the month of June.

A.D. 1235. #

¹ Hugh, bishop of Lincoln, died; he was succeeded by Master Robert Grosseteste. The bishops of Ely and Hereford crossed over to France to receive the daughter of the count of Provence, who was betrothed to the king of England.

A.D. 1236. #

¹ Henry, king of England, brought over Eleanor, daughter of the count of Provence, and married her at Canterbury on Sunday, the ides of January (13 January). King Henry and his queen were crowned at London on the thirteenth day before the calends of February (20 January). Thomas de Blunville, bishop of Norwich, died on the seventeenth day before the calends of September (16 August).

A.D. 1237. #

¹ Otho, cardinal-deacon with the title of St Nicholas in the Tullian Prison, came to England on the sixth day before the ides of July (10 July) as legate. Meanwhile, a quarrel arose between Pope Gregory and the emperor Frederic.

A.D. 1238. #

¹ A synod was held at Oxford after Easter (4 April), presided over by the legate. During its sitting, a tumult arose between the scholars and the legate’s attendants, in which some of them were wounded and slain. Several of the scholars were imprisoned by the king’s officers. The pope excommunicated the emperor Frederic for various causes and commanded that the excommunication be enforced.

² Otho, the legate, being on a visit to St Edmund’s, the Friars Preachers came to him there and urgently entreated that they might be permitted to have a house of residence within the limits of the liberties of that church. The monks opposed this, and the legate went in person to the same limits and, having inspected the monks’ charters of privilege, decided that the petitions of both the Friars Minor and the Friars Preachers should be dismissed. This was done on the eighth day before the ides of June (6 June), being the octave of the Holy Trinity.

A.D. 1239. #

¹ William de Raleigh was elected bishop of Norwich on the fourth day before the ides of April (10 April). A savage race called Tartars, which had recently issued from the islands and covered the face of the earth, devastated Hungary and the neighbouring regions.

² Eleanor, queen of England, gave birth on the fourteenth day before the calends of July (18 June) to her eldest son Edward, whose father was Henry, whose father was John, whose father was Henry, whose mother was Matilda the empress, whose mother was Matilda, queen of England, whose mother was Margaret, queen of Scotland, whose father was Edward, whose father was Edmund Ironside, who was the son of Ethelred, who was the son of Edgar, who was the son of Edmund, who was the son of Edward the Elder, who was the son of Alfred. The genealogy of Alfred up to Adam, the first man, has already been given.

A.D. 1240. #

¹ At Norwich, four Jews, charged with various atrocities, were torn apart by horses and finally hanged. The principal charge was that they had circumcised a certain Christian boy according to the Jewish rite.

² Richard, earl of Cornwall, brother of Henry, king of England, set out for Jerusalem, accompanied by many English nobles, on the third day before the ides of June (11 June). Our lord the pope sent letters after the feast of All Saints (1 November) to all the prelates of the church, summoning them to be present at the apostolic see on the following Easter, without fail, either in person or through their envoys, to discuss important ecclesiastical affairs.

³ Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, died on the sixteenth day before the calends of December (16 November).

A.D. 1241. #

¹ The legate Otho set out from England on his return to Rome in the month of January; but, together with two other legates, namely those of France and Italy, and many other prelates of the church, he embarked at Genoa and fell into the hands of the emperor Frederic on the fifth day before the nones of May (3 May), who imprisoned them in different places. Some wag said of them:—

² ‘Three legates of the court of Rome,
With many a prelate, hastened home;
But fettered were these lettered wights,
Despite the apostolic rights;
Nor could the churchmen’s rank and style
Save them from suffering durance vile.’

³ Pope Gregory IX died on the eleventh day before the calends of September (22 August). He was succeeded by Cardinal Geoffrey, who was consecrated on the fifth day before the calends of November (28 October) and assumed the name Celestine IV. He occupied the papal throne for only seventeen days, dying on the third day before the ides of November (11 November). After his death, the see remained vacant for one year, seven months, and thirteen days.

⁴ Boniface, a native of Savoy, was elected archbishop of Canterbury on the calends of February (1 February) in the present year.

⁵ Eleanor, wife of Geoffrey, count of Brittany, and sister of Arthur, died. Queen Margaret bore a daughter named Margaret.

A.D. 1242. #

¹ Richard, earl of Cornwall, after receiving distinguished honours from the emperor Frederic, the king of France, and other princes beyond the sea, returned from the Holy Land landed at Dover on the eleventh day before the calends of February (22 January). Gregory, prior of St Edmund’s, died on the ninth day before the calends of May (23 April). Daniel succeeded him. King Henry levied a scutage in England of forty shillings for each scutage. The king of England, with his queen and nobles, crossed the sea to Gascony on the second day before the nones of May (2 May).

A.D. 1243. #

¹ Queen Eleanor gave birth to a daughter, who was named Beatrix. Sinebald, a cardinal-priest of St Lawrence-in-Lucina, was consecrated pope on the seventh day before the calends of July (25 June) and took the name Innocent IV. King Henry and his queen returned from Gascony, landing at Portsmouth on the seventh day before the calends of October (25 September). Hubert de Burgh, earl of Kent, died on the third day before the ides of May (13 May). Richard, earl of Cornwall, married the daughter of the count of Provence, who was sister to the queen of England. William, bishop of Norwich, having been nominated to the see of Winchester, transferred himself to Winchester by virtue of a papal bull, against the king’s wishes.

A.D. 1244. #

¹ Dissension arose between the kings of England Scotland. On the death of Daniel, prior of St Edmund’s, Richard At-Wood, a monk, succeeded him on the second day before the nones of June (4 June). A violent whirlwind levelled many trees and houses on the third day before the ides of June (11 June). Peace was renewed between the kings of England Scotland on the ides of August (13 August), at Newcastle. Pope Innocent came into France and remained for some time at Lyons. An extraordinary battle took place on the vigil of St Lucia (12 December), between the Christians and the Kharismians near Gaza, in which the entire army of the kingdom of Syria, together with a host of Christians, was put to the sword by the same Kharismians.

A.D. 1245. #

¹ Queen Eleanor bore a son, who was called Edmund after the glorious king and martyr Edmund; our lord the king required, by a letter addressed to Abbot Henry, that he should be enrolled among us. On 18 January, in the twenty-ninth year of King Henry’s reign, Boniface, [archbishop]-elect of Canterbury, was consecrated by the pope. Walter, [bishop]-elect of Norwich, was consecrated on the eleventh day before the calends of March (19 February). King Henry led an army into Wales after Whitsuntide (4 June). Pope Innocent held a council at Lyons, in which he summarily deposed Frederic, emperor of the Romans. Roger de Weseham, dean of Lincoln, was consecrated bishop of Coventry on the eleventh day before the calends of March (19 February).

A.D. 1246. #

¹ While Pope Innocent resided at Lyons, the landgrave Henry was elected by the princes of Germany as their king and future emperor of the Romans on Tuesday, the eleventh day before the calends of May (21 April). In the same year, the landgrave fought a battle against Conrad, son of Frederic, the late emperor, in which he defeated Conrad. On Conrad’s side, six hundred knights and one thousand two hundred squires were taken prisoner, besides the foot soldiers and those slain, whose numbers are not recorded. The archbishops of Cologne and Mentz, and the bishop of Metz, who by order of the pope supported the landgrave with their forces, won a victory at Strasbourg at the beginning of August. Sixteen counts and great barons were taken prisoner, besides those already mentioned. St Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, was canonised.

A.D. 1247. #

¹ A violent earthquake was felt on the calends of March (1 March) in various parts of England. The landgrave, who had been elected emperor in the preceding year, died. St Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, was translated on the fifth day before the ides of June (9 June). Frederic, the late emperor, besieged Parma. This year there was a coinage in England, on which occasion King Henry granted the monks of St Edmund’s a die for the new coinage, with full liberty to use it, with a difference, just as the king himself used his own dies.

A.D. 1248. #

¹ On the night of the Circumcision (1 January) there was a violent storm of wind. Frederic’s army was defeated by the Parmesans with great slaughter, Frederic himself being driven to flight by a standard bearing a picture of the glorious Virgin Mary, which the Parmesans carried. This happened on the twelfth day before the calends of March (18 February).

² Henry, abbot of St Edmund’s, died on the thirteenth day before the calends of July (19 June); after his death, Master Edmund de Walpole was elected abbot on the nones of July (7 July). He had not been a monk for two years from the time he took the habit to the day of his election. He received the benediction from Hugh, bishop of Ely, on the fifth day before the calends of October (27 September).

³ In the same year, Lewis IX, king of France, having taken the cross, departed from France with his wife after Whitsuntide (7 June), on his way to the Holy Land, and, arriving at Lyons, received absolution from the pope. Having received his benediction, he embarked for Cyprus and, landing about the feast of St Michael, spent the winter there.

A.D. 1249. #

¹ The king of France left Cyprus on the day of our Lord’s Ascension (13 May), and in Whitsun week (23 May) arrived by sea before Damietta, which he found almost deserted; on Thursday of the same week, he took possession of it and all that he found there. For the citizens of Damietta had withdrawn towards Alexandria, believing that the king of France would come to their town. In the same year, on 20 November, the said king and his army set out from Damietta on their way to Mansourah, where they arrived on the Thursday before Christmas. During this march they suffered greatly from attacks by the Saracens. Having encamped at Mansourah, near a river called Thaneos, they halted while a raft was constructed to enable them to cross the river and give battle to the Saracens, erecting machines to defend the passage; these, however, were burnt by the Saracens.

A.D. 1250. #

¹ On the first day of the Carnival (23 January), the king of France, after consulting with his knights, determined to cross the river, a Saracen having been induced by a reward to show them a good crossing. But the Templars, Robert, count of Artois, the lord William Longuespée, the lord R. de Coucy, and several others, having crossed the river without waiting for the king’s troops and without taking any precautions, pushed forward beyond Mansourah, as it is said at the suggestion of the count of Artois. Marching in disorder and without crossbowmen, they were overwhelmed by an immense body of Pagans; and the king was unable to give them any assistance, since he himself was surrounded by a vast multitude of the Pagans. On that day, therefore, and in that conflict, most of the Knights Templars, the count of Artois, William Longuespée, R. de Coucy, and many other Christians fell. The king remained there with his army throughout Lent, suffering severely from sickness and famine, as well as frequent attacks by the Pagans.

² Under these circumstances, the king, perceiving the various dangers that threatened him, retraced his steps towards Damietta on Tuesday after the octave of Easter (3 April), a movement which was betrayed to the Pagans by some Christian renegades. Consequently, on the following day, Wednesday, they attacked the Christians with such force that they captured the king himself, together with his brothers and the whole army, and imprisoned them at Mansourah, where the king was detained for a month, that is, until Ascension Day (5 May). On that day the king was released on condition that he surrender Damietta and release the captives. Moreover, he paid for his ransom and the costs and expenses one hundred thousand livres sterling, or three hundred thousand livres of Tours; and the Saracens, for their part, released all their prisoners. A truce was also made for three years, and the king departed believing that this agreement would be fully carried out; but the Saracens made no effort to fulfil it, for only some of the prisoners were released.

³ William, bishop of Winchester, died on the calends of September (1 September) and was buried in the church of St Martin at Tours. The former emperor Frederic died. William, count of Holland, was elected his successor. In the same year there was a storm of thunder and lightning at daybreak.

Insurrection of the Pastoureaux. #

A.D. 1251. #

¹ The pope departed from Lyons on Wednesday in Easter week (16 April). In the same year, an impostor came into France and gathered around him a vast multitude of shepherds, claiming that he was ‘The Shepherd’, commissioned by the blessed Mother of God, and that she had revealed to him that the Holy Land could be rescued by such people, namely shepherds. Having travelled through nearly all the cities of France, preaching and pretending to work miracles, he at length came to Orleans with his followers, where a tumult broke out between him and the clergy, in which many of the clergy, but far more of the shepherds, were slain on the ides of June (13 June). On the following day, Friday, the leader of the shepherds himself was slain, and all the rest were dispersed.

² In the same year, on Christmas Day, Alexander, king of Scotland, was knighted by the king of England, and on the following day he married Margaret, that king’s daughter.

A.D. 1252. #

¹ This year many died from the excessive heat of the summer. Terrible thunderclaps were also heard on the day after the Assumption of the blessed Virgin. War was waged between the Germans and Flemings, in which many thousands of Flemings fell. In the same year, the new church at Ely was dedicated on the fifteenth day before the calends of October (17 September).

² Richard, prior of St Edmund’s, died on the tenth day before the calends of November (23 October). Simon de Luton succeeded him as prior. This Simon was the first prior to be elected by a scrutiny conducted by Abbot Edmund and two monks, one appointed by the abbot and one by the convent, who, together with the abbot, took the votes of the electors; Simon was thus declared prior of St Edmund’s.

A.D. 1253. #

¹ King Henry levied an aid of forty shillings for every knight’s fee on making his eldest son a knight. In the same year, King Henry, wishing to promote the advancement of his second son Edmund, obtained from the pope, for five years, a tenth of all the movable goods of the monks and clergy, under the pretext of a subsidy for the Holy Land; but this was done to enable him to make his son Edmund king of Sicily and Apulia. In the same year, King Henry confirmed the liberties granted by the Charter of the Forest and others formerly granted, under penalty of excommunication for those who should contravene those liberties.

² In the same year, the king embarked at Portsmouth on the eighth day before the ides of August (6 August), intending to cross the sea to Gascony to subdue the rebels in that province, which he accomplished. Robert, bishop of Lincoln, died on the nones of October (7 October). The sea overflowed its banks and flooded many places along the coast. Queen Eleanor gave birth to a daughter, who was named Catherine. Henry, son of the emperor Frederic and nephew of the king of England, died.

A.D. 1254. #

¹ Conrad, son of the emperor Frederic, died on Ascension Day (21 May). Hugh, bishop of Ely, died on the eighth day before the ides of August (6 August). Master William of Kilkenny, the king’s chancellor, was elected bishop. Lewis, king of France, returned from the Holy Land arrived at Paris on the feast of St Mary the Virgin, that is, her Nativity (8 September). Edward, son of the king of England, was knighted in Spain by the king of Castile on the day of the Translation of St Edward (13 October), and soon afterwards married the king’s sister.

² King Henry, with the queen and a numerous retinue of English nobles, returned to Gascony in the month of November, the people there being inclined towards peace; and, after visiting the king and queen of France at Paris, he made a pilgrimage to St Edward the Confessor at Pontigny and, on departing from there, went to Boulogne, where he celebrated Christmas.

³ Pope Innocent IV died. Alexander IV succeeded him. Henry, king of England, embarked on the night of St John the Apostle (27 December) to return to England.

A.D. 1255. #

¹ Peter, bishop of Hereford, at the instigation of King Henry and, as was reported, with the knowledge of some prelates, falsely and treacherously representing himself as the procurator of all the clergy of England, entered into an obligation binding all the religious houses in England, whether exempt or not, to pay certain merchants of Siena and Florence sums amounting to one or two hundred marks for the lesser houses, three or four hundred for the larger, and, for some, as much as five hundred. He pledged the abbey of St Edmund, king and martyr, by a bond for two hundred marks, and undertook to execute the instrument as a legally authorised procurator; and the consent of the pope was cited as authority for all this; I only hope it was forged. All this money was collected for the purpose of driving Manfred, son of the emperor Frederic, out of the territories of Apulia and Sicily, which the pope had bestowed upon Edmund, son of the king of England, who never obtained them.

A.D. 1256. #

¹ William, count of Holland, was slain in the month of February. William, bishop of Ely, died. On the day of the Holy Innocents (28 December) there was a violent storm of thunder and lightning at Westminster. Edmund, abbot of St Edmund’s, died on the second day before the calends of January (31 December).

A.D. 1257. #

¹ Richard, earl of Cornwall, brother of the king of England, was elected king of Germany in the month of January. Travelling by way of St Edmund’s to Yarmouth on the day of that saint’s Translation (29 April), and embarking on the feast of the apostles SS Philip and James (1 May), he sailed for Germany and was crowned king by the archbishop of Cologne on Ascension Day (17 May).

² In the same year, Simon, prior of St Edmund’s, was elected abbot of that monastery on the nineteenth day before the calends of February (14 January). After his confirmation, messengers were sent to the apostolic see, but they returned without settling the matter, because there was a new rule that all who claimed exemption should come in person to the court of Rome. Accordingly, the abbot-elect set out on his journey towards the said court on the third day before the calends of August (30 July), and received the rite of benediction from Pope Alexander at Viterbo on the eleventh day before the calends of November (22 October).

³ Memorandum—that the said Simon, abbot of St Edmund’s, was the first abbot of all the exempt religious houses in England to go to the Roman court for his benediction and confirmation, and the costs amounted to two thousand marks sterling.

⁴ During this year the king led an army into Wales.

⁵ In the same year, the Friars Minor secretly entered the borough of St Edmund’s on the tenth day before the calends of July (22 June), and said Mass privately, but aloud, in the hearing of all who assembled, at the house of Roger de Herdeberri, on the east side of the north gate. At this time Simon, the prior and abbot-elect, together with the sub-prior and sacristan and several other monks, was on the way to our lord the king to make representations to him concerning the election; but notwithstanding this, the friars’ chapel, together with all the houses standing in that court, was levelled to the ground just as the knight already mentioned and the same friars were sitting down to dinner.

⁶ Walter, bishop of Norwich, died and was succeeded by Master Simon de Wauton. This year there were excessive rains, causing such vast floods that, on the ides of July (15 July), houses, walls, and trees were thrown down, the hay was swept away by the force of the current, and innumerable bridges were demolished.

A.D. 1258. #

¹ A general scarcity resulted from the floods of the preceding year; for, as had rarely happened, a quarter of wheat sold for as much as fifteen or even twenty shillings. This caused such a famine that the poor ate horseflesh, the bark of trees, and things still worse, while multitudes died of starvation. In the same year, all kinds of corn, of which there was an abundant crop, were almost rotted by the autumn rains, and in many places the harvest still lay in the fields after the feast of All Saints (1 November); and many people gathered their crops into their barns on Sundays and other feast days whenever the weather happened to be somewhat fair.

² At this time the queen of England, together with her Poitevin brothers and Savoyard kinsmen, incurred the hatred of the nobles of the realm because of the oppressive manner in which they exercised royal authority wherever any of them had the opportunity to dominate. Therefore, after Easter, at an assembly of all the barons of England at Oxford, certain statutes were made for maintaining, as was said, the liberties of the church and the prerogatives of the Crown, in the presence of our lord the king and his eldest son Edward, who ratified the same statutes, although reluctantly, with the sanction of the royal seal and by their oaths. The barons of the realm also bound themselves to one another by oath to fight to the death, if necessary, for their maintenance, and to take up arms against those who infringed them. In accordance with this, at the same parliament, Aimar, bishop-elect of Winchester, William de Valence, and the other brothers of the king, both Poitevin and Savoyard, were banished from the realm of England. After their expulsion, the crooked and extortionate practices already mentioned gradually came to an end.

³ Robert, surnamed Russel, was elected prior of St Edmund’s. In the same year, on the seventh day before the calends of May (25 April), the Friars Minor, supported by royal authority and an armed force under the orders of Gilbert de Preston, the king’s justiciar, intruded themselves into the borough of St Edmund’s, contrary to the rights and privileges of that place. The moon was totally eclipsed on the night of the fourteenth day before the calends of June (19 May). In the same year, a violent wind blew down numerous houses, trees, and towers on the night of St Andrew (30 November), at which time the king was at St Edmund’s.

⁴ A scutage of forty shillings was levied for the expenses of the army in Wales. It should be understood that since the coronation of King Henry, son of King John, scutages have been imposed eleven times, as appears from the following table:—

A.D. 1259. #

¹ Richard, king of Germany, returned to England about the Purification (2 February). This year Fulk, bishop of London, died on the twelfth day before the calends of June (21 May). An agreement was made between Richard de Clare, earl of Gloucester, and the convent of St Edmund’s, on the day after St Leonard’s (7 November), to settle their lawsuit concerning the lands of Medehale and Keligham, which had lasted nine years and five days. In the same year the king crossed the sea about the feast of St Martin (11 November) and celebrated Christmas at Paris; and at this time he ceded to the king of France Normandy, Poitou, Anjou, and nearly all his territories beyond the sea, with the exception of Aquitaine. The king of England also now changed [the cognisance on] his seal, adopting a sceptre instead of a sword; this gave rise to the following verses:—

² ‘Peace marks the year—on which may fortune shine—
One thousand, hundreds two, and fifty-nine.
Then Anjou, Poitou, Normandy, the boast
Of England’s warlike kings, resigned and lost,
Were the rich trophies of the power of France;
And Henry changed his seal and cognisance,
Assumed the sceptre for the conqueror’s sword,
Though still a king, no longer Neustria’s lord.’

A.D. 1260. #

¹ Lewis, eldest son of the king of France, died. The king of England returned to England. The king and the barons fell into disagreement because the Provisions of Oxford were not observed. Simon de Montfort was the leader of the barons. This year, about the Purification of St Mary (2 February), the debts of the abbot and convent of St Edmund’s were apportioned, namely five thousand marks, so that each paid two thousand five hundred.

A.D. 1261. #

¹ There was an eclipse of the sun on Friday, the calends of April (1 April), at the end of the fourth month of the year, according to the Arab reckoning. Pope Alexander IV died on the eighth day before the calends of June (25 May), and the see remained vacant for three months because of a disagreement among the cardinals. At last, on the fourth day before the calends of September (29 August), they elected Master Jacob de Trecis, patriarch of Jerusalem, who took the name Urban IV. Sanchia, queen of Germany, died. Pope Urban canonised St Richard, bishop of Chichester, and appointed the third day before the nones of April (3 April) to be observed as the day of his burial.

A.D. 1262. #

¹ King Henry crossed over to France on the fourteenth day before the calends of August (19 July), and soon after his arrival he, together with nearly all his household, fell ill. Many of his great officers died, and the rest narrowly escaped death. Returning from there through Champagne, he crossed the sea to England on the eve of St Thomas the Apostle and celebrated the feast of our Lord’s Nativity at Canterbury.

² Richard de Clare, earl of Gloucester, died on the eleventh day before the calends of August (22 July). Henry, bishop of London, also died on the eleventh day before the calends of August, and Richard Talbot was elected his successor; but he too died immediately after his confirmation and was succeeded by Henry de Sandwich. Johanna, wife of Henry de Hasting, gave birth to her son John at Alesle on the feast of St John-ante-Portam-Latinam (6 May).

A.D. 1263. #

¹ On the seventh day before the ides of February (7 February), a fire broke out with such fury at [the palace of] Westminster that it burnt down the king’s chamber, the little hall, the chapel, and other buildings.

² There was discord between the king and the barons because the king, through the influence of the queen and others, principally foreigners, had prevailed upon the pope to absolve him from observing the statutes of Oxford and from his oath. Then the barons employed ruffians who destroyed the property of the queen and the king’s counsellors, at whose suggestion he had procured the same absolution, without regard to their order or dignity. They even dragged the bishop of Hereford out of his church and threw him into prison; and the bishop of Norwich could find no safety except by fleeing with all speed to sanctuary within the liberty of St Edmund. Indeed, at that time the liberty of St Edmund’s was very precious in the eyes of the barons. They also plundered the possessions of the Roman [clergy] wherever they could find them, driving the owners out of England; and they either appointed others to their churches or gave them to whomever they pleased. They treated all aliens in the same manner.

³ On the eve of the feast of St Edmund (28 April), the Friars Minor, making complete submission, surrendered to the abbot and convent of that place the house which they had occupied for five years, six months, and twenty-four days within the saint’s vill, into which they had been intruded by our lord the king contrary to the liberties of the same church. They were induced to do this by a certain papal rescript obtained by the convent of St Edmund, which commanded them, by virtue of their obedience, to withdraw from that place; thus they were not forcibly expelled, but withdrew voluntarily, declaring publicly before all the people that their possession of the premises had been unlawful.

The Civil War and Battle of Lewes. #

¹ By mutual consent of Henry, king of England, and the same barons, the case concerning the Provisions of Oxford was submitted to the arbitration of the king of France.

A.D. 1264. #

¹ Immediately after Christmas, and before the award of the king of France was published, Edward, eldest son of the king of England, having assembled a numerous army, began burning and plundering the country, being joined by many powerful men who had previously supported the cause of the barons. The king of France decided by his award that the king of England was released from his obligation to observe the Provisions of Oxford already mentioned. War then immediately broke out throughout England, the royalists, lamentably, taking up arms against the barons, and the barons against the royalists. The king of England, together with his brother, the king of Germany, and his eldest son Edward, took Northampton, although it was garrisoned by a large force. On the Saturday before our Lord’s Passion (13 April), the barons, joined by the Londoners, forced the troops holding the citadel of Rochester, who had come out to fight them, to retreat into the tower, leaving several of their comrades dead. The barons and Londoners plundered the Jewry, and many of the Jews were slain.

² After many grievous losses on both sides, the two kings fought a severe battle against the barons at Lewes on the second day before the ides of May (14 May), in which the barons gained the victory. Although they captured the king of England, they did not treat him as a captive; instead, while keeping him in custody, they paid him courtly honours as their sovereign. The king of Germany they carried away as a prisoner. Edward surrendered himself as a hostage to secure the release of his father and uncle; and they swore to observe all the same Provisions of Oxford. From then on, the king went wherever the barons went and did exactly, and without opposition, whatever they wished him to do. Peace was proclaimed throughout the country by royal edict. The queen of England, who was abroad, was greatly distressed when she heard of the state of affairs and, taking an immense army into her pay, planned an invasion of England; but the sea and coast being guarded, by order of the king and barons, by a powerful armament, the enemy were afraid to cross over, and when the queen’s treasury was exhausted, her forces returned home after considerable toil and disgrace. When this became known, the naval armament was withdrawn.

³ Memorandum—that if the sea had not been guarded in this way, England would have fallen into the hands of foreigners. Memorandum also—that all the boroughs and vills, as well as both the secular and regular clergy, were taxed according to their means to provide for the sea-guard, both fighting men and the expenses of maintaining them for as long as they were employed in the service.

⁴ A comet was visible in the eastern quarter of the heavens before daybreak throughout the month of August. It was of a dull hue, and its tail pointed southward.

⁵ Guy, bishop of Sabina, a cardinal and legate of the apostolic see, came into France and wished to cross into England; but, as the barons supposed that he had come in the interests of the king and queen, he was not allowed to set foot in England. Pope Urban IV died at Perugia on the calends of October (1 October), and the see remained vacant for four months.

A.D. 1265. #

¹ Guy, cardinal-bishop of Sabina, formerly bishop of Narbonne and now legate of the apostolic see, was made pope on the nones of February (5 February) and took the name Clement IV. Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, and some others who joined him abandoned the party of the earl of Leicester for various reasons, but chiefly because they had not been allotted a fair proportion, according to their costs and exertions, of the castles and domains distributed after the battle of Lewes. Charles, count of Anjou, was elected king of Sicily and Apulia; being also raised to the dignity of senator of Rome, he entered that city on Whitsun Eve (23 May).

² At this time Edward, son of the king of England, having been released from prison, was led about with the king by the earl of Montfort wherever he went. At length they came to Hereford, where Edward, escaping from the custody of the same earl, joined the earl of Gloucester and the lords-marchers, who were close at hand, on the fifth day before the calends of June (28 May); the king and the earl of Leicester were detained on the borders of Wales in great straits and need because the earl of Gloucester and his party would not allow them to proceed towards England. Meanwhile, Simon de Montfort, son of the earl of Leicester, having entered Winchester by surprise about the feast of St Swithun, carried off from there a large sum of money and much booty; and soon afterwards this Simon, earl of Oxford, the son of the earl of Leicester, William de Montchesney, and various other nobles joined their forces at Kenilworth, which they intended to garrison for the earl of Leicester. Edward and the earl of Gloucester, however, with their adherents, fell upon them by surprise while they were at their ease and unarmed, took them prisoner, stripped them of everything they had, and placed them in custody in different parts of England.

Battle of Evesham. #

¹ While these events were taking place, and in ignorance of what was happening, Simon, earl of Leicester, and his partisans, having the king with them, crossed the river Severn and advanced as far as Evesham. They were pursued by Edward and Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, and the lords-marchers, with a large body of their followers, who gave them battle on Tuesday, the second day before the nones of August (4 August), just outside the town of Evesham. In this battle fell the earl of Leicester, his eldest son Henry, Hugh Despencer, and nearly all the other barons who were on the king’s side. The Welsh and the other fugitives who fled for refuge to the abbey were horribly massacred, both within and outside the church; the king and the royal attendants were captured, with their free consent. On the same day, about the third hour, there fell such a storm of rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and the darkness was so great that at dinner time they could scarcely see what was set before them for their meal.

A Parliament at Winchester. #

¹ After this battle, the king gathered his household together as though he had never been in custody, making it much more numerous than before; and, proclaiming peace, summoned his parliament to meet at Winchester on the Nativity of St Mary (8 September). In this parliament both the father and his son, together with the other courtiers, extorted large sums of money from nearly all the prelates in England; of this they obtained almost eight hundred marks from the church of St Edmund the Martyr.

² [Of this sum the convent paid one half, but very unwillingly, because their tenants, as well as those of the abbot, were then with the troops guarding the sea-coast to prevent the queen and her army from invading England. But only the abbot’s share was claimed on default in the king’s court; and the convent were deeply aggrieved by this apportionment of the subsidy on this account, and because it might afterwards be made a precedent.]

³ The parliament was prorogued until the feast of Michaelmas, when it was to be held at Windsor; from there certain persons about the court were sent to London who, under cover of smooth words, proposed a treaty with the king which was rather an act of treachery, and prevailed upon the mayor and a great number of the citizens to accompany them to Windsor. On arriving there, they were immediately seized and thrown into prison; the defences of the city were occupied by royal troops, who completely demolished the barriers and iron chains with which all the streets and courts of the city were remarkably fortified, and reduced it to submission to the king; and many of the citizens, having disinherited the rest, ransomed themselves for twenty thousand marks.

⁴ The king disposed at his pleasure, among both Englishmen and aliens, of all the lands and possessions of those who had borne arms against him at the battles of Lewes and Evesham, or had been found at Northampton and Kenilworth, except the lands of Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester; such was the king’s policy, although some did not agree with it. The castle of Dover was restored to Prince Edward; and afterwards Queen Eleanor, with her son Edmund, landed in England on the fourth day before the calends of November (29 October). At the same time Ottoboni, cardinal-deacon of St Adrian, legate of the apostolic see, came to England. Having summoned all the prelates of England, he held a council at the New Temple about the feast of St Nicholas (6 December), at which he published a sentence of excommunication against Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, and all his supporters and partisans. This Simon, earl of Leicester, as many asserted, worked many remarkable miracles.

⁵ In the same year, on Thursday night, being Christmas Eve, at about midnight, there was a total eclipse of the moon, which turned red; it lasted for three hours of the night, the sun being in the head and the moon in the tail of the Dragon. It occurred in the year 664 of the Hejira, and on the fifteenth day of the third month according to the Arabian reckoning. That year, among the Arabs, began on Monday, the fourth day before the ides of October (12 October).

⁶ Simon, son of the earl of Leicester, after the battle of Evesham, withdrew from the castle of Kenilworth with some others who had been outlawed to the island of Axholm. When this came to the king’s attention, he caused the island to be surrounded by a numerous body of troops. Simon and his companions, therefore, finding that if they resisted they would soon be captured, pledged themselves to make peace with the king, Simon being detained in Prince Edward’s custody. Moreover, Simon and those who were with him obtained the grace of absolution from the legate.

A.D. 1266. #

¹ After Christmas, Simon the younger escaped from Edward’s custody at London and hurried over to France. A number of the outlaws seized the castle of Kenilworth and, carefully fortifying it, ravaged the surrounding country from there. Many of those who had concealed themselves at St Edmund’s also marched out of the town in great array on the day after Palm Sunday and, seizing the moorlands, advanced as far as Lynn in Easter week; but the townsmen made a stout resistance, and they withdrew after an unsuccessful assault. On Whitsun Eve (15 May), when the outlaws had gathered in the town of Chesterfield and, having no apprehension of danger, some were scattered about and others had gone out hunting, the royal troops suddenly came upon them and, attacking them, slew some, captured others, and routed the rest, withdrawing victorious with great booty. Meanwhile, the remaining outlaws again gathered together in bands in many places and established themselves in strongholds in the thickest parts of the woods, and it was worse to encounter them than a bear that had lost its cubs; for they ravaged the whole surrounding country for whatever they needed.

² It happened this year that, on the sixth day before the calends of June (27 May), John, earl Warenne, and William de Valence, the king’s brother, came unexpectedly to St Edmund’s with a crowd of followers for the purpose of searching out the king’s enemies. Rudely summoning before them the abbot and the burgesses of the town, they charged them with favouring the king’s enemies, since the outlawed barons stored and sold there the fruits of their ravages and robberies without any hindrance. The abbot having made a sufficient reply on behalf of himself and the convent, the king’s inquisitors placed the whole weight of the charge upon the burgesses, who, answering without due consideration and without the abbot’s counsel, admitted their guilt by their own words.

³ There was also at that time a quarrel between the abbot and convent and the burgesses, because the burgesses had for a long time been rebellious against them and their bailiff. But as they were now compelled to purchase peace with money, and could not accomplish this without the assistance of the abbot and convent’s counsel, they piteously entreated that the money might be paid to the royal commissioners through the mediation of the monks, so that their liberties and those of the convent might be preserved intact; and this was done, for the burgesses paid the king two hundred marks and promised to pay the abbot and convent one hundred pounds.

⁴ About the feast of St John the Baptist (24 June), the king laid siege to the castle of Kenilworth; in addition, the legate, having first sent them an admonition, excommunicated the besieged and their accomplices. The besieged, however, resisted the royal troops manfully and inflicted severe losses upon them. At last, a truce was agreed between the king and the besieged from the feast of St Martin (11 November) for the following forty days; during this period many of those shut up in the castle died from drinking poisoned liquids. Provisions also began to fail, and their shortages were well known to the royalists; for there were some among them who favoured the king’s party and informed them of their plans by private signals, so that they would never sally out against the royal forces as they wished and might otherwise have done. These traitors, however, were discovered and hanged in the fortress. On the eve of St Lucia (12 December), the castle of Kenilworth was surrendered to the king.

⁵ Meanwhile the king, in the presence of the legate and surrounded by many of the nobles and prelates of England, displayed the indulgence of our lord the pope, which declared that the pope had granted the king, for three years, a tenth of all ecclesiastical revenues in England according to their actual value, except the property of the Hospitallers, Templars, and Cistercians.

⁶ Moreover, during the truce, twelve men of rank, clerks as well as laymen, were chosen to make provision concerning the rebels captured in battle, imprisoned, or besieged, in the following manner: some were to forfeit their lands for one year, others for two years, some for three, many for four, very many for five, and in extreme cases for seven years; and each was to pay the king within the following three years the value of the land for seven years. If within the next three days they were able to pay one third of the same assessment, they were to be restored to possession of one third of their lands; if they paid half of the same charge, they were to have half their lands; if they paid the whole, they were to recover their lands entirely; but if within the said three years they failed to discharge the whole assessment, they were to be disinherited for ever. According to this statute, the barons who were captured at Kenilworth before the battle of Evesham, as well as those captured in that battle and those besieged in the castle of Kenilworth, were allowed to depart freely.

The Isle of Ely taken by the Outlaws. #

¹ On the fifth day before the ides of August (9 August), the outlaws who, as has been related, lurked in the woods, approached cautiously and seized the Isle of Ely, of which the bishop had previously undertaken the custody in the king’s presence; but after this misfortune he withdrew from it and placed the island under suspension. The rebels plundered the whole surrounding country and, advancing further, took the town of Norwich on the seventeenth day before the calends of January (16 December), carrying off with them, as is reported, seven cartloads or wagonloads of booty.

A Parliament held at Bury. #

A.D. 1267. #

¹ On the eighth day before the ides of February (6 February), being the Sunday after the Purification, the king arrived at St Edmund’s, and on the following day Ottoboni, the legate, also came there; all the prelates and barons of the realm having been summoned by both to meet at this place. The legate, holding this council on the feast of St Peter in Cathedrâ, publicly excommunicated the rebels in possession of the Isle of Ely, together with their accomplices and abettors, who had previously been warned, unless they submitted to the king’s clemency within the following fifteen days. On the next night, some dark rumours so alarmed the legate and his attendants that he was unexpectedly induced to depart for London on the following day, on which the king also left the town of St Edmund the Martyr and encamped with his army at Cambridge, where he spent the whole Lenten fast devising plans for the blockade of Ely; meanwhile, it turned out that the siege came to nothing.

² Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, entered London with a numerous retinue on the eve of Palm Sunday (9 April), and immediately took possession of the city’s defences with the consent of the citizens. He also cut off all access to the city from the legate, who was in the Tower. The king, soon hearing of this, abandoned the blockade of Ely and went to Stratford after the octave of Easter to lay siege to London; and the count of St Pol, the count of Boulogne, and the count of Guisnes met him there with a host of their retainers, to aid the king with all their strength.

³ In this state of affairs, proposals were made for restoring peace between the king and the earl through certain persons who carefully mediated between them, and about the feast of St John the Baptist peace was renewed; the earl swearing on the altar of St Paul’s, in the legate’s presence, that he would never bear arms against his lord the king except in self-defence. To the Londoners of the earl’s party, the king promised security of life and limb, and others who had aided the earl were admitted to pardon on the terms previously stated concerning Kenilworth. This being settled, the king entered London on the fourteenth day before the calends of July (18 June), no one who was not a citizen being permitted to remain in the city for more than three days.

⁴ Some ruffians, sallying out from their stronghold at Ely, seized the horses belonging to certain persons which had been concealed in the inner court of the abbey of St Edmund the Martyr and, leading them through the middle of the infirmary, carried them off to the island. A monk of that house, having pursued them, made a clear statement of the facts to the authorities on the island. At last, the islanders, accepting his statement, left the same ruffians and the horses to the judgement of the monk. As for the horses . . . . . . . . when [the ruffians] had offered upon the altar of St Edmund the Martyr, as a token of their presumption, the swords which they had irreverently drawn against his liberties.

⁵ Edward, the king’s eldest son, gained entrance to the Isle of Ely, under the guidance of some of the islanders, on the fifth day before the ides of July (11 July), and it was immediately surrendered to him, the rebels being pardoned on the terms previously stated concerning Kenilworth.

A.D. 1268. #

¹ The city of Antioch was taken by the sultan of Babylon on Ascension Day, which fell on the sixteenth day before the calends of June (17 May), through the treachery of the Jews who lived there.

² The legate Ottoboni held a council at London after Easter Sunday (8 April), at which the Gospel ‘I am the good shepherd’ [John 10:11] was chanted. At this council he absolved Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, and the others whom he had excommunicated on account of the insurrection already mentioned. He held another council at Northampton, where the king was holding a parliament of his barons. At this council Prince Edward and Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, together with a number of other nobles, took the cross at the legate’s hands. When the council had ended, he earnestly sought permission to return home and, embarking on the third day before the ides of July (13 July), crossed the sea.

³ Charles, king of Sicily, and his brother, the king of France, fought a battle against Conrad at Benevento and gained the victory on St Bartholomew’s Eve. In this engagement Conrad had sixteen thousand men in armour, and Charles seven thousand.

General Taxation of the Clergy. #

¹ This year the clergy were ordered, by royal authority, in all the dioceses of England, to assess at their true value the property, both temporal and spiritual, of all the clergy of England, except the possessions of the Templars and Cistercians, according to the valuation of persons of the lower order called in for the purpose. This having been done, all the bishops compounded with the king, each for his own see. When, however, the bishop of Norwich came to compound with the king concerning his bishopric for the tenths of two whole years, he included in his agreement the lands of St Edmund the Martyr, having first consulted the abbot and convent on the matter; and although this appeared contrary to the liberties of the said monastery, nevertheless, because of the additional time they might gain, and also because they could deal better with the bishop’s collectors than with the king’s, they preferred to account with the episcopal rather than the royal officers. Although the clergy were liable only for the tenths of two years, since they had already paid them for the first year, they nevertheless voluntarily offered to pay the bishop the tenths for the third year as well, in addition to those of the second year already granted, on condition, however, that they should pay their tenths according to the assessment made by Walter, late bishop of Norwich; and this was done. As a result of this arrangement, the convent of St Edmund’s accounted every three years for the tenths of their property previously assessed by the said bishop, and paid them to the bishop. But as for the rest of their goods, which had never been assessed by Bishop Walter, they also paid the tenths of them to the king every two years, according to the assessment of the same clerks.

² On the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude (28 October) in the present year, the fifty-second year of the reign of King Henry, son of King John, was completed.

³ Pope Clement IV died on St Andrew’s Eve, and the see remained vacant for two years, . . . months, three weeks, and four days.

A.D. 1269. #

¹ Edmund, son of King Henry, married the daughter and heiress of the count of Aumale, the marriage being celebrated at Westminster in the king’s presence on the fifth day before the ides of April (9 April).

² There was a quarrel between Edward, the king’s son, and Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, because Edward was said to have been excessively intimate with the earl’s wife.

³ The earl of Gloucester arrested at Cardiff a wretch who had attempted to poison him.

⁴ King Henry transferred the relics of St Edmund into a new shrine which he had caused to be constructed with admirable workmanship, depositing them in their new receptacle on the day of the saint’s Translation (18 February).

⁵ The king required the clergy to advance the tenths for the coming fourth year; against this the clergy generally appealed, as the bishops were unwilling to do so.

⁶ Prince Edward and the earl of Gloucester were reconciled through the intervention of many of the nobles. Edward, having crossed the sea to confer with the king of France concerning their expedition to the Holy Land, came with him, it is reported, to the following agreement: namely, that the king of France should lend the lord Edward seventy thousand marks on the security of all Edward’s domains beyond the sea; that if this sum were not repaid within three years, the same lands should belong for ever to the king of France; and that, as Edward was to accompany the king to the Holy Land, he should render him fealty as one of his own barons. Edward sent his son Henry as a hostage for the fulfilment of this agreement, but, for some unknown reason, he was immediately sent back.

⁷ The city of Nocera was surrendered to Charles, king of Sicily, on St Bartholomew’s Eve (23 August). Three thousand Saracens were put to death there, while the rest of the people in the city were spared and subjected to tribute. The justices in eyre in Norfolk and Suffolk were Nicholas de Turri, Henry de Montfort, and Henry de Wihamton.

A.D. 1270. #

¹ On the eve of Palm Sunday and on the day of the feast (5 and 6 April), the Christians and Pagans fought an engagement between Acre and Saphran, in which, after eight emirs and eighteen troops of Pagans had been put to the sword, the Pagans gained the victory, though not without great losses on their side. The Christians were nearly all killed; and this happened through the insubordination of the Templars. Here also fell the flower of knighthood, John de Merlawe, a brother of the Hospital.

Lewis of France embarks for the Holy Land. #

¹ Lewis, king of France, began his journey to the Holy Land on the seventeenth day before the calends of April (16 March), and embarked on the Mediterranean Sea at Aigues-Mortes on the feast of St James (25 July). Earl Warenne assaulted the lord Alan de Zouche in Westminster Hall, on the bench before the justiciar, on the octave of St John (1 July), and wounded him so severely that he died on the feast of St Lawrence (10 August). His eldest son Roger fled, but narrowly escaped.

² Eleanor, wife of the lord Edward, the king’s eldest son, gave birth to a daughter at Windsor and named her Eleanor. Roger Bigod, earl of Norfolk and Suffolk, marshal of England, died at Cuhahe on the feast of the Translation of St Martin (4 July). He was buried at Monks-Thetford on the eve of the Translation of St Benedict, and, dying without issue, was succeeded in his inheritance and honours by Roger, son of Hugh Bigod, brother of the deceased.

Prince Edward departs for the Holy Land. #

¹ Edward, eldest son of the king of England, Henry of Almaine, and some other English nobles set sail from Dover on the day after St Lawrence (11 August), on their way to the Holy Land through Gascony. On Michaelmas Day they embarked on the Mediterranean Sea and, in company with the kings of France and Italy and some nobles of both countries, instead of taking a direct course, sailed towards Africa and entered the territories of the king of Tunis, where the ancient and celebrated city of Carthage had stood; and, entering into negotiations with this pagan king, concluded a truce with him for fifteen months. The lord Edward, departing from Africa, spent some time in Italy. Lewis IX, king of France, died during the expedition, leaving his son Philip as his heir. He was buried at St Denis.

² Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, died at Baleys, his country seat, on the fifteenth day before the calends of August (18 July), and Adam de Chittenden, prior of that place and a native of Kent, was elected his successor. The king and his eldest son opposed his appointment, and he was compelled to resort to the court of Rome. Guy de Montfort married at Viterbo the daughter and heiress of the count di Ruvo on the feast of St Lawrence (10 August). Adam de Wich, abbot of Waltham, died on St Lambert’s Day (17 September), and was buried at Waltham on the following day. The moon was eclipsed on the night preceding 1 October.

A.D. 1271. #

¹ Walter Delaville, bishop of Salisbury, died on the octave of the Epiphany (13 January). He was succeeded by Robert, dean of that church, who was confirmed by the chapter there, the see of Canterbury being then vacant. Edmund, son of the king of England, crossed the sea to visit the Holy Places and his eldest brother. On the fifth day before the calends of February (28 January), the tower of the church of St Mary-at-Bow in London fell and crushed to death many who were in the church at the time.

² Henry, eldest son of the king of Germany, passing through Viterbo on his way from Africa, was cruelly murdered while devoutly attending divine service in the church of St Silvester in that city by the lords Simon and G. de Montfort, count di Ruvo, and several others who joined in the attack, on the day after St Gregory (13 March). His attendants brought his remains to England buried them at Hayles on the twelfth day before the calends of June (21 May).

³ A divorce was pronounced at Norwich on the fifteenth day before the calends of August (18 July) between Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, and the countess Alice, his wife. On the sixth day before the ides of August (8 August), the lord John of Winchester, eldest son of the lord Edward, the eldest son of Henry, king of England, was brought to Westminster for burial.

⁴ Philip III, king of France, was crowned at Rheims on the feast of the Decollation of St John the Baptist (29 August). On the twelfth day before the calends of December (20 November), a son was born to Henry de Lacy, earl of Lincoln, whom he caused to be named Edmund after St Edmund.

⁵ About the hour of vespers, on the third day before the ides of September (11 September), such violent rain suddenly fell at Canterbury over the city and surrounding country that the greater part of the city was suddenly flooded; and the storm of rain continued until the first hour of the following day.

⁶ On the calends of September (1 September), Theobald, archdeacon of Liège, who was then in the service of the lord Edward, eldest son of the king of England, in the region of Acre, was elected pope and took the name Gregory X. Before his election, the see had remained vacant for two years, nine months, three weeks, and four days.

⁷ The lord Philip Basset died at Weldon on the eve of All Saints (31 October). Fulk, archbishop of Dublin, also died.

A.D. 1272. #

¹ Theobald, archdeacon of Liège, a native of Piacenza, who had recently been elected successor of St Peter, was ordained priest on the eve of St Cuthbert (19 March), and on the following day, being Sunday, that is, the second Sunday in Lent, he was raised to the summit of the priesthood, being solemnly consecrated to the papal see under the name Gregory X.

Death of Richard, Earl of Cornwall and King of Germany. #

¹ Richard, king of Germany, died at Berkhamsted on the fourth day before the nones of April (2 April), and was buried at the monastery of Hayles, which he himself had founded and endowed with extensive possessions; his obsequies were performed there with great solemnity on the ides of April (13 April).

A destructive Fire and great Riots at Norwich. #

¹ At Norwich, on the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul, while the monks were at prime, the great tower of the church was suddenly struck by a thunderbolt on the north side with such violence that some of the stones were torn away and carried with great force for a considerable distance; an occurrence which must have been regarded as deeply portentous by all the sons of holy mother church.

² On the day after St Lawrence (11 August), after frequent assaults had been made upon the priory [at Norwich], after the gates of the convent had been violently broken down by the enemies of the monks, and after they had suffered other enormous injuries, just as they had taken their meal, their holy mother church was entered by the foulest rabble of her sons, namely the whole commonalty of the city of Norwich, numbering, it is believed, thirty-two thousand, all heavily armed. Joined by the women of the city, they set fire to the priory in several places and reduced the whole of it to ashes, together with the church, although it was built of stone; only three or four buildings, not worth mentioning, escaped, and nearly all the monks were forced to flee. About thirty of their servants were also put to death with various kinds of torture, and that in the very bosom of their mother. Dragging others from the same place, as from a mother’s breasts, they brought them before their own tribunal and condemned them to the same fate, sparing neither age nor rank. They also tore to pieces, or plundered and carried away, all the valuables in the treasury, vestry, refectory, and the other offices of the church and the almonry. The monks, escaping secretly one by one, saved their lives only with great difficulty.

³ As a result, there was a convocation of the whole diocese at Eyam on the feast of the Decollation of St John the Baptist (29 August), at which the bishop and all the assembled clergy publicly and solemnly pronounced a sentence of excommunication, with the ringing of bells and lighted candles, against the perpetrators of this outrage, as well as all who gave them support, aid, or advice, or had any dealings with them in any matter of business. This sentence was renewed and confirmed at a council of bishops held at London on St Luke’s Day (18 October), and the king, going towards the neighbourhood of Norwich in order to inflict fitting punishment upon the heinous offenders, arrived at St Edmund’s on St Giles’s Day (1 September), and summoned all the peers and barons of England to meet him there and deliberate on the matter. Having remained at the abbey for eleven days, on the feast of SS Proteus and Hyacinthus he set out towards Norwich to exact vengeance for the enormous crime, but somewhat moderated its severity. For out of the vast multitude, only four men and one woman forfeited their lives for the rest, while some were relieved of their money by the courtiers. Of those who suffered, some were torn apart in the streets of the city, some burnt, and others hanged.

⁴ Edmund of Almaine, earl of Cornwall, married Margaret, sister of Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, on the day after St Faith (6 October), and was knighted, together with Henry de Lacy, earl of Lincoln, on the feast of the Translation of St Edward (13 October). Adam de Chillenden, archbishop-elect of Canterbury, who was pursuing his confirmation in that dignity at the court of Rome, perceiving that through the influence of his determined rivals he was making little progress in the matter, and that even if he persisted he would be nonsuited, a result which would bring no small disgrace upon his name, resigned both his election and the dignity. Then the pope, by his apostolic authority, substituted for him Friar Robert de Kilwardby, prior provincial of the Order of Friars Preachers in England.

⁵ On the feast of St Calixtus (14 October), the king gave the Jews’ synagogue in the city of London to the Friars Penitents of Jesus Christ; and the building, to add to the mortification of the Jews, was consecrated by one of the bishops summoned for that purpose.

Death of King Henry III. #

¹ Henry, king of England, of happy memory, son of King John, after a reign of fifty-six years and twenty-nine days, died at Westminster on the feast of St Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury (16 November), his eldest son Edward being then beyond the sea; and on the following feast of St Edmund, king and martyr (20 November), he was honourably buried there. And because, as we have just said, the lord Edward was then in distant regions, the earls Edmund of Cornwall and Gilbert of Gloucester were, by common consent of the nobles, appointed regents and conservators of the peace until the lord Edward’s arrival.

² Eleanor, wife of the lord Edward, bore a son at Acre, who was named John. Edmund, son of the king of England, returned from the Holy Land, leaving in those regions his brother Edward, who had recently received a wound from a secret assassin which nearly caused his death; but through Him who has regard for the lowly [Psalm 138:6], he was completely restored to health within a short time. This happened on St Botolph’s Day (17 June). Roger, abbot of St Augustine’s, died on the ides of December (13 December). The pope held a general council, two years after the last, at the beginning of the calends of May (14 April).

Violent Rains and Inundations. #

A.D. 1273. #

¹ March was very windy and rainier than it had been in any man’s memory. Especially on the last day of the month, the third day before the calends of April (30 March), the rain, continuing for nearly a night and a day, caused floods which almost equalled those of the year 1258; while in some parts of England they appear to have exceeded those of the former year in violence, for they rose five feet above the bridge at Cambridge. Likewise at Norwich, their ravages were such that neither its sacking by the islanders nor the recent actions of the royalists had caused so much damage to the place.

² The lord Edward, having been met by the cardinals at Orvieto, five stages from Rome, on St Valentine’s Day, was received by the pope and the whole people [of Rome] with extraordinary honours. The count di Ruvo cleared himself before the lord pope, the lord Edward, and a large body of knights of the murder of the lord Henry of Almaine, by swearing that he had not been privy to his assassination. The pope granted the lord Edward the tenth of all ecclesiastical revenues, both temporal and spiritual, for one year, and another year’s tenth to his brother, in recompense for the expenses they had incurred in the Holy Land.

³ Master Raymond de Nogères, prior of St Caprais at Agen, came into England to carry out this business. Consequently, the convent of St Edmund’s compounded jointly with the abbot for the tenth of all their property for one year at one hundred pounds; and likewise, for the second year, the abbot paid fifty marks and the convent one hundred marks from their own funds, with the addition of the tenths of spirituals as concerned the convent for the first year, but not for the second.

⁴ Adam, who had been archbishop-elect of Canterbury, returned to England was reinstated in his priory.

Story of an Evil Spirit. #

¹ An evil spirit caused great alarm at a vill called Trouville, in the district of Rouen, by audibly striking the walls and doors with hammers. He spoke with a human voice, although he was never visible, and said that his name was William Ardent. He frequented the house of a certain worthy man, to whom he did much harm, as well as to his wife and family; and the sign of the cross and the sprinkling of holy water failed to drive him away. Moreover, when the priests conjured him in the name of the Lord to leave the place, he answered: ‘I shall not depart; indeed, if I please, I shall kill you all. I know the cross well enough, and as for your holy water, I have no fear of that.’ This spirit haunted the manor and dwelling of the persons just mentioned from the feast of All Saints (1 November) until after the Purification (2 February), uttering many lascivious and mocking remarks. At last he departed at Septuagesima, saying that he would return at Easter, which he never did.

² Henry de Sandwich, bishop of London, died at his manor of Hornsey, after having been in the greatest difficulties throughout his episcopacy, on the octave of the Nativity of St Mary (15 September); he was succeeded by Master John de Chishull, dean of that church, who was elected on the day after St Nicholas (7 December).

³ Our lord the pope came to Lyons on the eleventh day before the calends of December (21 November). Henry de Beaune, prior of Ely, died on Christmas Day and was succeeded by John de Hemingstone, a monk of the same cloistered house. A son was born to the lord Edward at Beaune in Gascony on the night following the feast of St Clement (24 November), to whom he gave the name Alphonso, after the king of Spain, St James, and Portugal. Rodolph, count of Hapsburgh, was elected king of Germany.

A.D. 1274. #

¹ The pope held a council at Lyons, which lasted from the feast of the apostles Philip and James (1 May) until the sixteenth day before the calends of August (17 July). At this council a grant of tenths was made, for the relief of the Holy Land, from all ecclesiastical persons of whatever condition, rank, or order, out of all their rents, fruits, and ecclesiastical revenues.

² Robert, bishop of Durham, Lawrence, bishop of Rochester, and William, bishop of Bath and Wells, died. Robert de Haliland, a monk of that church and prior of Finchale, succeeded to Durham; the lord Walter de Merton, the king’s chancellor, was appointed to the see of Rochester, and the lord Robert Burnel to that of Bath and Wells. Adam de Chillenden, prior of Canterbury and formerly archbishop-elect, also died. The lord Henry, son of the lord Edward, and Eveline, wife of the lord Edmund, the king’s son, and countess of Aumale, were buried at Westminster on the thirteenth day before the calends of November (20 October).

Coronation of Edward I. #

¹ The lord Edward, eldest son of the king of England, having settled his long-standing differences with the countess of Flanders, came over to England landed at Dover on the day after St Peter ad Vincula; and on the following feast of St Magnus the Martyr (19 August), he was solemnly crowned king of England by Robert, archbishop of Canterbury, his wife Eleanor being crowned at the same time. The king of France married the daughter of the duke of Burgundy, and in return gave his sister in marriage to that duke.

A.D. 1275. #

¹ Eleanor, queen of England, the king’s wife, gave birth at Windsor to a daughter, who was named Margaret. Margaret, queen of Scotland, and Beatrix, countess of Brittany, both daughters of King Henry, died.

² Our lord the king and Queen Eleanor came on pilgrimage to St Edmund’s on the fifteenth day before the calends of May (17 April), in fulfilment of a vow they had made in the Holy Land; and the king, with the advice of his council, after examining the muniments of the abbey of St Edmund’s, granted the convent the right freely to inspect weights and measures, without any interference from his own officers.

³ John, bishop of Hereford, died and was succeeded by Master John de Canteloupe, a canon of that church. One of the Order of Preachers at London, called Friar Robert of Reading, an excellent preacher and deeply skilled in the Hebrew language, apostatised and, being converted to Judaism, married a Jewess, was circumcised, and took the name Haggai. The king, having summoned him and finding him argue publicly with great boldness against the Christian law, handed him over to the archbishop of Canterbury. On the third day before the ides of September (11 September), about the third hour, there was a great earthquake at London and throughout nearly the whole of England.

⁴ The barons of England granted the king the fifteenth penny. Llewellyn, prince of Wales, revolted against the king of England. The Jews throughout the realm were prohibited from thereafter lending money at usury, but were henceforth to earn their living by commerce, under the same laws of buying and selling as Christian merchants. It was also enacted that each of them, of whatever age, condition, or sex, should pay the king annually a poll tax of threepence, and that those who would not comply with this provision should leave England before the following Easter.

⁵ Our lord the king pronounced sentence upon the burgesses of Norwich that, for their profanation of the body of our Lord, they should provide at their own expense a pyx of gold, worth one hundred pounds, to contain the host. Also, for the damage done to the convent, they should contribute three thousand marks, to be paid within six years. And the bishop, at the expense of the burgesses, should send jointly with them to the court of Rome and present an attestation of the settlement thus reached. And the convent might move their gate to any place they pleased, except the waterside, while the town, as regards the deprivation of the liberties of the burgesses, should remain in the same state as it had been on the day of his father’s death.

⁶ The prior’s chapel [at Bury] was dedicated in honour of SS Edmund and Stephen, martyrs, by the lord William of Ragusa, archbishop ‘Medorum’, on Holy Innocents’ Day (28 December).

⁷ The grant of tenths made at the council of Lyons caused grievous and intolerable exactions; for the collectors of these tenths were satisfied with no man’s assessment, and even compelled nearly everyone individually to declare to them, on their own word and under an oath administered to them in person, the true value of all their income. Consequently, the tenth apportioned to the convent of St Edmund’s amounted to two hundred and forty-one marks, three shillings, and sixpence, on the oaths of five of the monks specially sworn to make a true return. The tenth at which the abbot was assessed amounted to one hundred pounds. The Jews were expelled from Cambridge by the queen-mother. The lay brothers of Furnival, of the Cistercian order, killed several of the monks.

A.D. 1276. #

¹ The lord Aymer de Montfort, together with his sister Eleanor, who was betrothed to Llewellyn, prince of Wales, was captured at sea on their voyage to Wales by a certain knight called Thomas the Archdeacon, who came upon them unawares and delivered them into the custody of our lord the king.

² Pope Gregory X, who had imposed the tenths, was himself decimated, dying at the city of Rieti on the tenth day of January; he had occupied the see for four years, four months, and nineteen days. Peter, bishop of Ostia, of the Order of Preachers, succeeded him under the name Innocent V; but he died on the eve of St John the Baptist (23 June). He was succeeded by Ottoboni, a cardinal-deacon with the title of St Adrian, who took the name Adrian V; but, dying shortly afterwards, within the octave of the Assumption (22 August), Peter de Spineto, bishop of Frascati, a native of Spain, was elected his successor on the eve of the Holy Cross (13 September), and took the name John XX.

³ A great part of Cambridge, together with the church of St Bennet, was consumed by fire. One Michael Tovy, mayor of London, was hanged in the Tower during the circuit of the Justiciar. Edmund, earl of Lancaster, the king’s brother, married the queen of Navarre. Queen Eleanor gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Berengaria. The remains of St Richard, formerly bishop of Chichester, were translated with great pomp on the eve of St Botolph (16 June), in the presence of the king and queen of England some other great personages. One half of the fifteenth penny granted to the king in the previous year was now collected.

⁴ The kings of France and Spain having quarrelled, the king of France marched a numerous army against the king of Spain with so little caution that he retreated without his expedition having achieved much. A total eclipse of the moon occurred on St Clement’s night (23 November), the moon being so completely obscured for nearly two hours that scarcely a trace of it was visible. A murrain among sheep began this year in Lindsey and, continuing for several years, spread through nearly the whole of England.

Invasion of Wales. #

A.D. 1277. #

¹ The king of England sent a numerous army into Wales under the command of H. de Lacy, earl of Lincoln. The king himself, while the army continued its march towards Wales, departed from their route into Norfolk and Suffolk and, having celebrated Easter at Norwich, returned to London through the coastal districts of Norfolk and Essex. But immediately after the feast of St John, he personally led nearly the whole military array of England into Wales.

² The great khan of the Tartars, whose name was Moal, having sent six ambassadors of the highest rank among his people from the eastern part of the world, they arrived about the feast of Easter (28 March), accompanied by an interpreter, and apologised for their master not having met the king of England when he was near Acre; they also implored his aid against the enemies of the cross, namely the Pagans. The lord Pope John XX died at Viterbo on the sixth day before the ides of March (10 March); from that time the see remained vacant until the feast of St Catherine (25 November). On that day the lord John of Gaieta, cardinal-deacon with the title of St Nicholas-in-Carcere-Tulliano, was elected pope and took the name Nicholas III.

³ The sultan of Babylon, with an army containing nearly all the best troops in his dominions, encountered the Tartar hordes between Armenia and the river Euphrates about the sixteenth day before the calends of August (17 July), when he and nearly all his army were put to the sword. In this battle forty-two thousand of the Hagarenes and fifteen thousand men of the Tartar host fell, the whole force being almost exterminated.

⁴ There was violent and intolerable rain on the sixth day before the ides of October (10 October), which continued for two days and a night. The rains were followed by such vast floods that in some places men, oxen, sheep, and other cattle in the fields were overtaken and drowned during the storm at night; the floods also levelled houses, walls, trees, and other buildings that resisted the current. This storm was most violent around St Edmund’s, Essex, and the county of Cambridge, while in other parts of England it caused little or no damage. Walter de Merton, bishop of Rochester, died and was succeeded by John, monk and precentor of the same church.

Submission of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales. #

¹ After some losses on both sides, Llewellyn, prince of Wales, submitted himself entirely to the will and disposal of the lord king, with scarcely any conditions concerning life or limb, his territories and honours, or anything else. The king, after some deliberation, received him into favour and brought him to London to negotiate the terms and form of peace. Llewellyn, having celebrated Christmas with the king, returned to his own country.

A.D. 1278. #

¹ Roger, bishop of Norwich, died at his manor of Suthlingham on the feast of St Vincent the Martyr (22 January), and was buried at Norwich on the octave of St Agnes (28 January). He was succeeded by Master William de Middleton, archdeacon of Canterbury, who was elected on the feast of St Matthew the Apostle (21 September).

² The other half of the fifteenth penny having been collected, the abbot and convent of St Edmund’s compounded with the king for their fifteenth at ninety pounds, the abbot contributing thirty pounds as his share and the convent sixty as theirs.

³ Robert, archbishop of Canterbury, having been summoned to the court of Rome by the lord pope, was made bishop of Ostia, with the title of cardinal-bishop of St Rufina; upon his removal, Robert Burnel, bishop of Bath and Wells and the king’s chancellor, was immediately nominated as postulant for the archbishopric by the convent of Canterbury.

⁴ A remarkable battle was fought at Aix-la-Chapelle in Germany, where the count de Golc, with three hundred of his followers, all of noble birth, and nearly all their retainers, perished, not so much by human means as by divine judgement. The king of Bohemia, having revolted against Rodolph, king of Germany, after breaking their treaty of alliance, was slain by the king of Germany together with fifty thousand of his troops, who perished to the last man.

⁵ Llewellyn, prince of Wales, married Eleanor, daughter of Simon de Montfort, formerly earl of Leicester, at Worcester on the feast of the Translation of St Edward (13 October), the kings of England Scotland being present.

⁶ The king and queen came to St Edmund’s on St Clement’s Day (23 November), on their way to Norwich to attend the dedication of the church, which took place on the fourth day before the calends of December (28 November), the greater part of the nobles of England being present with the king.

⁷ Robert, bishop of Carlisle, died and was succeeded by Rulph, prior of Gisburn. A circuit was made by the judges, the lord John de Wallibus and the associates assigned to him, in the county of Cumberland; the lord Roger Loveday, with those assigned to him, went into Herefordshire.

The Houses of the Jews and Goldsmiths searched. #

¹ All the Jews in England, of every condition, age, and sex, were suddenly arrested on the octave of St Martin (18 November) and placed in secure custody in different castles throughout the country. While they were thus detained, the interiors of their houses were carefully searched, and in many were found evidence that they were money-clippers, together with their tools; most clear proof the fact. In the same way, all the goldsmiths throughout England who were money-changers were arrested on the day after St Nicholas (7 December), and, being placed in secure custody, had their houses searched. By the king’s orders, which in this matter paid no regard to the liberties of any place, five goldsmiths and three others belonging to the town of St Edmund’s were taken to London, though nevertheless in the custody of the bailiff of the said town, to the injury, as many thought, of its liberties. But when this came to the king’s knowledge, he ordered all the same persons to be sent back to stand trial there according to their deserts, whether guilty or innocent.

² The Tartars took possession of the kingdom of Jerusalem. The king commanded that all persons possessing twenty pounds a year in land should receive knighthood.

A.D. 1279. #

¹ The king levied scutage for the expedition to Wales at the rate of forty shillings for every scutage. Eleanor, queen of England, gave birth to a daughter at Windsor on the eve of St Gregory (11 March), and named her Mary.

A great number of Jews executed for clipping the Coin. #

¹ The king caused all the Jews, and some Christians, convicted of clipping or making base coin to be hanged. Accordingly, two hundred and sixty-seven Jews suffered the sentence of death; some were banished, others condemned to perpetual imprisonment, and some remained in England. As for the money-changers, they were either admitted to mainprise or placed in secure custody in their own houses, and, having ransomed themselves, were allowed their liberty. To conduct this inquest, the lords John of Chobham and Walter de Heliun came to St Edmund’s with a commission from our lord the king and, acting in an unprecedented manner against the liberties of the abbey, without regard to any of its charters, papal or royal, gave final judgement in the Guildhall upon the goldsmiths of the town and others who had been indicted or arrested on suspicion, and brought the fines resulting from their proceedings into the royal exchequer; they even compelled the sacristan to ransom himself for one hundred marks.

² The pope, having quashed the election of Robert Burnel, gave the archbishopric of Canterbury to Friar John de Peckham, of the Order of Friars Minor. The pope also gave the archbishopric of Dublin to Friar John de Darlington, of the Order of Preachers.

³ On the death of Simon, abbot of St Edmund’s, the king took possession of the convent’s portion as well as the abbot’s barony, a proceeding previously unheard of; nor could the convent recover their portion from his hands either for love or money, but all their possessions, both within the vill of St Edmund’s and outside it, were placed under the management of John de Berewich, the king’s attorney, sufficient maintenance being provided for the monks, and the homages of the conventual manors being assessed for the king’s service.

⁴ The queen of Spain, lady of Ponthieu, mother of Eleanor, queen of England, died; consequently, about the beginning of May, the king of England crossed the sea to do homage to the king of France for the county of Ponthieu, which fell to him in right of his wife, as daughter and heiress of the same deceased queen. Therefore, at a parliament held at Amiens, where the kings of France and England many of the nobles of both kingdoms met, the king of England quitclaimed the duchy of Normandy to the king of France for ever, reserving only a perpetual annual rent charge of three thousand livres of Paris, payable from the treasury of Rouen. He also received, in return for his quitclaim, Angoumois, the Limousin, Périgord, and Saintonge; and, this being settled, returned to England.

⁵ John, archbishop of Canterbury, having summoned all the bishops under his jurisdiction, held his synod at Reading on the feast of St James the Apostle (25 July). Walter, archbishop of York, died and was succeeded by Master William de Wikewane, chancellor of that church.

⁶ At Northampton, a boy was crucified by the Jews on the day of the Adoration of the Holy Cross (14 September), but was not quite killed; nevertheless, under this pretext, numbers of Jews in London were torn apart by horses and hanged immediately after Easter (2 April).

⁷ An alteration was made to the English coinage, the triangular farthing being replaced by a round one, although the old current money was for a time allowed to remain in circulation alongside the new coins. The pennies, however, being contrary to precedent entirely discontinued, a great penny was struck, equal to four common ones.

⁸ John, archbishop-elect of Dublin, was consecrated at Waltham on the sixth day before the calends of September (27 August) by John, archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by Nicholas, bishop of Winchester, Robert, bishop of Bath and Wells, and William, bishop of Norwich. Cardinal Robert de Kilwardeby, formerly archbishop of Canterbury, died, as is reported, of poison.

⁹ Our lord the king enacted, provided, and ordained that men of religion should not acquire possession of other people’s lands or tenements.

¹⁰ John, abbot-elect of St Edmund’s, having completed his business at the Roman court and received his benediction at the hands of our lord Pope Nicholas, as well as having been put in possession of his barony by the king, together with everything belonging both to his own portion and that of the convent, was solemnly inaugurated in his church on Holy Innocents’ Day (28 December). His expenses on the journey to Rome amounted to eleven hundred and seventy-five marks, ten shillings, and ninepence.

¹¹ Richard, bishop of Lincoln, died and was succeeded by Master Oliver de Sutton, dean of that church. The king celebrated the feast of our Lord’s Nativity at Winchester.

A.D. 1280. #

¹ Nicholas, bishop of Winchester, died on the sixth day before the ides of February (8 February). On his death, Robert, bishop of Bath and Wells, was the postulant for succession to the bishopric of Winchester, but his suit was quashed in the court of Rome and, contrary to expectation, the pope granted the chapter of Winchester free liberty to elect; their choice fell upon Master Richard de Mora, archdeacon of that church.

² John, bishop of London, died on the sixth day before the ides of February (8 February), and the lord Fulk Luvel, archdeacon of Colchester, was elected in his place; but as he immediately resigned, Master Richard de Gravesend, archdeacon of Northampton, was elected to succeed him.

³ There was a total eclipse of the moon on the night of the feast of St Edmund, king and martyr, the moon being dyed the colour of blood for nearly two hours. Ambassadors came to the king of England from the great khan of the Tartars on a friendly mission.

⁴ It was enacted that no one should transact business using the old money after Assumption Day (15 August); the new pennies were made round.

⁵ Walter, bishop of Exeter, died and was succeeded by Master Peter of Exeter, a canon of that church. Ralph, abbot of Croyland, died.

⁶ Violent thunder and lightning were heard in many parts of England on the eve of St Martin (10 November), striking down houses and trees and filling those who witnessed it with astonishment and alarm.

⁷ The clergy of England granted the king a fifteenth of their ecclesiastical property, according to the valuation of Walter, bishop of Norwich, for three years. Magnus, king of Norway, died. Pope Nicholas IV died at Castro Sariano on the eleventh day before the calends of September (22 August), and the see remained vacant for six months and fourteen days. John, archbishop of Canterbury, held his visitation in the diocese of Norwich; that is, in Norfolk at the end of the present year, and in Suffolk at the beginning of the following year.

A.D. 1281. #

¹ The king remained in Norfolk until after the feast of the Purification (2 February). There was a total eclipse of the moon on the nones of March (7 March).

² Simon of Tours, cardinal-priest of St Cecilia, was elected pope under the name Martin III. There was an eclipse of the moon on the day before the calends of September (31 August), the moon appearing of a dusky hue for a considerable time.

³ Henry, bishop of Liège in Germany, who had been deprived of his bishopric by the late council of Lyons for his incontinence (having, it is said, fathered no fewer than sixty-one sons and daughters), killed his successor John with his own hand on the eighth day before the ides of September (6 September), coming upon him unawares at night. Master Hugh of Evesham was created cardinal-priest with the title of St Lawrence.

⁴ A new charter was obtained from the king, making a division between the possessions of the abbot and those of the convent of St Edmund’s, so that henceforth they should under no circumstances be held in common; for this, one thousand pounds were paid to my lord the king, besides the queen’s gold in respect of this payment and other incidental expenses, which amounted to an immense sum. The substance of this charter is entered at the end of the chartulary of the ninth year of this king’s reign. The king celebrated Christmas at Worcester.

⁵ On the feast of the Purification of St Mary (2 February), the bishop of Sidon celebrated Mass at Jerusalem, where for a long time divine offices had been discontinued because of the invasion of the Saracens.

Revolt of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales. #

¹ Llewellyn, prince of Wales, disregarding the treaty of peace and alliance between himself and the king, which he had already evaded, broke into open rebellion against the lord king together with his brother David. Therefore, on the eve of Palm Sunday (21 March), after laying some of the king’s castles in Wales and the Marches in ruins, setting fire to others, and threatening further outrages, he massacred great numbers of the king’s liegemen; and, having captured the lord Roger de Clifford in his bed before daybreak, carried him off into Wales, where he returned with vast booty. Then the king, having to send an army into Wales to avenge the injuries he had suffered, levied a subsidy in the nature of a loan from all his own cities and boroughs, and also from the cities and boroughs belonging to ecclesiastics, to finance the war. The lord John de Kirkby, archdeacon of Coventry, was commissioned by the king to conduct this business throughout England, and at London he obtained a contribution of eight thousand marks in the manner just described. Having first made his visitation among the boroughs and burgesses of Yarmouth and Norwich, and received one thousand marks at Yarmouth and five hundred pounds at Norwich, he came to St Edmund’s, where, having assessed the burgesses at five hundred marks, he entrusted to the prior of the abbey the assessment of those who owed suit and service at the monks’ court, so that they might not be assessed by the burgesses, which had never been done before; their assessment amounted to twenty-six marks. The gild of Dusze in the town of St Edmund’s was also assessed by the prior at twelve marks; and he extorted one hundred marks from the abbot and convent of St Edmund’s under the guise of a loan.

² Meanwhile, Eleanor, daughter of Simon de Montfort, formerly earl of Leicester, who was married to Llewellyn, prince of Wales, died giving birth to a daughter, who survived her and was named Gwenllian, on the feast of SS Gervasius and Protasius (19 June), and was buried at Llandmais in the house of the Friars Minor. The king levied fifty marks for each knight’s fee for his expedition, but, dealing moderately with the abbot of St Edmund’s, accepted three hundred pounds for the service he owed. Of those who took part in this expedition, three fell in West Wales, including William, son and heir of William de Valence, and several others with him; and in North Wales, the lords Luke de Tany, Roger de Clifford the younger, William de Lindsey, William de Audeley, and many more with them; some were stopped by the rivers and drowned while crossing them in their flight, and others fell by the sword, without the Welsh having suffered any loss.

Death of Prince Llewellyn. #

¹ Affairs being in this state, Llewellyn, prince of Wales, was intercepted by the king’s troops in South Wales and lost his life and his head on Friday, the fourth day before the ides of December (10 December); on the following day his head was brought to the king in North Wales, and he immediately sent it to his army stationed in Anglesey. After the people of Anglesey had been satiated with the spectacle, he ordered it to be conveyed immediately to London. On the day after St Thomas the Apostle (22 December), the Londoners went out to meet it with trumpets and cornets and conducted it through all the streets of the city with a tremendous din. Afterwards they displayed it for the rest of the day on their pillory, and towards evening it was carried to the Tower of London and fixed upon a lofty pole. As for the prince’s body, his mangled trunk was buried in the abbey of Cunheir, belonging to the monks of the Cistercian order.

The Coast infested by Dutch Pirates. #

¹ Pirates from Zealand Holland, making a piratical descent near Yarmouth and Dunwich, plundered everything that fell into their hands, butchered the people, and carried off some ships with their cargoes. Florence, earl of Holland, gained a glorious victory over the Flemings, slaughtering fifteen thousand of their troops, in revenge for the death of his father William, whom they had recently slain and buried dishonourably in their country; some of them, also fearing the count, abandoned their country and, submitting to voluntary exile, crossed into other lands. He therefore conveyed to his own country with solemn pomp the body of his father, which had been ignominiously buried among the Frisians with only a small attendance, and there laid it in a tomb with great honour and ceremony.

² Richard, archdeacon of Winchester, who had recently been elected bishop of that see, resigned his appointment to the bishopric into the pope’s hands, and the pope immediately conferred it upon John de Punteyse, archdeacon of Exeter. The king of the Tartars, joining his forces with the Hospitallers, fought a battle against the sultan, in which the Pagans were defeated and the sultan himself was taken prisoner and detained in close custody at Babylon.

³ Eleanor, queen of England, gave birth to a daughter at Rhuddlan and named her Elizabeth. Isabel, countess of Arundel, having died, was buried at Marham. Master Thomas de Canteloupe, bishop of Hereford, died at the court of Rome, and Master Richard de Swinefield, archdeacon of London, succeeded him by election.

⁴ Herman, son of the king of Germany, who was to have married the king of England’s daughter, while carelessly walking upon thawing ice, fell through when it broke and was drowned. The eldest son of John de Hastings, whom he named William, was born on St Francis’s Day. The lord Thomas Lenebaud, archdeacon of Suffolk, died at Horham on the eve of St Lucia (12 December). The king celebrated Christmas at Rhuddlan in Wales.

A Subsidy granted. #

A.D. 1283. #

¹ The commons of all England granted the king, as a subsidy for his war, the thirtieth penny of all their movable goods, except horses, armour, ready money, and clothing; in levying this subsidy, the king caused the whole amount he had received in the preceding year, in the form or under the guise of a loan, to be allowed towards the payment. On the Sunday in Mid-Lent, which fell that year on the fifth day before the calends of April (28 March), the king seized all the money arising from the tenths which the pope had granted as a subsidy for the Holy Land which was deposited in various places in England, breaking the locks, carrying it away, and disposing of it according to his own arbitrary will.

² John, bishop of Rochester, died and was succeeded by Master Thomas de Ingoldsthorpe, dean of St Paul’s, London, who was consecrated at Canterbury on the feast of SS Cosmas and Damian (27 September).

Subjugation of Wales, and Execution of Prince David. #

¹ After the death of Llewellyn, prince of Wales, and the escape by flight of his brother David, all the rest of the Welsh, both nobles and common people, voluntarily submitted to the king’s will, and he brought the whole of Wales as far as the Irish Sea under his dominion. All the castles and fortresses were surrendered to him; he introduced English laws, appointed justices and other officers to keep the peace, and established the exchequer of Wales and the officers of the treasury at Chester. Meanwhile, the same David, having lost his entire army and wandering about without a home, at last, as ill fortune would have it, sought out a cottage in which to conceal himself, but was surrounded by some of the royal army; and, being taken prisoner with one of his sons and ten others, was brought before the king on the eve of St Alban (21 June), and by his command was committed to close custody in Chester Castle. Then, at a general parliament held at Shrewsbury in the king’s court, on the day after St Leodegard (3 October), over which John de Wallibus presided by royal appointment, David, brother of Llewellyn, formerly prince of Wales, who had assumed the title of prince since his brother’s death, was convicted of rebellion, high treason, and sacrilege, and condemned to be drawn, hanged, and quartered. His head was carried to London, and his body, divided into quarters, was sent to Winchester, Northampton, Chester, and York; his bowels were sentenced to be burnt as punishment for his guilt of sacrilege in repeatedly burning churches. Mabadin, his steward, a man even more barbarous in his deeds than in his name, having at the same time been convicted of treason, was torn apart by horses, and at last his sufferings were ended by hanging.

² Robert, bishop of Durham, died and was succeeded by the lord Anthony Bek, archdeacon of the same church. Nicholas, abbot of St Augustine’s at Canterbury, pretending to go on pilgrimage to St Nicholas at Bari, went instead to the court of the pope and resigned the staff and ring, the symbols of his dignity, into the pope’s hands. Having done this, he entered the Carthusian order, and the pope conferred his abbey upon one Thomas de Findon, a monk of that monastery.

Peter, king of Arragon, gains possession of Sicily. #

¹ Peter, king of Arragon, claimed for himself the inheritance of the territories of Sicily, Calabria, and Apulia in right of his wife, as the daughter of Manfred, son of Frederic, formerly emperor of the Romans, who died, as it is said, seized of and invested with those territories. Having gained the support of the nobles of those territories by promises and gifts, with their general consent and approval, he secured in a single day, by artifice or stratagem, all the castles and fortifications of Charles, king of Sicily; slew all whom he found in them, seized his treasure, and completely destroyed his fleet after putting the crews to death. Having expelled King Charles and taken possession of his dominions, he caused his son to be crowned king of Sicily by the emperor of Constantinople, by whose advice and assistance he had accomplished all this.

The clergy grant a subsidy. #

¹ The clergy of the province of Canterbury granted the king, as a subsidy for his war, the twentieth part of all ecclesiastical revenues for two years, according to the valuation of Walter, formerly bishop of Norwich. Richard, abbot of Westminster and the king’s treasurer, died on the first day of December, and was buried at Westminster three days later; he was succeeded by Walter de Wenlock, a monk of the same house.

² The king celebrated Christmas at Rhuddlan in Wales. The sultan of Babylon died. At London and in various parts of England, such extraordinary flashes of lightning and terrible thunder were seen and heard on St Stephen’s Day (26 December) that those who witnessed and heard them were struck with extreme terror and alarm. Throughout the whole summer and the greater part of the following autumn there were such violent rains that nearly all the hopes of those who had sown in the spring proved illusory at harvest time.

A.D. 1284. #

¹ Friar John of Darlington, of the Order of Friars Preachers, archbishop of Dublin, died near the city of London on the fifth day before the calends of April (28 March), and was buried in the New Church belonging to the Friars Preachers at Barnard Castle in London.

² On Easter Day, which fell on the fifth day before the ides of April (9 April), about the first hour of the day, there was at St Edmund’s such a sudden and unexpected flash of lightning, and such loud and continuous claps of thunder, that those who heard them could scarcely keep their footing. Although the storm was so violent in that place, it did little or no harm in the surrounding country. We have heard that the same storm occurred in regions beyond the seas on the same day and at the same hour.

Prince Edward born at Carnarvon. #

¹ On the feast of St Mark the Evangelist (25 April), a son was born to the king of England at Carnarvon in Wales, who was named Edward. Robert, bishop of Salisbury, died in the Lord and was succeeded by Master Richard Scamel, dean of the same church.

² In Germany, a certain low-born fellow suddenly appeared in public and pretended that he was Frederic, the late emperor of the Romans, who had died long before, in the year of our Lord 1250. With the goodwill of nearly all that country, he gathered a numerous household and a powerful army. King Rodolph was so far from opposing him that he rather encouraged the deception, so that the man caused himself to be treated with reverence by all as their king and emperor.

³ The lord Alphonso, son of the king of England, died at Windsor on the feast of St Magnus the Martyr (19 August), and was carried to Westminster and buried with great pomp on the eve of the Decollation of St John the Baptist (28 August).

⁴ A storm of thunder and lightning occurred at St Edmund’s on the day after St Faith (7 October), before the first hour, with such sudden flashes and loud claps that all who saw or heard it were struck with the greatest terror. At Dunwich, on the fifth day before the calends of December (27 November), from the third to the sixth hour of the day, the sea appeared to be on fire, with a flame that was not very bright but rather yellow. Our lord the pope, because of the rebellion, contumacy, and disobedience of Peter, formerly king of Arragon, gave his kingdom to Philip, son and heir of the king of France, reserving to the apostolic see an annual payment of one hundred pounds from the said kingdom. This Philip married the heiress of the kingdom of Navarre. John, archbishop of Canterbury, held his visitation of the diocese of Lincoln and continued it until Easter (7 April) in the following year.

⁵ That part of the church of St Peter at Rome in which the altar of the apostles stood, together with their principal images, suddenly and inexplicably fell into ruins. Hugh de Lusignan, king of Cyprus, together with his son and some others of his family, was poisoned to death by the Knights Templars. In the church of St Mary-at-Bow in London, one of the Londoners named Lawrence was wounded by some evil-minded men of that city and at last hanged from one of the beams of the church. The king of England, greatly disturbed by this outrage, ordered some of the offenders, who were indeed the least guilty but the wealthiest, to be torn apart by horses and then hanged; but the real culprits, who were rich, he sentenced to pay a fine in money. The king celebrated Christmas at Bristol.

A.D. 1285. #

¹ Charles, king of Sicily, died at Barletta in Apulia on the eve of the Epiphany (5 January). After his death, the Sicilians espoused the cause of Peter of Arragon—who, even during Charles’s lifetime, had usurped the government of Sicily in opposition to the Roman Church—and, keeping Charles, prince of the Morea, that king’s son, as their captive in war, returned home in triumph.

² John, archbishop of Canterbury, during his visitation of the diocese of Ely, dismissed all the obedientiaries except the prior.

The king and queen go to Bury. #

¹ Our lord the king of England, with the queen and three of his daughters, arrived at St Edmund’s on the tenth day before the calends of March (20 February), and with great devotion and reverence fulfilled the vows which he had made to God and St Edmund during his war in Wales; proceeding on the following day on his journey to Norwich, where he spent the whole of the following Lent. The king, treating as null his own charters and those of several of his predecessors, caused the weights, measures, and ells of the town of St Edmund’s to be inspected by the marshal of his measures, alleging that this had once been done in his father’s time. But the profits arising from that inspection, and from all other inspections during his visits and those of his heirs, he granted for the repair and ornament of the shrine of St Edmund’s, and confirmed this by charter. And whereas the burgesses of the place alleged that this inspection ought to be made only during a royal visit, so that the sacristan and his bailiffs had until then been prevented from inspecting the measures, it was ordained, after consultation between our lord the king and the sacristan, on pain of the liberties of the town being forfeited to the king, that the sacristan should make this inspection twice every year and enforce it upon the corporal oath of the burgesses and other inhabitants of the town; and that those who refused to submit should, for the first offence, be punished by a fine, and for the second, if their contumacy were excessive, by imprisonment until the king should determine what should be done concerning their offence.

The townsmen of Ipswich imprisoned and fined. #

¹ While the king was staying, as has been stated, in Norfolk, the whole commonalty of the town of Ipswich, having been accused before him of various misdemeanours, of which they were partly convicted, were sentenced to pay a heavy fine; and, in addition, thirteen of the more prominent townsmen were sent to prison in different parts of England for half a year.

² About the middle of Lent (4 May), Philip III, king of France, marched an army against the king of Arragon, who, having lost a great number of his troops in battle, both by sea and land, as well as through privation, was at last seized with dysentery and died at Pampeluna. The king’s body was entombed with great solemnity among his ancestors at St Denis on St Martin’s Day (11 November).

³ Thomas, prior of Christ Church in Canterbury, became a Cistercian monk at King’s Beaulieu on the eve of Palm Sunday (17 March), and was succeeded by Henry, treasurer of the church of Canterbury. The pope died at Perugia on the fourth day before the calends of April (29 March), and was buried there on the first day of the same month; the see was vacant for four days. He was succeeded by the lord James de Sabella, cardinal-deacon of St Mary in Cosmedin, who took the name Honorius IV.

A scutage granted. #

¹ Our lord the king levied a scutage of forty shillings each for the army in Wales, the former one having been spent. The king made a solemn procession from the Tower of London to Westminster with the head of St David, also called Dewy, and other relics which he had brought with him from Wales.

² There was an appearance of two moons on the eighth day before the ides of May (8 May), and in Suffolk armies appeared fighting in the air.

³ At a parliament held at Westminster on the feast of St John (24 June), the king made and published many statutes, some of which, as many thought, were intended in large measure to do away with ecclesiastical jurisdictions.

⁴ The pretender who had assumed the name of Frederic, having been convicted of heresy and other crimes, was condemned to the flames and burnt to death in the presence of some of the archbishops and bishops of Germany on the second day before the ides of July (14 July). William, archbishop of York, died at Ponthieu, beyond the seas, and was succeeded by Master John, surnamed Romanus, precentor of the church of Lincoln.

⁵ Mary, daughter of the king of England, took the veil as a nun at Amesbury on the feast of the Nativity of St Mary (8 September). Alexander, king of the Scots, married the daughter of the count de Dreux, a cousin of the king of France.

⁶ There was a circuit of the justices in the county of Northampton by the lords justices John de Wallibus, William de Saham, John de Metingham, Roger Loveday, and others; and in Essex by the lords justices Solomon de Rochester, Robert de Reading, Richard de Royland, Walter de Sarchele, and others. The king celebrated Christmas at Exeter in Devonshire.

A.D. 1286. #

¹ Philip IV, king of France, son of Philip III, was crowned king of France at Rheims on the feast of the Epiphany (6 January). Our lord the king held a great parliament at Westminster after the Purification (2 February), at which were present the envoys of the king of France, namely Maurice de Croim, count of Burgundy, and the lord John D’Acre, two of the French king’s nobles.

² Alexander III, king of Scotland, died on the fourteenth day before the calends of April (19 March). Our lord the king crossed the sea after Easter, in the month of May, to confer with the king of France; and, appearing in person at the parliament held at Paris about the Rogation Days (19 May), did homage to the king of France for the territories which he claimed to hold under him.

³ On the fifth day before the ides of June (9 June), Hugh, bishop of Ely, died at his manor of Dunham in the Isle of Ely; he was succeeded by Master John de Kirkeby, treasurer of our lord the king of England, who was solemnly enthroned on Christmas Eve. William, abbot of Ramsey, being afflicted with palsy, resigned his dignity and was succeeded by John de Sauter, a monk of the same house. The priory of canons at Westacre, together with the church and all its offices, was consumed by fire about the Nativity of St Mary (8 September).

⁴ Eleanor, mother of the king of England, took the nun’s veil at Amesbury in the month of July. Walter, bishop of Salisbury, died and was succeeded by Master Henry de Branteston, dean of that church. The lord William de Warenne, son and heir of John de Warenne, earl of Surrey, was encountered and cruelly slain, as it is said, by his enemies in a tournament held at Croydon in the month of December. The king celebrated Christmas on the Isle of Oleron in Gascony.

A.D. 1287. #

¹ On the night of the Circumcision, the wind was so violent and the sea so stormy at Yarmouth, Dunwich, Ipswich, and other places in England, as well as on the coasts of other countries bordering the sea, that many buildings were thrown down, especially in that part of England called the Fens; nearly the whole district was converted into a lake, and, unhappily, great numbers of people were overtaken by the floods and drowned. On the day after the octave of the Epiphany (14 January), sudden flashes of light were seen, which greatly terrified those who witnessed them.

² The pope died at St Peter’s in Rome on Wednesday in Palm Week, being the day after the Annunciation, and was buried there on the following Friday in Easter Week. The see remained vacant for eleven months and thirty-four days.

The Jews imprisoned. #

¹ The Jews throughout England, of every age and sex, were committed to secure custody on Friday, the day after the apostles SS Philip and James (2 May); but after a time they were permitted to return to their homes on giving the king security for the payment of twelve thousand pounds.

Sea-fight between the Roman, French, and Greek fleets. #

¹ On the third day before the calends of August (30 July), there was a gallant sea-fight between the fleets of the Roman Church and the king of France on one side, and that of the emperor of Constantinople, who supported the cause of the king of Arragon, on the other; in which, after the Greeks had achieved some partial success, and several of the nobles in both fleets had been taken prisoner and the rest cruelly slain, the victory rested with the enemy.

Rebellion of Rhys-ap-Meredyth. #

¹ A great part of South Wales, under their chief Rhys-ap-Meredyth, broke into rebellion against the king of England. But in the end, after great slaughter of the English of all ranks, together with fruitless expenditure, severe losses, and considerable dangers, he slipped away, and for some time no one knew where he was concealed; and thus, Rhys himself having, as it were, disappeared, the land had rest and was quiet.

² There was a total eclipse of the moon on the night of the feast of SS Romanus and Severinus (22 October). Stephen, bishop of Chichester, died and was succeeded by Master G. de St Leobhard. In the month of December, the sea overflowed its banks in parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, particularly at Yarmouth, and caused much damage.

³ The king of England, while he was in Gascony, received a solemn embassy from the khan of the Tartars, intended to renew the former alliance with himself and the kings, his predecessors. The king also celebrated the feast of our Lord’s Nativity at Bordeaux in Gascony.

A.D. 1288. #

¹ On the third day before the nones of February (3 February), about nightfall, flashes of light were suddenly and unexpectedly seen at St Edmund’s, there having been no signs to foretell them; and at the same instant there was a tremendous crash, which I will not call thunder, followed by an unbearable stench. The storm was accompanied by visible sparks of fire, which fearfully dazzled the eyes of those who witnessed them. The tower of the church of Barnwell was set on fire by the violence of the thunderstorm, further damage was done to the convent there, and one third of the town was consumed by the flames. At last the lightning also struck the refectory at St Edmund’s, but the fire was quickly extinguished by the monks.

² The lord Jerome, cardinal-bishop of Præneste, of the Order of Friars Minor, was elected pope on the feast of St Peter-in-Cathedrâ (22 February) and took the name Nicholas IV. Henry, bishop of Salisbury, died, and on his death there was a double election of Master William de la Corne and Master Lawrence de Hakebrun, a canon of the same church; but as Lawrence died immediately afterwards, the same Master William was re-elected.

³ On the day before the nones of June (4 June), a battle was fought between the duke of Brabant on one side and the archbishop of Cologne and the count of Gueldres on the other, in which a great number of the nobility fell on both sides, and the archbishop of Cologne and the count of Gueldres were taken prisoner and placed in the custody of the duke of Brabant; thus the Brabanters secured the victory. A great part of the market at St Botolph’s, together with the house of the Friars Preachers, was burnt to the ground on the day after St James (26 July).

⁴ On the fifth day before the ides of October (11 October), the moon was almost totally eclipsed, the eclipse lasting from nearly midnight until dawn. The king celebrated Christmas at Bellegarde, in the territory of Béarn.

A.D. 1289. #

¹ Reginald, abbot of Waltham, died about the feast of St Peter-in-Cathedrâ (22 February), and was buried at Waltham on the day after St Matthew the Apostle (22 September). He was succeeded by Robert de Elington, a canon of the same church.

² The king and queen, after being abroad for four years, returned to England landed at Dover on the day before the ides of August (12 August); and after a short stay, first in Kent and then in Essex, arrived at St Edmund’s on St Lambert’s Day (17 September), proceeding on the following day into Norfolk. Going from there by sea to the Isle of Ely, on their way to London, the king celebrated the feast of the Translation of St Edward (13 October) with great solemnity at Westminster.

Thomas Weyland, chief justice of the King’s Bench. #

¹ The lord Thomas Weyland, the king’s chief justice of the lower bench, having been indicted and convicted at trial for harbouring some of his people who had recently committed a murder, and fearing to throw himself upon the king’s mercy, took sanctuary in the house of the Friars Minor, who were then living at St Edmund’s. Having been closely guarded there by the country for several days, by the king’s order, he unexpectedly assumed their habit. When the king was informed of this, he sent a knight of his guard with instructions to employ the whole power of the country to keep him there more securely. At length, this Thomas, after being blockaded for two months, during which nearly all the friars dispersed to various places, threw off the religious habit and resumed secular dress, came out of sanctuary and, being brought before the king, was committed to secure custody in the Tower of London.

² The pope raised Charles, prince of the Morea, son of Charles, late king of Sicily, to the throne and solemnly crowned him on Whitsunday (29 May).

³ The city of Tripoli was taken by the Saracens and laid in ruins, together with the towns and villages and the whole surrounding country, with great slaughter of the Christians. The king solemnly celebrated the feast of our Lord’s Nativity at Westminster.

A parliament. Proceedings against delinquent judges. #

A.D. 1290. #

¹ In a parliament held at Westminster, which sat from the Circumcision of Our Lord [1 January] until the feast of St Valentine [14 February], various sentences were pronounced by the king and his council in the cases of several judges whose misconduct was investigated there, according to their respective offences. Among them, Lord Thomas Weyland was condemned to perpetual banishment, with the forfeiture of all his property, movable and immovable. Many of the justices, both of the bench and those who had served in eyre, were also committed to safe custody in the Tower. The chief among them were Lords John de Lovetot, William de Brunton, Roger de Leicester, and Robert de Littlebury; these were of the bench. Of the justices in eyre were Lords Solomon of Rochester, Richard of Boyland, Thomas de Sudendon, Walter de Hopet, and Robert de Preston. But the former were released at the close of this parliament, after paying large fines for their ransom; the latter remained in the Tower when the king departed for another part of the country. In the end, however, they obtained their release on the same terms as the others, with the king’s connivance, or rather by his order.

² John, bishop of Ely and the king’s treasurer, died at Ely the next day of the Annunciation of St Mary [26 March], and, having been honourably buried on the following Holy Thursday, was succeeded by Master William de Luda, archdeacon of Durham, dean of St Martin’s-the-Great in London, and keeper of the king’s wardrobe, who was elected on the fourth of the ides [4 May].

The earl of Gloucester marries the princess Joan of Acre. #

¹ Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, married at Westminster, on the last day of April, the Lady Joan, surnamed of Acre because she had been born there, daughter of the king of England.

A great sea fight. #

¹ On the same day there was a desperate naval engagement in the Sea of Marmora, near St Matthew’s, between the fleets of Bayonne, the Cinque Ports, and the Genoese on one side, and the Flemings on the other, in which fire and water, as well as weapons, were used as instruments of destruction; and after many ships had been sunk and the rest had sought safety in flight, the victory remained with the opposing party.

Removal of the body of Henry III. #

¹ Our lord the king caused the body of his father the king, which had been buried at Westminster, to be suddenly and unexpectedly removed on the night of the feast of the Ascension [10 May], and placed in a more elevated position near the tomb of St Edward.

A bloody battle between the Danes and Norwegians. #

¹ A most savage and bloody battle was fought between the kings of Norway and Denmark at Skonor in Denmark, in which twenty-five thousand Norwegians fell, with little loss on the part of the Danes.

² Roger Bigod, earl of Norfolk and marshal of England, brought over as his wife Alice, daughter of John d’Aveynes, count of Agenois.

³ John, son and heir of John, duke of Brabant, solemnly married Margaret, daughter of the king of England, at Westminster, on the sixth of the ides [10 July], in the presence of his father and a great assembly of nobles.

⁴ The fruit crop failed entirely throughout England, both in gardens and hedges, except for apples and acorns.

⁵ William, bishop-elect of Ely, having been ordained priest on 1 October in the parish church of St Mary at Ely, was consecrated bishop of Ely with extraordinary pomp by Lord John, archbishop of Canterbury.

A synod at Ely; grant of a tenth and fifteenth. #

¹ On the next day of this solemnity, the archbishop held his synod at Ely, with his suffragans and others of the clergy assembled there. In this synod the clergy granted the king a tenth of all their spiritual possessions for one year, on condition that the tenth should not be collected before the feast of St Michael in the following year. The king also obtained from the commons of England a fifteenth of all their temporal property; and he condemned all the Jews, of both sexes and every age, living throughout England, to perpetual banishment, without hope of return.

² Roger, abbot of St Alban’s, died about the feast of All Saints, the next day of All Souls [3 November], and was succeeded by John de Berkhampstead, a monk of the same abbey. Robert, abbot of Reading, resigned his office and was succeeded by William de Sutton, chamberlain of the same house.

Death of Margaret, maid of Norway, heiress of Scotland. #

¹ Margaret, daughter of Eric, king of Norway, and of Margaret, daughter of Alexander, king of Scotland, who had lately died without leaving any heir of his body, and of his queen Margaret, daughter of Henry, king of England, and sister of his son King Edward—to whom, as nearest in blood, the hereditary right to the kingdom of Scotland belonged, and who was also about to marry Edward, son of the aforementioned King Edward, a dispensation having been obtained from the court of Rome—died in the Orkney Isles.

Death of queen Eleanor. #

¹ Eleanor, queen of England the king’s consort, died at Herdeby, in the county of Lincoln, on the fourth of the calends of December [28 November], and was buried at Westminster with extraordinary state and magnificence on the sixteenth of the calends of January [17 December]. Afterwards the king set out for Ayisrigge, a hermitage of the earl of Cornwall, to celebrate Our Lord’s Nativity there.

A.D. 1291. #

¹ On the fifteenth of the calends of March [15 February], there was an eclipse of the moon. On the sixth of the ides [8 February], in London, about the first hour, suddenly and when it was least expected, the Lord thundered from heaven with a loud and sharp report [Psalm 18:13; 2 Samuel 22:14], filling the hearts of all who heard it with dreadful terror.

Peace between the Pope and Sicily, Arragon and France. #

¹ A peace and alliance was made and ratified between the Roman Church and Charles, king of Sicily, on the one side, and Peter, king of Arragon, on the other; and also between the king of France on the one side and the king of Spain on the other, after great losses, bloodshed, and calamities, principally through the mediation of the king of England, who sent solemn embassies abroad to negotiate and establish the peace. But it was soon afterwards weakened and rendered void when, upon the death of Peter, king of Arragon, his brother James took possession of the kingdom of Sicily by force. Ambassadors came from the great and mighty khan of the Tartars, both to the pope and to the kings of France and England, for the renewal and ratification of peace, as well as concerning his acceptance of the Christian faith and the granting of aid to the Holy Land.

² Joan, countess of Gloucester, daughter of the king of England, gave birth at Winchcombe to her eldest son, who was named Gilbert. Lord Thomas, bishop of Rochester, slept in the Lord at Rochester, at a good old age, on St Pancras’ Day [12 May]; he was succeeded by Thomas, prior of that church. Eleanor, mother of the king of England, died at Amesbury the next day of St John [25 June], and was buried with great solemnity on the third day after the Nativity of St Mary [8 September], with a great attendance of the most powerful nobles of both France and England.

Edward I asserts his claim to the suzerainty of Scotland. #

¹ On the death of Alexander [III], king of Scotland, lately deceased, and the death and complete extinction both of his issue and of his blood kindred, several persons began to claim a hereditary right to the kingdom of Scotland. In view of this, the king of England asserted that the supremacy of the crown was vested in him. To establish this more clearly, he went to Norham, on the marches of Scotland, and assembled there religious men from several English churches with their chronicles. These having been carefully inspected, examined, and considered by his whole council, it appeared plain to each and all that the supreme right over the kingdom of Scotland was vested in and belonged to him. All this having been recounted before the great men of Scotland, both bishops and earls, and certain others, and having been carefully considered, the Scots, having nothing to allege on their part, acknowledged him as their suzerain lord. They also committed to his custody the castles of Scotland, both on this side of the sea and beyond the sea, together with the seal of Scotland, and swore fealty to him, confirming it by their letters patent, and declared that those who claimed a right to the kingdom of Scotland ought to abide by the judgment of the court of the king of England.

² In this state of affairs, Lord John de Baliol and Lord Robert de Bruce, with the others named below, came forward to claim their right. At length they agreed that they would submit to the arbitration of forty liegemen from each of the two kingdoms, forty on one side and forty on the other, together with twenty on the king’s part; and that, after the arguments and rights of all had been presented before them, they should pronounce and publish their award the next day of St Peter-ad-Vincula [2 August]. This having been settled, the king of England appointed the bishop of Caithness chancellor of Scotland, and joined with him one of his own clerks, Walter de Agmondesham, chancellor of England, commanding that all things should be done with their concurrence and assent. He also distributed the castles among his adherents as he thought fit. He likewise appointed keepers of the peace and order, and other officers of the royal administration, both on the mainland in the islands.

³ Therefore, the next day of St Peter already mentioned, it was determined by common consent at Berwick, by the nobles of both countries and by those who claimed a right to the kingdom of Scotland, that all claims should be considered null and void except those of Lords John de Baliol, Robert de Bruce, and John de Hastings, and the others named below. A day was appointed for the parties at Berwick to argue their rights the next day of the Holy Trinity next following [18 June], before our lord the king and his liegemen, who were to meet him there. After this, Florence, earl of Holland, Robert Bruce, earl of Anandale, John de Baliol, lord of Galway, John de Hastings, lord of Abergavenny, John Cumming, lord of Badenoch, Patrick de Dunbar, earl of March, John de Vesci, on behalf of his father, Richard de Soules, and William de Ross, in whom, or in some of whom, the right to the crown of Scotland was considered to be vested, returned to their homes to deliberate upon the allegation and assertion of their respective right or rights, in preparation for the day appointed for them.

⁴ Therefore, our lord the king, considering and fully weighing that, according to the testimony of the chronicles of various religious men, his right to the kingdom of Scotland was far from insignificant, and wishing to leave a record of this fact and of his own proceedings to be handed down to future generations, wrote to the greater monasteries of England in the following form:—

⁵ “Edward, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, and duke of Aquitaine, to his beloved in Christ, the abbot and convent of St Peter at Bury, greeting.

⁶ “We send you, appended to these presents under the seal of our Exchequer, a transcript of certain letters enrolled in our treasury, the tenor of which is as follows:—

⁷ “‘To all those who shall see or hear these presents: Florence, earl of Holland, Robert Bruce, earl of Anandale, John de Baliol, lord of Galway, John de Hastings, lord of Abergavenny, John Cumming, lord of Badenoch, Patrick de Dunbar, earl of March, John de Vesci, on behalf of his father, Richard de Soules, and William de Rous, greeting in God.

⁸ “‘Whereas we claim to have a right to the kingdom of Scotland, and wish to present, challenge, and establish that right before him who has the greatest power, jurisdiction, and authority to determine our right; and whereas the noble prince Sir Edward, by the grace of God king of England, has informed us on good and sufficient grounds that the suzerainty of the said kingdom of Scotland belongs and is due to him, together with the cognisance of hearing, trying, and determining our right: we, of our own free choice, without any manner of force or duress, will and grant that we shall receive justice before him as sovereign lord of the land. And we will and promise that we shall uphold his decision as firm and binding, and that whichever of us is found before him to possess the right shall have possession of the kingdom. In testimony of this we have set our seals to this instrument. Done at Norham, on the Tuesday next after the Ascension, in the year of grace one thousand two hundred and ninety-one.’

⁹ “‘To all those who shall see or hear these presents: Florence, earl of Holland, Robert de Bruce, lord of Anandale, John de Baliol, lord of Galway, John de Hastings, lord of Abergavenny, John Comyn, lord of Badenoch, Patrick de Dunbar, earl of March, John de Vesey, on behalf of his father, Nicholas de Soules, and William de Rous, greeting in God.

¹⁰ “‘Whereas we have consented and granted, of our own free will and common assent, without any duress, to the noble prince Sir Edward, by the grace of God king of England, that he, as suzerain lord of the territory of Scotland, shall hear, try, and determine our claims and demands, which we intend to present and allege concerning our right to the kingdom of Scotland, and that we shall receive justice before him as suzerain lord of the land, promising that we shall uphold his decision as firm and binding, and that he to whom the right shall be adjudged before him shall possess the kingdom.

¹¹ “‘But considering that the same king of England cannot undertake and complete this cognisance without judgment, that judgment ought not to be without execution, and that execution cannot be carried out without possession and seisin of the said territories and castles: we therefore will and grant that he, as sovereign lord, in order to accomplish the matters same, shall have seisin of all the lands and castles of Scotland until justice has been done and completed as we demand, provided that, before receiving the same seisin, he shall give good and sufficient security, upon demand, to the guardians and commons of the kingdom of Scotland for the restoration of the same kingdom and castles, and of all royalties, dignities, lordships, franchises, customs, rights, laws, usages, and possessions, with all manner of appurtenances, in the same condition as they were when seisin was given and granted to him, to whichever one of us shall be found by judgment of the court to possess the right, saving to the king of England the homage of him who shall be king; such restoration to be made within three months after the right has been tried and determined.

¹² “‘And the revenues of the said territories received in the meantime shall be safely deposited and securely kept in the hands of the present chamberlain of Scotland of another person to be appointed to act with him by the king of England, under their seals, saving reasonable provision for the maintenance of the lands and castles and the ministers of the realm. In testimony of what has been declared above, we have set our seals to this writing. Done at Norham, on Tuesday after the Ascension, in the year of grace one thousand two hundred and ninety-one.’

¹³ “And so we command you to record these matters in your chronicles as a perpetual testimony of it. Witness, Master W. de Marche, our treasurer, at Westminster, on the ninth day of July, in the nineteenth year of our reign. By writ of privy seal.”

Description of Northumbria. #

¹ Hyring was the first king who reigned in Northumbria after the Britons. Northumbria extends from the great river Humber, so called from Humber, king of the Huns, who was invited there, as far as the Frisian Sea—which is now called the Scottish Sea—because it divides the English from the Scots. In former times it was called the Frisian Sea because the Frisians and Danes frequently brought their ships to land there and then, having joined with the Scots and Picts, ravaged Northumbria. This country was afterwards much divided on various occasions and as a result of various calamities; but within a short time it was divided into two provinces, namely Deira and Bernicia. Deira extends from the same river Humber to the Tyne, and was ruled by St Oswine, king and martyr, whose body now rests at Tynemouth. St Oswald, king and martyr, reigned in Bernicia, that is, from the Tyne as far as the Scottish Sea. By the name Northumbria, therefore, was sometimes understood the country between the Humber and the Tees; at other times it extended to the Tyne, at others to the Tweed; but at present it includes only the district between the Tyne and the Tweed. This may suffice concerning its territory.

Genealogy of the kings of Bernicia. #

¹ Hyring, then, who has already been mentioned, fathered King Wodna; Wodna fathered King Withgils; Withgils fathered King Horsa; Horsa fathered King Uppa; Uppa fathered King Eppa; Eppa fathered King Ermering; Ermering fathered King Ida; all of whom reigned in the territory of the Northumbrians north of the river Humber, on the Norwegian Sea. None of these kings, from Hyring to King Ida, appears in any of the historians, whether through omission or ignorance, and the records concerning them were either burnt within the country or carried away from it.

² King Ida, however, fathered King Ethelred; Ethelred fathered King Ethelfert; Ethelfert fathered King Oswy; Oswy fathered King Egfert; Egfert fathered King Elfrid; Elfrid fathered King Ælla; Ælla fathered a daughter named Ethelreda. The earls who afterwards governed Northumbria were all descended from King Ælla. Ethelreda bore Earl Eadulf; Earl Eadulf fathered Earl Oswulf; Earl Oswulf fathered Earl Waltheof; Earl Waltheof fathered Earl Wihtred; Earl Wihtred fathered Earl Aldred; Earl Aldred fathered a daughter named Elfleda; the valiant Duke Siward married her and obtained with her the kingdom of Northumbria. She bore him a son named Waltheof, who afterwards became earl. But since, at the time of Duke Siward’s death, his son Waltheof was still very young, his earldom was given by St Edward the king to Tosti, son of Earl Godwin.

³ In the twenty-fourth year of King Edward, the Northumbrians expelled their earl Tosti from the kingdom, because he had caused them much bloodshed and disaster, putting all his household to death, and, by the grant and permission of St Edward the king, appointed Morcar, son of Algar, earl of Chester, to be their earl.

⁴ In the second year of King William I, that king gave the earldom of Northumbria to Earl Robert; but the people of the province slew him and nine hundred men at the same time.

⁵ In the third year of King William, Waltheof, son of Duke Siward, who has already been mentioned, having been reconciled with the king, obtained the earldom of Northumbria after the death of Morcar, the same earl.

⁶ In the ninth year of King William, Ralph, earl of East Anglia, conspired to dethrone the king with Waltheof, the same earl of Northumbria, and Roger, son of William Fitz-Osbern, whose sister Earl Waltheof married, and at whose wedding the conspiracy was formed. However, the king, returning to England, imprisoned Earl Ralph, his cousin; but he caused Earl Waltheof to be beheaded at Winchester, and he was buried at Croyland, where the monastery of St Guthlac stands.

⁷ All those mentioned above were sub-kings or earls in Northumbria from the time when the English people settled there; and the city of York was the capital of this Northumbria.

⁸ Note that the following are the names of the kings of the Scots who reigned in Scotland after the Picts.

⁹ Here also is inserted the convention between the kings of England Scotland, concluded at Lincoln in the year [1200], in which the king of Scotland did homage to the king of England.

The Charter of William, King of Scotland. #

¹ ‘William, king of Scotland, becomes the liegeman of our lord the king of England against every man in Scotland all his other territories, and has sworn fealty to him as his liege lord, as his other vassals are accustomed to do. In like manner, he has done homage to King Henry, his son, always saving his fealty to our lord the king, his father.

² Moreover, all the bishops, abbots, and clergy of the kingdom of Scotland, and their successors, from whom he may require it, shall swear fealty to our lord the king as their liege lord, as his other bishops are accustomed to do; and also to King Henry, his son, and their heirs.

³ Also, the king of Scotland, together with David, his brother, and his barons and other vassals, has granted to our lord the king that the Church of Scotland shall henceforth render such subjection to the Church of England as it ought, and was accustomed to render in the time of his predecessors, the kings of England.

⁴ In like manner, Richard, bishop of St Andrews, Richard, bishop of Dunkeld, Geoffrey, abbot of Dunfermline, and Herbert, prior of Coldingham, have also agreed that the Church of England shall have such jurisdiction over the Church of Scotland as it can lawfully claim, and that they will not oppose the rights of the Church of England. For this agreement they have given sureties to our lord the king and to his son Henry, in the same manner as when they swore fealty to him as his liegemen. The other bishops and clergy of Scotland shall do the same, according to the convention made between our lord the king and the king of Scotland, his brother David, and his barons.

⁵ The earls also, and the barons and others holding lands under the king of Scotland, shall do homage and swear fealty, if our lord the king requires it, to him and to King Henry, his son, and their heirs, against all the world, saving only the fealty due from him to the king his father. In like manner, the heirs of the king of Scotland of his barons, and of their mesne tenants, shall render homage and allegiance to the heirs of our lord the king against all the world.

⁶ Further, the king of Scotland his liegemen shall not henceforth harbour any fugitive from the dominions of our lord the king on account of felony, either in Scotland or in any of his other territories, unless he is willing to stand trial in the dominions of our lord the king and abide by the judgment of the court. Instead, the king of Scotland his liegemen shall arrest him with all possible speed and deliver him to our lord the king, or to his justiciaries and bailiffs in England.

⁷ Moreover, if there is in England any fugitive from the territories of the king of Scotland on account of felony, unless he is willing to stand trial either in the court of the king of Scotland or in the court of our lord the king, and to abide by the judgment of that court, he shall not be harboured by our lord the king, but shall, when found, be delivered by the bailiffs of our lord the king to the men of the king of Scotland.

⁸ Further, the liegemen of our lord the king shall hold the lands which they have held, and ought to hold, of our lord the king, and of the king of Scotland, and of their vassals. And the liegemen of the king of Scotland shall hold the lands which they have held, and ought to hold, of our lord the king and his vassals.

⁹ For the due performance of this final convention with our lord the king and his son Henry and their heirs, by the king of Scotland his heirs, the king of Scotland has given into the possession of our lord the king, at the mercy of our lord the king, the castles of Roxburgh, Berwick, and Jedburgh, the Maiden Castle, and the castle of Stirling. And the king of Scotland will assign to our lord the king, out of his revenues, sums in due proportion, at the pleasure of our lord the king, for the expenses of guarding the said castles.

¹⁰ Furthermore, for the due and final performance of the same convention, the king of Scotland has delivered to our lord the king as hostages his brother David, Earl Duncan, and many others. When, however, the castles have been surrendered, William, king of Scotland, and his brother David shall be released. Each of the same earls and barons shall likewise be released when he has given a hostage, namely, a legitimate son if he has one, and, in the case of those who do not, a nephew or next heir; the castles also having been surrendered, as stated above.

¹¹ Further, the king of Scotland his same barons have pledged themselves in good faith, and without fraud or covin, that, setting aside all excuses, they will cause the bishops, barons, and liegemen of their land who were not present when the king of Scotland concluded this treaty with our lord the king to make the same allegiance and swear the same fealty to our lord the king and his son Henry as they themselves have done; and to deliver to our lord the king as hostages such persons as he shall choose, in the same manner as the barons and liegemen who were present here.

¹² Moreover, the bishops, earls, and barons have agreed with our lord the king and his son Henry that, if the king of Scotland should by any chance withdraw his fealty from our lord the king and his son, and depart from the same covenants, they will side with our lord the king, as their liege lord, against the king of Scotland against all the enemies of our lord the king; and the bishops will place the territories of the king of Scotland under interdict until he returns to his fealty to our lord the king.

¹³ For the due performance of the same convention, without fraud or covin, by William, king of Scotland, and David, his brother, and by the same barons and their heirs, the king of Scotland himself, David his brother, and all his said barons have pledged their faith against all persons, as liegemen of our lord the king and of his son Henry, saving their fealty to the king his father; of all which the witnesses are Richard, bishop of Avranches, &c. &c.’

¹⁴ This instrument having been read in the church of St Peter at York, in the presence of the same bishops of England, and before the king of Scotland, David his brother, and all the people, the bishops, earls, barons, and knights of the king of the Scots swore fealty to our lord the king of England to Henry, his son, and their heirs, against all men, as well as against their own liege lord.

Charter of Richard, King of England. #

¹ ‘Richard, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Anjou, to the archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justiciaries, sheriffs, and all his officers and faithful people throughout the whole of England, greeting.

² Know that we have restored to our most beloved cousin William, by the same grace king of Scotland, his castles of Roxburgh and Berwick, to be held as his own inheritance by him and his heirs for ever.

³ Moreover, we have released him from all covenants and agreements which our father Henry, king of England, extorted from him by new charters or as a consequence of his capture; provided, nevertheless, that he fully and entirely performs for us all that his brother Malcolm, king of Scotland, lawfully performed, or ought to have performed, for our predecessors. And we will perform for him all that our predecessors performed, or ought to have performed, in respect of the same Malcolm, namely, safe conduct in coming to and returning from our court, and while staying there, and in procurations, and all liberties, dignities, and honours which he can lawfully claim, according to what shall be determined by four of our barons chosen by King William and four of his barons chosen by us.

⁴ Further, if any of our liegemen have seized, without lawful judgment, the borders or marches of the kingdom of Scotland since the time when the same King William was taken prisoner by our father, we will that they be restored entirely and returned to the same condition in which they were before his capture.

⁵ Moreover, with respect to the lands which he has in England, whether held in demesne or in fee, namely, in the county of Huntingdon and elsewhere, let him and his heirs hold them for ever as fully and freely as the said Malcolm possessed them or ought to have possessed them, except such lands as the said Malcolm or his heirs afterwards infeoffed. Provided, however, that if any such lands were afterwards infeoffed, the service due from those fees shall belong to the said king of Scotland his heirs.

⁶ Whatever was also granted by our father to the same William, king of Scotland, we ratify and confirm.

⁷ We restore to him the fealty of his liegemen, and all charters which our lord and father obtained from him by reason of his capture; and if by any chance there are others retained through forgetfulness, or afterwards discovered, we command that they be treated as null and void. But he has become our liegeman for all the lands for which his ancestors were liegemen to our predecessors, and has sworn fealty to us and our heirs. Witnesses, Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury, &c. &c.’

Charter of Alexander II, King of Scotland. #

¹ ‘Alexander, by the grace of God, king of Scotland, to all the faithful in Christ who shall see or hear this writing, greeting.

² We would have you know that we have covenanted and faithfully promised, for ourselves and our heirs, to our most beloved and liege lord Henry, by the grace of God the illustrious king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, and to his heirs, that we will maintain good faith and friendship with him for ever hereafter. And that neither we ourselves, nor any persons acting on our behalf, will ever enter into any alliance with the enemies of the kings of England or their heirs for the purpose of procuring or making war from which loss may happen, or by any means ensue, to them or to their kingdoms of England Ireland, or their other territories, unless they unjustly wrong us.

³ All this leaves intact the covenants lately made at York between us and our said lord the king of England, in the presence of Lord Otho, deacon of St Nicholas-in-carcere-Tulliano, at that time legate of the Apostolic See in England, and is without prejudice to the treaty made concerning a marriage between our son and the daughter of the said king of England.

⁴ And so that this covenant and agreement of ours, for ourselves and our heirs, may remain in perpetual force, we have caused Alan the chamberlain, H. de Baliol, and others to swear on our soul that we will firmly and faithfully observe all the same provisions. In like manner, we have also caused the venerable fathers David, William, Geoffrey, and Clement, the bishops of St Andrews, Glasgow, and other sees, to swear. And further, our faithful subjects Patrick, earl of Dunbar, Malcolm, earl of Fife, and others, [have sworn] that if we or our heirs should contravene the same covenant and promises, which God forbid, they and their heirs shall give neither aid nor counsel to us or our heirs against the said covenant and promise, nor, to the best of their power, permit others to give such aid or counsel; but shall use their endeavours honestly with us and our heirs so that all the same provisions shall be firmly and faithfully observed, both by us and our heirs and by them and their heirs, for ever. In witness of this, we and our prelates, earls, and barons have confirmed these presents by affixing our seals. Witnesses, the earls and barons same, in the year of our reign, &c. &c.’

Letter of Alexander II to the Pope. #

¹ ‘To the most holy father in Christ, John, by the grace of God pope, Alexander, by the same grace king of Scotland, and the earl of Patrick and earl of Strathearn, send greeting with all due honour and reverence.

² We certify to your holiness that we have taken our corporal oaths before the venerable father Otho, cardinal deacon of St Nicholas-in-carcere-Tull., at that time legate in England of the Apostolic See, and have made our charter, beginning thus: ‘Know all men, present and to come, that it has been agreed as follows, in the presence of Lord Otho, of St Nicholas,’ &c.

³ By another, which begins: ‘We wish you all to know, as appears from the tenor of our former covenants,’ we have submitted ourselves to your jurisdiction, so that we and our heirs may be restrained by ecclesiastical censures if we should at any time contravene the same treaty of peace. And if it should ever happen that we, or all or any of us, should rashly presume or attempt to contravene it, and grievous peril should thereby ensue both to our souls and those of our heirs, besides great injury to our persons and estates, we entreat your holiness to issue your mandate to one of the suffragans of the archbishop of Canterbury, enjoining him to compel us and our heirs to observe the same peace, as shall be more fully set forth in the instruments to be executed on such occasion; otherwise, that by your authority you decree, according to the canons, against all who oppose the same peace. And in confirmation of this our petition, we have set our seals to the present writing.’

William, king of Scotland, claims Northumberland, &c. #

¹ In the year of grace 1194, King Richard appointed his coronation day at Winchester, at the close of Easter [17 April]. On the second day the king went as far as Clipstone to meet William, king of Scotland, and ordered all those who had been taken prisoner in the castles of Nottingham, Tickhill, Marlborough, and Lancaster, and at Mount St Michael, to attend him at Winchester the next day of the close of Easter. On the third day of the same month, being Palm Sunday, the king of England remained at Clipstone and the king of Scotland at Worksop, on account of the solemnity of the day; and the next day both kings came to Southwell. On the fifth day of the same month they went together to Southwell, where the king of Scotland requested the king of England to restore him to the dignities and honours which his predecessors had held in England. He also asked that the earldoms of Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancaster should be restored to him by right of his predecessors; to which the king of England replied that he would give him satisfaction after consulting his barons. On the seventh day of the month the kings proceeded to Gaidington and remained there until the next day; and on Easter Eve they arrived at Northampton and remained there the following day.

² While there, the king of England, having taken deliberate counsel with the bishops and nobles of England, replied to the king of Scotland that he could by no means grant his request concerning Northumberland, especially at a time when nearly all the principal men of the kingdom of France had become his enemies; for if he were to do so, it would appear to proceed from fear rather than love.

How the king of Scotland is to be received in coming to the English court. #

¹ However, in the presence of his mother Eleanor and many of the bishops, earls, and barons of both kingdoms, the king of England granted and confirmed to William, king of Scotland, and his heirs for ever, that whenever they should come to the court of the kings of England at their summons, the bishop of Durham and the sheriff of Northumberland should receive them at the water of Tweed and escort them, under safe conduct, as far as the water of Tees; and there the archbishop and sheriff of York should receive them and escort them, under safe conduct, to the borders of the county of York; and in like manner they should be escorted from county to county by the bishops and sheriffs until they reached the court of the king of England. And from the time the king of the Scots entered the territory of the king of England, he should receive daily from the revenues of the king of England one hundred shillings for his livery; but when the king of Scotland had arrived at the court of the king of England, for as long as he remained at the said court, he should receive daily for his livery thirty shillings, and for the high table twelve wastels, twelve simnels, with four gallons of the king’s best wine, besides eight gallons of household wine, two pounds of pepper, four pounds of cinnamon, twelve stone of wax or else four waxen links, forty long and thick lengths of the best candle, such as the king used, and eighty lengths of other candle for ordinary use. And when he wished to return to his own country, he should be escorted by the respective bishops and sheriffs from county to county until he reached the water of Tweed, and should likewise receive daily for his livery one hundred shillings from the purse of the king of England.

² The same documents are inserted here, although the events did not all occur in the present year, because the rightful heirs of the kings of Scotland had now failed, and the Scots, having claimed hereditary rights and sought the complete exclusion of our lord the king of England, to whom the suzerainty of that kingdom belongs, caused the documents to be sought out in old chronicles throughout various parts of England; and they were read this year before all the barons and ecclesiastical prelates, to serve as a memorial for future times.

³ The kings Rodolph of Germany and Peter of Arragon died. The city of Acre, with all that it contained, was captured and laid in ruins by the sultan of Babylon and his army of Pagans, after Nicholas, the patriarch of Jerusalem, had been drowned at sea, some of the Christians had escaped by flight, and a great number had fallen by the sword. On this occasion the Pagans lost incredible numbers of their own army.

⁴ Peter, bishop of Exeter, and William, bishop of Salisbury, died. Master Thomas de Bitton, dean of Wells, succeeded to the see of Exeter, and Lord Nicholas Longspée, treasurer of that church, to Salisbury.

⁵ After the death of Rodolph, king of Germany, the electors being divided, John d’Aveynes, count of Agenois, was elected by four, and Reginald, count of Gueldres, by three.

A.D. 1292. #

¹ From Christmas Eve until St Silvester’s Day [31 December], both exclusively, neither sun, moon, nor stars appeared, and there was neither snow, hail, frost, rain, nor wind, but, may it be a happy omen, all the elements sank together into a profound state of repose.

² Our lord the king celebrated the feast of Christmas with great solemnity at Westminster, and Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, with his countess, the king of England’s daughter, at Clare.

³ The pope granted to the king of England, as a subsidy for the Holy Land, a tenth of all ecclesiastical revenues and of all the chattels of the men of religion of every order, except the Hospitallers and Templars. The pope died at Rome on the fourth day of April, being Easter Eve, and the see remained vacant.

The king and royal family visit St Edmondsbury. #

¹ Our lord the king, having arrived at St Edmund’s with his son and daughters on the eve of the Translation of St Edmund [28 April], celebrated that feast with great solemnity. He remained either there or at the abbot’s manor of Culeford, which lies three miles from St Edmund’s, for nearly ten full days; and then, proceeding onwards, passed through Walsingham on his journey towards Scotland. During his stay, he granted us a charter to prevent any of his justiciaries in future from presuming to hold a court, on any occasion, within the banlieu [precincts] of St Edmund’s, on the pretext of any previous usurpation.

Rhys-ap-Meredith taken and executed at York. #

¹ Rhys-ap-Meredith, a very powerful Welsh chieftain, having taken refuge in dense woods and raised an insurrection against the peace of the king of England, was seized by some faithful adherents of the king while pursuing his course of ravage and slaughter. He was brought through the Midlands to the king at York, drawn through the whole city, and finally hanged until he died.

² Within fifteen days of Easter [6 April], through W. de Redham, sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, the charters of our liberties were allowed in the Exchequer, and the liberties contained in them, which had until then remained unquestioned, were adjudged to our church for ever. These included the common amercements in the eyres of the justiciaries, both of our tenants and of any strangers within the liberty; those of our own vassals also, wherever found, for murders, robberies, a year and a day; ‘quare non venit’; ‘quare sepeliunt’; likewise the amercements of our own liegemen summoned before any of the justiciaries appointed by the king, wherever they were amerced, the chattels of felons and fugitives, and other things of this kind. The entire sum of six hundred and forty pounds was immediately allowed to the abbot for those liberties which had until then existed.

On the succession to the throne of Scotland, on the death of Alexander III. #

¹ The nobles of the kingdom of Scotland met our lord the king of England at Berwick, pursuant to the appointment made in the preceding year, the next day of the Holy Trinity [2 June], concerning the affairs of the Scottish crown. The matter was adjourned on the understanding that, within fifteen days of St Michael in the following year, dominion over the kingdom should either be adjudged to one of the claimants by the same arbitrators, or some other person should be raised to the throne by the choice of the king of England.

² At the appointed time, the persons named above, to whose consideration the matter had been committed, met with the three pretenders to the throne of Scotland also named above. It was clearly decided by the former that the claims of Lords R. de Bruce and J. de Hastings should be treated as null and void; and they declared that the right to the throne was vested in John de Baliol as the nearest in blood. Whereupon, having first sworn fealty to our lord the king of England for the whole of the Scottish territories, on the feast of St Edmund, king and martyr, the said Lord John was, with all due ceremonies and according to the ancient established customs, solemnly placed upon the royal throne of Scotland on St Andrew’s Day [30 November], at Scone, in the presence of Lords J. de Warrenne and H. de Lincoln, the earls who attended on behalf of the king of England; the homage due to the king of England, as supreme lord, for the whole kingdom and its dependencies still remaining to be performed.

³ On the eighth of the calends of June [25 May], the entire city of Carlisle, together with its suburbs and the cathedral church within it, was consumed by fire. The elections of John, count of Agenois, and Reginald, count of Gueldres, to the kingdom of Germany having been quashed by the court of Rome, Adolphus, count of Nassau, was elected and raised to the throne.

⁴ On the feast of SS Crispin and Crispianus [25 October], Robert Burnel, lord bishop of Bath and Wells and the king’s chancellor, died, and was succeeded by Master William de la Marche, treasurer of our lord the king of England. John, lord archbishop of Canterbury, died on the sixth of the ides [8 January]. Our lord the king celebrated the feast of Christmas at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where he met John, king of the Scots, who on the following feast day did homage to him for the kingdom of Scotland its dependencies.

A.D. 1293. #

¹ Our lord the king ordered and appointed by public proclamation that all who possessed forty pounds [a year] in land should receive knighthood within twelve days of the following Christmas. Master Robert de Winchelsea, archdeacon of Essex, was elected archbishop of Canterbury in St Paul’s Church in London. Master Thomas Bek, bishop of St David’s, died, and was succeeded by a certain clerk named Master David Fitz-Martin, a canon of the same church.

² John, archbishop of York, being offended with Anthony, bishop of Durham, for not permitting him, as his primate, to hold a visitation of him and the chapter of Durham, had solemnly and publicly pronounced a sentence of excommunication against the bishop of Durham himself and all who remained in communion with him. Whereupon our lord the king, both because the bishop of Durham was a favourite of his and because, as they say, neither his own person nor that of his sons had been excepted from the sentence pronounced, which was a breach of the privilege granted to him by the Roman Church, was inclined to be indignant with the archbishop of York. Perceiving this, the archbishop purchased the king’s favour and pardon at the cost of three thousand pounds, saving only the rights of his church of York and of his action against the bishop of Durham.

Piratical sea-fight between the English and their allies, and the French. #

¹ A great and severe naval battle was fought near St Mahé, on the ides [13 June], being the Friday before the feast of Whitsuntide, between the fleets of England, Ireland, and Bayonne on one side and the Norman fleet on the other. The Norman ships and forces were almost entirely destroyed, sunk at sea, or put to the sword, and the English gained a notable victory and great booty without any loss to their own fleet. One hundred and eighty ships of the Norman fleet, captured in this engagement, were distributed among the victors. Thirty ships fell to Yarmouth alone and were brought there laden with booty as spoils; the others were distributed among the remaining victors in proportion to their forces and the aid they had provided. There were only three ships belonging to Bayonne in this engagement.

² A much fiercer naval battle followed, in which the Normans had assembled the forces of the Germans, Flemings, and even Lombards, together with a great number of ships. When they were encountered by the forces of the Cinque Ports, Bayonne, and Ireland, many on the English side fell in the first assault; but at last, rallying, they burnt, sank, and destroyed part of the enemy fleet with its crews. Thus victory fell to the English, though not without great bloodshed and heavy losses among their forces. The battle was fought on Mars’ day [Tuesday], the seventh of the calends of June [26 May], being the feast of St Augustine; and thus a martial achievement was accomplished on the day of Mars.

³ A great part of the town of Cambridge, together with the church of St Mary, was consumed by fire on the seventh of the ides [7 July]. William, abbot of Thorney, died, and was succeeded by Odo, monk and almoner of the same abbey. Eleanor, eldest daughter of the king of England, married Lord Henry, count of Bar-le-Duc, at Bristol on Sunday, the eve of St Matthew the Apostle [20 September].

⁴ A Genoese pirate named Zacharias, having gained a victory over the Pagans in the Mediterranean Sea and taken their spoils, sent twelve Pagan captives to each of five Christian kings, namely the kings of France, England, Germany, Spain, and Cyprus. The lord king of England celebrated the Nativity of Our Lord in England at Canterbury, and the lord king of France at Boulogne-sur-Mer.

King Edward visits St Edmundsbury. #

A.D. 1294. #

¹ Our lord the king visited St Edmund’s with great devotion on the feast day of that holy king and martyr [18 March]; and although he stayed only one night, his purveyors made luxurious and ample provision for the table of the convent the next day.

Edward imprudently cedes Aquitaine and Gascony to France. #

¹ King Edward, who had until then, like another Solomon, been magnificent and glorious in all his acts, became so infatuated as to form an irregular attachment to Blanche, sister of Philip, king of France, and his own cousin, she being related to him in the second degree of consanguinity; and having applied to the court of Rome for a dispensation to enable him to marry her, he obtained it. With this object, following the dictates of his own will and without consulting his faithful counsellors, he freely surrendered his territories of Aquitaine and Gascony, with all their dependencies, into the hands of the king of France, expecting to receive those territories back in free marriage with the same Blanche. The instrument of resignation was executed at St Edmund’s, the king being there at the time, and the chancellor being summoned from London by the king to bring the seal in Lent [3 March].

² According to some accounts, there was another reason for the loss of the same territories. The king of England held them from the king of France, the lord paramount, in return for a certain service due to him; and for the performance of this service, according to the ancient rights attached to the tenure of those territories, he had been repeatedly summoned to the court of France, without, as the French asserted, ever appearing either in person or through another duly authorised to represent him. At length, after legal proceedings had been deliberately undertaken in the matter, and after consideration by the whole court of France following Easter [18 April], the king of England his heirs were, for his rebellion and contumacy, adjudged to have utterly forfeited the said territories, and were deprived and dispossessed of them.

³ Others give a different account of this extraordinary proceeding, namely that, as the king of England had vowed to undertake a pilgrimage on behalf of the cross of our salvation, he made an arrangement of this kind concerning his territories beyond the sea in order to provide for their security and tranquillity in the meantime. However, the woman who had caused this disturbance, having received full and peaceful possession and disposal of these territories, sent a letter to the king of England, who had ceded them of his own free will so rashly and inconsiderately, informing him that she had no intention of marrying any man, and still less one of such advanced age. Thus disappointed in his illicit, though much desired, union, he lost, alas, the inheritance of his ancestors.

Edward I levies forces against the French. #

¹ The king of England, at length returning to his senses and repenting, although too late, of his rash act, enlisted on his side the forces of neighbouring kings and princes to avenge the injury he had suffered and recover the lands so fraudulently occupied, and assembled a powerful army and fleet. For this purpose he won over, or in some cases compelled to join him for pay, and in others by virtue of the treaties and alliances they had concluded, Adolphus, king of Germany, and all the great men of that country, such as Sigefred, archbishop of Cologne, the bishop of Utrecht, and others, including kings, bishops, dukes, counts, and all the powers subject to the German Empire. He also gathered large reinforcements for the war from the king of Arragon, his close ally, the dukes and counts of Provence and Savoy and their forces, as well as from Lombardy and the people of other countries. John, duke of Brabant, Constantine, count of Holland Zealand, and Henry, count of Bar-le-Duc, hastened to join the expedition at the head of their troops.

A subsidy granted for the war. #

¹ The peers of England, both spiritual and temporal, having also been summoned concerning a subsidy for the king to carry on his war beyond the sea, granted it liberally, with the reservation that it should not be made a precedent for future occasions. For, levying a scutage on all ecclesiastical persons, including archbishops, bishops, and the greater abbots, as well as even on widows and other ladies and women who held of him in capite by knight-service, at the rate of one hundred marks for each fee, he compelled them to compound for money; the abbot of St Edmund alone paying for six knights, for whom he was bound by his tenure to answer to the king, and so with the rest. But payment was deferred until the king should cross the sea.

A general inquisition into all property. #

¹ In this state of affairs, the king of England, in defiance of God and man—would that he had been better advised—on the feast of the Translation of St Martin [4 July], which fell on a Sunday, caused his officers, previously commissioned for the purpose, to appear suddenly and unexpectedly, on one and the same day and hour, throughout all parts of England, to make careful and diligent inquiry, search, and inspection in each and every religious house, both in churches and all other places whatever, and in all their offices, not even sparing the towers and lanterns of the churches, nor showing any respect for rank, worth, or fortune, or for any exclusive privileges. This royal inquisition or investigation was so general that neither monasteries nor consecrated buildings, nor even the interiors of leper houses, were spared. The commissioners went through the houses, dwellings, and lodgings of the prelates, whether archbishops, bishops, or abbots; of archdeacons and prebendaries in cathedral or other churches; and of rectors and vicars; as well as through all cities, boroughs, castles, towns, villages, and among all persons wherever they hoped to find any money. They ordered all locks to be opened and, making inventories of all the articles they found, replaced them in their repositories. Those which were not opened they forced open, and, taking an inventory with them, although they carried nothing away, they closed the repositories, affixing their seals both to those which had been unlocked and those which they had broken open, and departed.

² By an act of such atrocious wickedness as had never before been heard of, and beyond all measure hateful to pious ears, they profaned by their forcible search, in spite of its ecclesiastical immunities, the monastery of St Edmund, king and martyr, together with the adjoining vill, which had been established as a city of refuge from ancient times, and with which no king had until then ventured to interfere. Paying no respect either to royal charters or papal decrees, they proceeded in every respect, to the peril of their souls, in the same manner as elsewhere, and even went beyond it. They also retained the bills they found in the hands of English merchants for money owed to them by their debtors, and compelled the debtors to make payment to themselves.

Election of Pope Celestine V. #

¹ One Peter of Muro, a native of Apulia and formerly a notary of the Emperor Frederic, who, after being a Benedictine monk at Monte Cassino, became a Cistercian and retired to the life of an anchorite, was elected pope at the age of one hundred years and more, at Perugio, the next day of the Translation of St Martin; the Apostolic See having then been vacant for two years, three months, and nine days. He took the name Celestine V and was consecrated and solemnly enthroned on the day before the ides [12 September].

A famine in England. #

¹ A severe famine and scarcity prevailed throughout England. A quarter of wheat, which could scarcely be obtained at all, and then only with difficulty, was sold in some places for twenty-four shillings; moreover, the months of August and the following September were so wet from continual rain that little or no new corn could be obtained as late as the feast of St Michael [29 September].

Edward seizes the alien religious houses. #

¹ The king of England seized all the religious houses throughout England which were subject to chapters beyond the sea, together with their revenues from whatever source they arose, and, committing their administration to stewards and guardians of his own appointment, allowed a certain stipend to the monks living in those houses; the surplus he applied to the expenses of his war. He did not disturb the Cistercians in this way; but the Cluniacs, Præmonstratensians, and others whose property was not spared, he forced to live in distress, want, and affliction. Moreover, he commanded that all the annual pensions payable to his own principal religious houses should be brought into his own treasury.

The king exacts from the clergy half of their revenues. #

¹ The same king, in a parliament held at Westminster on the feast of St Michael and the next day of the same [29 and 30 September], by prayers, exhortations, and even threats, induced and forcibly compelled each and every prelate of England with their clergy, and all religious persons holding property who had been summoned to that parliament, to grant him one half of all their goods, spiritual and temporal, assessed according to the most recent valuation for tenths and payable at three terms within the same year. This levy is said to have amounted to the great sum of eleven hundred thousand pounds. Our payment alone amounted to six hundred and fifty-five pounds, eleven shillings, and fourpence.

Death of the archbishop of Dublin, the king’s ambassador. #

¹ Meanwhile, Master John de Saunford, archbishop of Dublin, who, together with Lord Antony, bishop of Durham, and others of the council of the king of England, had been sent as an envoy to the king of Germany and the other princes of that country, attended by a great retinue, returned to England died at Yarmouth a few days after landing there.

William de Montfort, the king’s inquisitor, dies suddenly. #

¹ In the parliament held next afterwards, Master William de Montfort, dean of St Paul’s, London, who had been proctor at the court of Rome concerning the tenths long since granted to the king of England for the relief of the Holy Land, and who was the principal instrument and promoter of the king’s measures for the subversion of the liberties of the English Church, was unexpectedly struck by a sudden illness in the sight of the king and those sitting with him, and presently fell to the ground and died. He was carried to St Paul’s and buried there beside his father.

Insurrection of the Welsh. #

¹ The Welsh, thinking that they had found a convenient and favourable opportunity, rebelled against the king of England under their chief, one Meredyth-ap-Llewellyn; and, seizing Snowdon, slaughtered and ill-treated many of the king’s liegemen whom they found there, laid the castles in ruins, and committed other scandalous outrages throughout Wales, to the king’s loss and dishonour.

A subsidy granted. #

¹ On the next day of St Martin [12 November], at Westminster, the laity granted him a tenth of all their goods as a subsidy for his wars in both Wales and France. The inhabitants of cities and boroughs, and of other royal domains, were taxed a tenth; merchants living elsewhere a seventh; and the rest of the commons a tenth. The vill of St Edmund’s, in which no king’s officer, from the time when our liberties were first granted, had until then presumed to exercise any jurisdiction, was taxed by the general assessors of the country, sitting in the Tolzey, the public place of the vill, and submitting the particulars to a jury of the burgesses; nor could we, alas, either for money or favour, obtain exemption for our servants from being included among the community. However, the matter was settled by an acknowledgement that in future this should never prejudice our liberties in this respect, or any others until then exercised and enjoyed; and a special instrument was given to us to this effect.

² The naval force of the king of England, recently despatched to Gascony, achieved remarkable success in a short time, having captured and subdued several castles and territories with great vigour. The king of England, during his expedition into Wales, spent Christmas at Aberconwy.

Pope Celestine V abdicates. #

¹ Pope Celestine, considering the infirmity of his condition and age, made a decree, and shortly afterwards caused it to be confirmed by the brethren [in conclave], that the Roman pontiff for the time being might, if it seemed fit and proper to him, resign his dignity and retire to the leisure or repose of a stricter rule of life. Having decided this, after governing the Church as pope for five months and twenty-one days, he retired on the feast of St Lucy the Virgin [13 December], having first resigned his office, to his former retreat in the solitude he loved at Naples. After his resignation, the Roman See remained vacant for eleven days; but on the eleventh day, being the eve of Our Lord’s Nativity, Lord Benedict, a native of Anagnia, cardinal-deacon with the title of St Nicholas-in-Carcere Tulliano, was elected and took the name of Boniface VIII.

Two Cardinals arrive as mediators between the kings of England France. #

A.D. 1295. #

¹ In this year, for the restoration of peace between the kings and kingdoms of France and England, the pope sent into England two cardinals, men undoubtedly endowed with great wisdom and prudence, who landed before the feast of St Peter ad Vincula [1 August] and proceeded to London. The king, on his return from Wales, after subjugating the Welsh and obtaining hostages for their faithful observance of the peace thereafter, met these cardinals in London and gave them a gracious and courtly reception. Having summoned the barons of the realm and the prelates of the churches to appear before the said cardinals and hear the pope’s message, he held his parliament there; and they clearly set forth the pope’s mandate for the renewal of peace in the presence of our lord the king and his peers and prelates. After hearing the reasons and proposals publicly presented by the said cardinals, the king postponed his answer until the third day, wishing to consult and deliberate upon the matter. Having done so with the peers and prelates of the Church, and the cardinals and peers having met in parliament on the appointed day, our lord the king replied on behalf of himself and his kingdom that, out of reverence for the pope, saving his own rights and those of his kingdom, he was ready willingly to renounce the war and faithfully observe the former treaties of peace and concord, saving the dignity of his crown and the rights of his kingdom. On receiving this answer, the said cardinals hastened to cross beyond the sea, so that they might treat with the king of France concerning these matters.

William de Wodeford elected abbot of St Edmund’s. #

¹ Lord Richard of London, abbot of this house, died the next day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin [16 August], and was succeeded by Lord William de Wodeford, at that time sacristan of the same house. He was elected on the feast of the Decollation of St John the Baptist [29 August], obtained possession of the barony on the sixteenth day before the feast of St Michael, and made his solemn entrance on the feast of All Saints [1 November]. Because he was always courteous in the conduct of business, he found our lord the king and his collectors lenient and courteous during the vacancy; and it should be noted that they did not lay hands on the property of the obedientiaries while the office of abbot was vacant.

The king vainly endeavours to extort more money. #

¹ After the feast of St Edmund [5 January], the king remained in London and, having summoned there the peers of England the prelates of the Church, used his utmost efforts to extort from the clergy half of their goods, in the same manner as in the preceding year, and from the people what he had obtained before. He was told in reply, both by the clergy and the people, that they could by no means grant this; but if it should happen that the war continued without any hope of peace being restored, the clergy granted a tenth and the people an eleventh, but for one year only. And so they parted.

Death of Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester. #

¹ Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, brought both his life and his lawsuit to an end before Christmas, in the seventh year after his most unjust proceeding concerning de la Bigging, and was buried with due ceremony at Tewkesbury, near the tombs of his ancestors. In this year, on the second day of October, Lord Robert, archbishop of Canterbury, was solemnly enthroned in his episcopal see, in the presence of the king and nearly all the suffragans of his archbishopric.

Treason and execution of Thomas de Turbeville. #

¹ Lord Thomas de Turbeville, a certain knight who was a native of La Marche and a servant and special favourite of our lord the king of England, was sent with the king’s army to Gascony, where he was taken prisoner with some of his fellow soldiers in an engagement with the French forces and placed in close custody. Meanwhile, dealings took place between him and the king of France concerning his betrayal of the king of England his misleading him by his counsels. This having been arranged, and having apparently escaped secretly from prison, he returned to England presented himself to the king, by whom he was graciously received, concealing his evil intentions under sheep’s clothing [Matthew 7:15]. He had agreed with the king of France that he would involve all England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in a general war on one and the same day, so that while the king of England was occupied in so many different quarters, a naval force of the king of France might land without resistance or impediment at whatever English port he chose, and he might dispose of and rule the land according to his own will and pleasure. As the reward for this treason, the king of France undertook to give the principality of Wales to him and his heirs.

² But since there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed [Luke 8:17; Mark 4:22], he came under suspicion of treason among some of the king’s faithful friends, and even with the king himself, because of certain earlier indications; and when he consequently withdrew from court, a search was made in every direction to bring him back. The king was in Kent and occupied at Canterbury when the traitor was brought to London; and there were found upon him both letters addressed to him by the king of France and copies of letters sent by him to the king, treasonable documents which proved the facts more clearly than light. On the eve of St Denis [8 October], he was therefore torn apart by horses in London until death ended his sufferings; and his head was carried to the Tower to be set up there.

A naval expedition to Gascony. #

¹ The king of England celebrated Our Lord’s Nativity at St Alban’s. A naval force of the king of England, bound for Gascony, sailed from Plympton in Cornwall on St Stephen’s Day [26 December], under the command of Lords Edmund, the king’s brother, and H. de Lacy, earl of Lincoln; and within eight days landed with great speed in Gascony. At the beginning of Lent [16 February], the king, after spending three days here at St Peter’s, continued his journey towards Scotland, intending to reduce his enemies to submission.

The End of the Third Continuation. #

Lists of Popes and Bishops, and Genealogies, prefixed to the Chronicle. #

The Names of the Popes. #

The Names of the Archbishops and Bishops of England. #

Kent. #

The Names of the Archbishops of the Church of Canterbury. #

¹ Augustine.

² Laurentius.

³ Mellitus.

⁴ Justus.

⁵ Honorius.

⁶ Deusdedit.

⁷ Theodore.

⁸ Berhtwald.

⁹ Tatwine.

¹⁰ Nothelm.

¹¹ Cuthbert.

¹² Breogwine.

¹³ Jainbert.

¹⁴ Ethelhard.

¹⁵ Wulfred.

¹⁶ Feologild.

¹⁷ Ceolnuth.

¹⁸ Ethered.

¹⁹ Plegmund

²⁰ Æthelm.

²¹ Wulfhelm.

²² Odo.

²³ Dunstan.

²⁴ Ethelgar.

²⁵ Sigerio.

²⁶ Alfric.

²⁷ Elphege.

²⁸ Living.

²⁹ Ethelnoth.

³⁰ Eadsi.

³¹ Robert.

³² Stigand.

³³ Lanfranc.

³⁴ Anselm.

³⁵ Ralph.

³⁶ William.

³⁷ Theobald.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Rochester. #

¹ Justus.

² Romanus.

³ Paulinus.

⁴ Ithamar.

⁵ Damianus.

⁶ Putta.

⁷ Cuichelm.

⁸ Gebmund.

⁹ Tobias.

¹⁰ Aldulf.

¹¹ Dunn.

¹² Eardulf.

¹³ Diora.

¹⁴ Wermund.

¹⁵ Beornmod.

¹⁶ Burhric.

¹⁷ Ælfstan.

¹⁸ Godwin.

¹⁹ Godwin.

²⁰ Siward.

²¹ Arnost.

²² Gundulf.

²³ Ralph. He succeeded Anselm in the archbishopric of Canterbury.

²⁴ Earwulf.

²⁵ John.

Kingdom of Essex. #

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of London. #

¹ Mellitus.

² Cedd.

³ Wine.

⁴ Erconwald.

⁵ Waldhere.

⁶ Inguald.

⁷ Ecgwulf.

⁸ Wighed.

⁹ Eadbriht.

¹⁰ Edgar.

¹¹ Coenwalch.

¹² Eadbald.

¹³ Heathoberht.

¹⁴ Osmund.

¹⁵ Ethelnoth.

¹⁶ Ceolberht.

¹⁷ Ceorulf.

¹⁸ Swithulf.

¹⁹ Heahstan.

²⁰ Wulfsy.

²¹ Ethelward.

²² Ealhstan.

²³ Theodred.

²⁴ Wulfstan.

²⁵ Brihthelm.

²⁶ Dunstan.

²⁷ Alfstan.

²⁸ Wulfstan.

²⁹ Alfhun.

³⁰ Alfwy.

³¹ Alfward.

³² Robert.

³³ William.

³⁴ Hugh.

³⁵ Maurice.

³⁶ Richard.

³⁷ Gilbert.

³⁸ Robert.

East-Anglia. #

¹ In the reign of Sigebert, the most Christian king of the East Angles, Bishop Felix, a native of Burgundy, converted the East Angles to the faith of Christ and, becoming their first bishop, established his episcopal see in the city of Dunwich.

The Names of the Bishops of the East-Angles. #

¹ Felix.

² Thomas.

³ Berhtgils, also called Boniface.

⁴ Bisi.

⁵ The Names of the Bishops of East-Anglia was afterwards divided into two dioceses.

⁶ Hunbyrht and Wilred were bishops of the East Angles in the reigns of Ludecan, king of Mercia, and Egbert, king of Wessex.

⁷ Athulf. He had the whole of East Anglia for his see in the time of King Edwy, as did his successors.

⁸ Alfric.

⁹ Theodred.

¹⁰ Theodred.

¹¹ Athelstan.

¹² Algar.

¹³ Alwin.

¹⁴ Ælfric.

¹⁵ Elfric.

¹⁶ Stigand; but he was quickly deposed, and in his place

¹⁷ Grimkytel was elected by bribery. He already held two sees, Sussex and East Anglia; but he was afterwards ejected, and

¹⁸ Stigand was restored.

¹⁹ Ægelmar, Stigand’s brother.

²⁰ Arfast.

²¹ William.

²² Herbert.

²³ Everard.

²⁴ William.

Sussex. #

¹ Wilfrid converted the South Saxons to the faith of Christ in the reign of King Ceonwalch, and exercised the functions of a bishop in those parts for five years. He also sent ministers of the Word to the Isle of Wight.

The Names of the Bishops of the South-Saxons. #

¹ Wilfrid.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Selsey. #

¹ Eadbert. He was abbot of the monastery of St. Wilfrid, the bishop; and afterwards, by decree of a synod, was appointed to succeed him as bishop of Sussex, which before belonged to the see of Winchester, of which Daniel was then bishop.

² Folla.

³ Sigga.

⁴ Aluberht.

⁵ Osa.

⁶ Gislhere.

⁷ Tota.

⁸ Wiothun.

⁹ Ethelwulf.

¹⁰ Cenred.

¹¹ Gutheard.

¹² Ælfred.

¹³ Eadhelm.

¹⁴ Ethelgar.

¹⁵ Ordbyrht.

¹⁶ Ælmar.

¹⁷ Ethelric.

¹⁸ Grimkytel.

¹⁹ Heca.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Chichester. #

¹ Stigand; who transferred the bishop’s seat from Selsey to Chichester.

² William.

³ Ralph.

⁴ Sigefrid.

Wessex. #

Surrey; Berkshire; Southampton [Hants]; Wiltshire; Dorsetshire; Somersetshire; Devonshire. #

¹ St Birinus was the first bishop of the West Saxons. He was sent to England by Pope Honorius and, on his arrival, having converted King Cynegils and his people to the faith and baptised them, became sole bishop of Wessex and established his episcopal see in the city of Dorchester.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Dorchester. #

¹ Birinus.

² Ægelberht.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Winchester. #

¹ Wine.

² In the time of Bishop Ægelberht, King Ceonwalch divided Wessex into two dioceses; Ægelberht was so grievously offended by this that he resigned his bishopric and returned to France, and Wine exercised episcopal functions in both dioceses; but, being shortly afterwards expelled from his see by the king, he received the bishopric of London.

³ Leutherius was sole bishop of the Gewisse.

⁴ Headdi.

⁵ Daniel.

⁶ Hunfrith.

⁷ Cynehard.

⁸ Ethelhard.

⁹ Ecgbald.

¹⁰ Dudd.

¹¹ Cyneberht.

¹² Alhmund.

¹³ Wigthein.

¹⁴ Herefrith.

¹⁵ Eadmund.

¹⁶ Helmstan.

¹⁷ Swithun.

¹⁸ Alhfrith.

¹⁹ Denewulf.

²⁰ Frithestan.

²¹ Byrnstan.

²² St Headdi [Chad] was sole bishop of the Gewisse. On his death, when Ina was king of Wessex, Berhtwald was archbishop of Canterbury and Ecgwin bishop of the Hwiccias, the bishopric [of Wessex] was divided into two dioceses, one of which was given to Daniel and the other to Aldhelm, a kinsman of King Ina.

²³ Elphege the Bald.

²⁴ Ælfsy.

²⁵ Ethelwald.

²⁶ Elphege the Martyr.

²⁷ Kenulf.

²⁸ Athelwold.

²⁹ Alfsy.

³⁰ Alfwine.

³¹ Stigand.

³² Walkelin.

³³ William.

³⁴ Henry.

³⁵ Edward the First, king of England, and Plegmund, archbishop of Canterbury, wisely determined to appoint a separate bishop for each tribe of the Gewisse and, by creating a bishopric for each, to divide what were then two dioceses into five. Having done this, Plegmund consecrated at Canterbury seven bishops for the seven churches in one day: namely, Frithestan to the church of Winchester; Athelstan to the church of Cornwall; Werstan to the church of Sherborne; Ethelhelm to the church of Wells; Eadulf to the church of Crediton; Bernethun for Sussex; and Kenulf to the city of Dorchester, for the Southern Mercians.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Sunning. #

¹ Athelstan.

² Odo. This holy man succeeded Wulfhelm in the archbishopric of Canterbury.

³ Osulf.

⁴ Alfstan.

⁵ Alfgar.

⁶ Sigeric.

⁷ Alfric.
Both these became archbishops of Canterbury.

⁸ Bryhtwold.

⁹ Hereman.
He united the bishopric of Sherborne, which he obtained from king Edward, with his original see, and fixed the episcopal seat of both dioceses at Sherborne; but during the reign of William I., by the authority of a synod and the king’s munificence, he transferred his see to Salisbury.

¹⁰ Osmund.

¹¹ Roger.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Sherborne. #

¹ Aldelm.

² St Aldhelm, a kinsman of Ina, the most loving king of the West Saxons, played the harp well; was a most excellent poet in both the Saxon and Latin languages; a skilful chanter; a learned doctor; an accomplished preacher; and a marvel of erudition in both sacred and profane literature. He was first a disciple of the learned Maildulf, and afterwards of Archbishop Theodore and Abbot Adrian, his coadjutor. While he was still abbot of Malmesbury, he wrote a famous book against the heresy of the Britons, the reading of which brought many of them over to the Catholic celebration of Easter. He also wrote several other works, for he was a man of universal learning.

³ Forthere.

⁴ Herewald.

⁵ Æthelmod.

⁶ Denefrith.

⁷ Wigberht.

⁸ Alhstan.

⁹ Heahmund.

¹⁰ Æthelheag.

¹¹ Alfsy.

¹² Asser.

¹³ Ethelward.

¹⁴ Werstan.

¹⁵ Ethelbald.

¹⁶ Sighelm.

¹⁷ Alfred.

¹⁸ Alfsy.

¹⁹ Alfwold.

²⁰ Ethelric.

²¹ Ethelsy.

²² Brihtwine.

²³ Ælmar.

²⁴ Byrhtwine.

²⁵ Ælfwold.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Wells. #

¹ Æthelm.

² Wulfhelm.
Both of these became archbishops of Canterbury.

³ Elphege.

⁴ Wulfhelm.

⁵ Brihthelm.

⁶ Cyneward.

⁷ Sigar.

⁸ Alfwine.

⁹ Living.

¹⁰ Ethelwine. He was previously abbot of Evesham.

¹¹ Byrhtwine.

¹² Byrhtwy.

¹³ Duduc, a native of Saxony.

¹⁴ Gisa.

¹⁵ John.

¹⁶ Godfrey.

¹⁷ Robert.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Crediton. #

¹ Eadulf.

² Ethelgar. He succeeded St. Dunstan in the archbishopric.

³ Alfwold.

⁴ Sideman.

⁵ Alfric.

⁶ Alfwold.

⁷ Alfwold.

⁸ Eadnoth.

⁹ Living. On the death of his uncle Brihtwald, he united the bishoprics of Cornwall and Devon, by permission of king Edward.

¹⁰ Leofric.

¹¹ Osbern.

¹² William.

Hecana. #

The Names of the Bishops of the Magesætas, or people of Herefordshire. #

¹ Putta.

² Tyrhtel.

³ Torhthere.

⁴ Wahlstod.

⁵ Cuthbert.

⁶ Podda.

⁷ Ecca.

⁸ Ceadda.

⁹ Aldberht.

¹⁰ Esne.

¹¹ Ceolmund.

¹² Utel.

¹³ Wulfhard.

¹⁴ Beonna.

¹⁵ Eadulf.

¹⁶ Cuthwulf.

¹⁷ Mucel.

¹⁸ Deorlaf.

¹⁹ Cynemund.

²⁰ Eadgar.

²¹ Tidhelm.

²² Wulfhelm.

²³ Alfric.

²⁴ Athulf.

²⁵ Athelstan.

²⁶ Leovegar.

²⁷ Walter.

²⁸ Robert.

²⁹ Gerard.

³⁰ Reignelm.

³¹ Geoffrey.

³² Richard.

³³ Robert.

Hwicci. #

How a Bishop’s see was first established at Worcester. #

¹ Wulfar, the illustrious king of Mercia, the first of the Mercian kings to embrace the faith of Christ, having been succeeded by his brother, the glorious King St Ethelred, Oshere, sub-king of the Hwiccias and a most praiseworthy man, desired that Hwiccia, which he governed with royal authority, should have the honour and dignity of possessing a bishop of its own. He therefore gave him [Ethelred] sound advice, adding his own earnest request that he would increase the splendour and exalt the dignity of his kingdom [Mercia], which then held the first rank among the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, by increasing the number of its bishops, as he knew that some kings of England had formerly done in similar circumstances. The king, having already conceived an ardent desire to do the very same thing, readily yielded to his requests and good counsel and, sending for Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury, asked him to divide the kingdom into a greater number of dioceses and appoint bishops in suitable places.

² The archbishop, heartily approving the king’s excellent design, lost no time in putting it into effect; so that in the year of Our Lord 701, according to the Gospel, but in the year 679 according to Dionysius, whose erroneous calculation is still followed by Holy Church, he, with the consent of the king and his nobles, divided the bishopric of which Saxwulf had episcopal charge into five dioceses.

³ Inasmuch, therefore, as the city of Worcester had been, in the times when the Britons and afterwards the Romans were masters of Britain, and still was, the well-known capital of the Hwiccias or Magasætas, he very properly established the seat of a bishop in that city, making Hwiccia the first of the newly divided dioceses. Tatfrith, a man distinguished for his vigour of mind and profound learning, was taken from the monastery of the abbess Hilda and chosen as bishop; but he was carried off by a premature death before he could be ordained.

⁴ II. The second diocese was that belonging to the see of Litchfield, of which Cuthwine, a religious and modest man, was made bishop.

⁵ III. The third included Mid-Anglia, which the same bishop Saxwulf chose for his own see, establishing his episcopal seat in the city of Leicester.

⁶ IV. The fourth included the province of Lindsey, over which the archbishop placed Ethelwine, a holy man and brother of St Aldwin, abbot of the monastery called Parteney, and established the city called Sidnacester as the seat of his bishopric.

⁷ V. South-Anglia was the fifth of the new dioceses, to which he appointed as bishop Eata, a man of exceptional worth and sanctity, from the monastery of the abbess Hilda already mentioned, and appointed the town of Dorchester as the seat of his bishopric.

⁸ Further, Bosel, a venerable man, was chosen to take the place of Tatfrith; and, having been ordained bishop by Archbishop Theodore at the same time as the others, established his episcopal see in the same city of Worcester, which was at that time surrounded by lofty walls and adorned with noble fortifications, surpassing many other cities in beauty and grandeur.

The Names of the Bishops of the Hwiccias. #

¹ Bosel.

² Oftfor.

³ Ecgwine.

⁴ Wilfrid.

⁵ Milred.

⁶ Wermund.

⁷ Tilhere.

⁸ Heathored.

⁹ Deneberht.

¹⁰ Heaberht.

¹¹ Alhwine.

¹² Wereferth.

¹³ Ethelhun.

¹⁴ Wilferht.

¹⁵ Kinewold.

¹⁶ Dunstan.

¹⁷ Oswald.

¹⁸ Aldulf.

¹⁹ Wulfstan.

²⁰ Leofsy.

²¹ Brihteag.

²² Living.

²³ Aldred.

²⁴ Wulfstan.

²⁵ Samson.

²⁶ Teowulf.

²⁷ Simon.

²⁸ John.

Mercia. #

The First Bishops among the Mercians and in the Adjoining Districts. #

¹ When Penda, the heathen king of the Mercians, was slain, and Oswy, the Christian king, occupied his kingdom, converting the people of Mercia and the neighbouring provinces to the faith of Christ, in the year of Our Lord 656, Diuma was made the first bishop of the Mercians, the Mid-Angles, the Lindisfari, and the neighbouring districts; the second was Ceollach (both of these were Scots); the third was Trumhere, the first bishop under King Wulfhere; Jaruman was the fourth; the fifth was Ceadda, whose episcopal see was established at a place called Licetfeld (Litchfield), which was made their seat by all subsequent bishops of that province; the sixth was Winfrid; and the seventh was Saxwulf. The last five were Englishmen.

² Diuma.

³ Ceollah.

⁴ Trumhere.

⁵ Jaruman.

The Names of the Bishops of Litchfield. #

¹ Ceadda.

² Winfrid.

³ Saxulf.
After Saxulf, the province of Mercia had two bishops, Headda and Wilfrid.

⁴ Headda.

⁵ Aldwin, who was also bishop of Worcester.
The province was now divided again into two dioceses.

⁶ Huita.

⁷ Hemele.

⁸ Cuthfrith.

⁹ Berhtun.

¹⁰ Higberht.

¹¹ Aldulf.

¹² Herewine.

¹³ Ethelwald.

¹⁴ Hunberht.

¹⁵ Cyneferht.

¹⁶ Tunberht. He held the see in the time of Burhred king of Mercia, and Alfred king of Wessex.

¹⁷ Alfgar.

¹⁸ Cynsy.

¹⁹ Wynsy.

²⁰ Eelfeg.

²¹ Godwin.

²² Leofgar.

²³ Brihtmar.

²⁴ Wulsy.

²⁵ Leofwine.

²⁶ Peter.

²⁷ Robert of Limesey.

²⁸ Robert Peche.

²⁹ Roger de Clinton.

³⁰ Walter.

Mid-Anglia. #

The Names of the Bishops of Leicester. #

¹ Cuthwine.

² Wilfrid.

³ Aldwin.

⁴ Wilfrid, bishop of Hexham, having been expelled from his bishopric, received the see of Leicester from King Ethelred; but he was soon afterwards ejected, and Headda governed both dioceses. Aldwin, his successor, also held both sees.

⁵ Totta.

⁶ Eadberht.

⁷ Unwona.

⁸ Werenberht.

⁹ Rethune.

¹⁰ Aldred.

¹¹ Ceolred. He was bishop in the time of Burhred king of Mercia, and Alfred king of Wessex.

¹² Leofwine. He governed the united dioceses of Leicester and the Lindisfari, in the reign of Edgar, king of England.

¹³ Ælnoth.

¹⁴ Æscwy. He assisted St. Oswald by his ministration when he consecrated the monastery of Ramsey, which had been built from the foundation by him and Ethelwine, ealdorman of East-Anglia.

¹⁵ Alfhelm.

¹⁶ Eadnoth.

¹⁷ Ætheric.

¹⁸ Eadnoth.

¹⁹ Ulf. He was speedily ejected.

²⁰ Wulfwy.

²¹ Remigius. He transferred the see to Lincoln.

²² Robert.

²³ Alexander.

²⁴ Robert.

Lindsey. #

¹ Ecgfrid, king of the Northumbrians, having defeated Wulfhere, king of Mercia, in battle, seized the province of Lindsey and expelled the bishop, Saxwulf, from it. In his place Eathed, a chaplain of King Ecgfrid, was ordained by Archbishop Theodore as the first separate bishop of that province, in the year of Our Lord 678. But when Ethelred, king of Mercia, recovered the province by the fortune of war in the following year, Eathed resigned his bishopric and returned to Northumbria, and was afterwards made bishop of Ripon by Archbishop Theodore. After his departure, King Ethelred, at the suggestion of Oshere, king of the Hwiccas, asked Archbishop Theodore to divide his kingdom into a greater number of dioceses and appoint bishops in suitable places. Heartily approving this design, he divided the bishopric of Saxwulf into five dioceses, to which he afterwards added a sixth.

The Names of the Bishops of the Lindisfari. #

¹ Eathed.

² Ethelwine.

³ Eadgar.

⁴ Cynebyrht.

⁵ Alowioch.

⁶ Ealdulf.

⁷ Ceolwulf.

⁸ Ealdulf.

⁹ Brihtred. He was bishop in the time of Burhred king of Mercia, and Alfred king of Wessex.

Deira. #

The Names of the Archbishops and Bishops of the Northumbrians. #

Of St. Paulinus. #

¹ Paulinus, a man beloved of God, who was ordained bishop by Archbishop Justus, having converted Edwin, king of the Northumbrians, and all his people to the faith of Christ, had York appointed as his episcopal see. But when the king was slain and the affairs of Northumbria were thrown into disorder, Paulinus returned to Kent and, being honourably received by Archbishop Honorius and King Eadbald, accepted at their invitation the bishopric of the church of Rochester, then vacant through the death of Romanus; there he died, leaving behind the pallium which he had received from Pope Honorius.

The Names of the Archbishops of York. #

¹ Paulinus.

² Ceadda. [Chad.].

³ St Chad, after governing the church of York for three years, retired to the supervision of his monastery of Lastingham, leaving Wilfrid to act as bishop not only of the church of York but also of the whole of the Northumbrians and the Picts. Wilfrid having been expelled by King Ecgfrid, two bishops were consecrated by Archbishop Theodore in his place: Bosa for the church of York, and Eata for the church of Hexham. Three years after Wilfrid’s resignation, he added two more bishops: Eata for Lindisfarne, Tunberht continuing at Hexham, and Trumwine for the province of the Picts. Eathed having returned from Lindsey, he made him bishop of Ripon. Tunberht having been deposed, Eata returned to the see of Hexham, and Cuthbert was appointed to the church of Lindisfarne. After a long exile, Wilfrid was received again as bishop of Hexham. On the death of Bosa, he was succeeded at York by John.

⁴ Bosa.

⁵ John.

⁶ Wilfrid.

⁷ Egbert.

⁸ Coëna.

⁹ Eanbald.

¹⁰ Eanbald.

¹¹ Wulfsy.

¹² Wigmund.

¹³ Wulfhere.

¹⁴ Ethelbald.

¹⁵ Rodeward.

¹⁶ Wulfstan.

¹⁷ Oskytel.

¹⁸ Oswald.

¹⁹ Aldulf.

²⁰ Wulfstan.

²¹ Aelfric.

²² Kinsy.

²³ Aldred.

²⁴ Thomas.

²⁵ Gerard.

²⁶ Thomas.

²⁷ Thurstan.

The Names of the Bishops of Ripon. #

¹ Eathed.

The Names of the Bishops of Hexham. #

¹ Wilfrid.

² Eata.

³ Tunberht.

⁴ Eata.

⁵ John.

⁶ Wilfrid.

⁷ Acca.

⁸ Fritheberht.

⁹ Alhmund.

¹⁰ Tillberht.

¹¹ Ethelberht.

¹² Heardred.

¹³ Eanberht.

¹⁴ Tidferht.

Bernicia. #

Concerning Saint Aidan. #

¹ St Aidan, having been ordained and sent forth by the Scots, preached the word of faith in the provinces under the rule of King Oswald, and obtained from that king, at his request, a seat for a bishopric on the island of Lindisfarne. On his death, Finan, who was also ordained and sent by the Scots, was appointed bishop in his place; and on his death he was succeeded by Colman, who was likewise sent by the Scots. Colman having resigned the bishopric and returned to his own country, Tuda, another bishop of Scottish ordination, took his place in the see of Lindisfarne; and when he died, that bishopric was divided into two dioceses, Ceadda being ordained to the church of York and Wilfrid to the church of Hexham.

The Names of the Bishops of Lindisfarne. #

¹ Aidan.

² Finan.

³ Colman.

⁴ Tuda.

⁵ Eata.

⁶ Cuthberht.

⁷ Eadberht.

⁸ Eadferht.

⁹ Ethelwold.

¹⁰ Cynewulf.

¹¹ Higbald.

¹² Ecgbert.

¹³ Eardulf.

¹⁴ Cuthheard.

¹⁵ Tilred.

¹⁶ Wigred.

¹⁷ Uhtred.

¹⁸ Sexhelm.

¹⁹ Aldred.

²⁰ Alfsy.

²¹ Aldhun.

²² Eadmund.

²³ Edred.

²⁴ Æthelric.

²⁵ Æthelwine.

²⁶ Walchere.

²⁷ William.

The Territory of the Picts. #

The Names of the Bishops of Whitherne. #

¹ Trumwine.

² Pehthelm.

³ Frithewald.

⁴ Pehtwine.

⁵ Ethelbert.

⁶ Beadulph.

⁷ Heathored.

⁸

⁹

¹⁰

¹¹

¹²

¹³

¹⁴

¹⁵

¹⁶

¹⁷

¹⁸

On the Genealogy of the Kings of Kent. #

¹ The Anglo-Saxons, at the invitation of the Britons, came over to Britain in three ships in the time of the Emperor Marcian, under the pretence of defending the country, but in reality intending to subdue it. Hengist and Horsa were their first chiefs; Horsa was slain in battle by the Britons, but Hengist, having gained the victory, began to reign in the year of our Lord 455, and became the first English king of Kent.

² St Augustine, having been sent by Pope St Gregory, converted Ethelbert, king of Kent, to the faith of Christ in the year of our Lord 597, the thirty-fifth year of his reign. He built the church of the apostles SS Peter and Paul near the eastern side of the city of Canterbury, and enriched it with offerings of various kinds. He also erected the church of St Paul the Apostle in the city of London, and the church of St Andrew the Apostle in the city of Rochester. He gave many gifts to the bishops of both these churches, as well as to the archbishop of Canterbury, and also endowed them with lands and possessions for the use of their clergy.

³ His queen, Bertha, was the daughter of the king of the Franks; and their daughter St Ethelburga became the queen of Edwin, king of the Northumbrians, and built a monastery at a place called Limene, where she lies buried. Rigula, sister of King Ethelbert, was queen of the East Saxons and mother of St Sæberht, king of that province. King Ethelbert died in the fifty-sixth year of his reign and ascended to the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ His son Eadbald succeeded him and, striving to promote the welfare of the Church in all things to the best of his power, endeavoured to live in obedience to the divine commands. His queen, Emma, was the daughter of the king of the Franks; their daughter, St Eanswitha, lies buried at a place called Folcestan, and their son was the sub-king Eormenred, whose queen Oslava bore him four daughters and two sons—namely, St Ermenbeorg, who was the queen of Merewald, king of the West Angles, St Eormenburg, St Etheldryth, St Eormengith, and SS Ethelred and Ethelberht, martyrs, who suffered martyrdom at the house of Thunor, lieutenant of Egbert, king of Kent, by his command.

⁵ King Eadbald died in the twenty-fifth year of his reign and left his son Erconberht as his successor. He was the first of the English kings to order idols to be destroyed in his kingdom and the forty-day fast to be observed. His queen, St Sexburg, daughter of Anna, king of the East Angles, built a monastery for him in Sheppey. St Eorcongote, the daughter of King Erconberht and St Sexburg, was sent to France and served God to the end of her days under her maternal aunt St Ethelburg, in the monastery of Brie, where she lies buried. Their other daughter, St Eormengild, was the queen of Wulfhere, king of Mercia.

⁶ King Erconberht died in the twenty-fourth year of his reign, leaving his royal throne to his son Egbert, who died in the month of July, in the ninth year of his reign, and was succeeded in his kingdom by his brother Lothere. In the twelfth year of his reign, Lothere was wounded in a battle with the South Saxons, who had assembled under Eadric, Egbert’s son, to oppose him, and died in the month of February while his wounds were healing. Eadric, the son of his brother Egbert, succeeded to his kingdom and reigned for a year and a half; his brother Wihtred succeeded him and built the church of St Martin at Dover.

⁷ King Wihtred died in the thirty-fourth year of his reign, leaving his son Ethelbert as heir to his kingdom; and when Ethelbert died in the thirty-sixth year of his reign, he was succeeded by his brother Eadberht, surnamed Pren, who was seized and carried off into Mercia by Kenulf, king of the Mercians, when he ravaged Kent. Eadberht was succeeded by Cuthred, who died in the ninth year of his reign and was succeeded by Baldred. In the year of our Lord, according to Dionysius, 823, Baldred was expelled from his kingdom by Egbert, king of the West Saxons. Up to this time, for three hundred and sixty-eight years, the kingdom of Kent had been independent, but afterwards it was subject to the dominion of Wessex.

The Origin of the East-Anglian Kings. #

¹ The kingdom of East Anglia arose after that of Kent and before that of Sussex. It was ruled by powerful kings, but Redwald was more powerful than any of the others; for all the southern provinces of the Angles and Saxons, as far as the River Humber, together with their kings, were subject to him. He slew Ethelfrith, king of Deira and Bernicia, in a battle in which his own son Reinhere was killed, and helped Edwin, son of Ella, to secure the throne. His other son, Eorpwald, succeeded him in the kingdom [of East Anglia] and, at King Edwin’s urging, received the faith of Christ together with all his people. Soon afterwards he was slain in battle by a heathen named Rigbert and was succeeded by Sigebert, his brother on his mother’s side. Sigebert gave possessions to St Fursey, who came to him from Ireland, and assigned him a site for building a monastery in a certain fortress called Cnobbheres-burh in the English tongue. Afterwards, abdicating his kingdom for love of the kingdom of heaven, he gave it up to his cousin Ecgrig and became a monk in the monastery he had founded. A long time afterwards he was reluctantly persuaded to be present at a battle against Penda, king of Mercia, in order to encourage the troops; but, mindful of his profession and carrying only a staff in his hand, he was slain together with King Ecgrig.

² Anna, son of Eni, who was the brother of Redwald, succeeded them as king; and his daughter St Sexburg was married to Erconberht, king of Kent. Another daughter, St Ethelburg, became abbess of the monastery of Brie in France. The third, St Etheldrith, was first queen of the Northumbrians and afterwards abbess of Ely. The fourth, St Wihtburg, was a nun in the same monastery. Their father Anna, having been slain by Penda, king of Mercia, left his brother Ethelhere as heir to his kingdom. By his queen St Hereswith, sister of the abbess Hilda, he had two sons, Aldulf and Alfwold. He was slain in a battle between Oswy and King Penda; his brother Ethelwold succeeded him, and at his death Aldulf became king and reigned for several years. After Aldulf’s death, his brother Alfwold succeeded to the government of the kingdom.

³ During the reign of Offa, king of the Mercians, Beorna reigned in East Anglia, and after him Ethelred, whose son, St Ethelberht, was born to him by his queen Leofruna. He held the kingdom of East Anglia for only a short time after his father, for he was slain without cause by Offa, king of Mercia, in time of peace. Thereafter, for sixty-one years, very few powerful kings reigned in East Anglia, until St Edmund, the last of them, ascended the throne; and he was martyred in the sixteenth year of his reign by the heathen king Hinguar.

⁴ From that time the Anglo-Saxons ceased to reign in East Anglia for nearly fifty years. For fully nine years it had no king at all, being abandoned to the ravages and utter devastation of the pagan Danes, who at that time tried to reduce the whole of England to subjection. After this, the Danish king Guthrum reigned there, and over nearly all Essex, for twelve years; and then Eohric, who was slain in battle by the English, reigned for fourteen years. Subsequently, both provinces were under the oppressive yoke of Danish earls until King Edward the Elder, after slaying many of them and driving others overseas, accepted the submission of the rest and annexed both kingdoms to that of Wessex.

Essex. #

¹ Like the kingdom of East Anglia, the kingdom of Essex was also founded after the kingdom of Kent; and the kings of Essex were nearly always subject to other kings, most commonly and for the longest periods to those of Mercia. Before the time of Sæbert, the nephew of Ethelbert, king of Kent, through his sister Rigula, they were devoted to the worship of devils; but he was the first to embrace the word of truth through the preaching of Mellitus, which his people then also received. On passing to the heavenly kingdom, he left his sons, Sexred and Saward, who persisted in idolatry, as heirs to his earthly kingdom. They were shortly afterwards killed in battle by the West Saxons and were succeeded by Sigebert, surnamed the Little, son of Sæward; and on his death, Sigebert, son of Sigebald, succeeded to the government of the kingdom. At the exhortation of Oswy, king of Northumbria, he believed in Christ and was baptised by Bishop Finan in Northumbria; and during his reign the East Saxons, through the preaching of St Cedd the bishop, returned to the faith from which they had departed.

² A long time afterwards he was slain by his own kinsmen because, in obedience to the precepts of the Gospel, he was too ready to pardon his enemies [Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27-28] and bore with equanimity the injuries he received from them. He was succeeded by his brother Swithelm, who was baptised by Cedd himself in East Anglia; and after his death, Sebbi, son of Seward, son of St Sebert the king, and Sighere, son of King Sigebert the Little, took the reins of government. After Sighere’s death, Sebbi became sole king; but in the thirtieth year of his reign he received the monastic habit at the hands of Waldhere, bishop of London, and, dying soon afterwards, passed to the heavenly kingdom. His sons, Sigheard and Swefred, reigned in his place; and after their death Offa, son of Sighere, was raised to the throne. In the prime of youth and beauty, when his people had cherished high hopes that he would long hold and maintain the sceptre of the kingdom, he left his country and kingdom for the Gospel’s sake [Mark 10:29], at the exhortation and persuasion of his beloved St Kineswith, daughter of Penda, king of Mercia, and, together with Cenred, king of the Mercians, and Ecgwine, bishop of the Hwiccias, went to Rome, where he received the tonsure and, ending his days in the monastic habit, attained to the vision of the blessed apostles which he had long desired. He was succeeded in his kingdom by Selred, son of King Sigebert; and when Selred was slain in the thirty-eighth year of his reign, Swithred ascended the throne and held it for several years.

³ After his death, the kingdom of Essex had very few kings of its own; for in the same year in which the kingdom of Kent came to an end, the East Saxons, together with the Kentishmen and the South Saxons, voluntarily submitted to Egbert, the powerful king of Wessex, and [the East Saxons] remained subject to his rule until the Danish king Guthrum reduced them to subjection. London, however, together with the adjacent territory, remained under the rule of the kings of Mercia for as long as they continued to reign.

Mercia. #

¹ Next after the kingdom of Kent came the establishment of the kingdom of the Mercians, who, while they and their kings remained sunk in idolatry for many years, gradually extended the frontiers of their kingdom. Penda, who began his reign in the year of our Lord 626, according to the reckoning of Dionysius, enlarged it beyond any of his predecessors; for he slew in battle two kings of Northumbria, St Edwin and St Oswald, and three kings of East Anglia, namely, St Sigebert, Ecgrig, and Anna. His queen, Cyneswith, bore him five sons, namely, Peada, Wulfhere, St Ethelred, St Merewald, and St Mercelm; and two daughters, St Cyneburg and St Cyneswith. He reigned for not quite thirty years. Oswy, king of Northumbria, slew him in battle together with thirty of his chiefs and brought his kingdom under his own dominion. But he gave the kingdom of the East Mercians to Peada, Penda’s son, who, having been entrusted by his father with the government of the Mid-Angles, was baptised in Northumbria by Bishop Finan; for Peada was related to him by marriage, having married his daughter Ahlfieda. Peada, however, was foully slain in the first year of his reign.

² Three years after the death of King Penda, the Mercian chiefs raised his son Wulfhere to the throne, bravely recovering their independence and territories. He was the first of the kings of Mercia to receive the washing of regeneration [Titus 3:5]; and he married St Eormengild, daughter of Erconberht, king of Kent, and his queen St Sexberg, and by her had Cenred and Werburg, a most holy virgin. His brother, St Merewald, king of the West-Hecanas, married St Eormenbeorg, daughter of the sub-king Eormenred, brother of King Erconberht, and by her had three daughters, namely, St Mildburg, St Mildryth, and St Mildgith; and one son, St Merefin. On his death, his brother Mercelm reigned in his place. Their sister Cyneburg was married to Alfrid, king of Northumbria. Withdrawing from marital relations for the love of God, she became a nun in the monastery founded by her brothers, Wulfhere and Ethelred, which was named after her, Cyneburg’s Castle; her sister Cyneswith also became a nun in the same monastery.

³ King Wulfhere died in the seventeenth year of his reign and was succeeded by his brother St Ethelred, who married Ostrith, sister of Ecgfrid, king of Northumbria, by whom he had a son named Ceolred. Ethelred became a monk in the thirtieth year of his reign and resigned his kingdom to his nephew Cenred, who, withdrawing from secular affairs, went to Rome and there ended his days in the monastic habit. He was succeeded by Ceolred, son of his uncle Ethelred, who died in the ninth year of his reign. Ethelbald, son of Alwig, who was the son of Eowa, King Penda’s brother, succeeded Ceolred. The tyrant Beornred slew him at Secges-wald in the forty-first year of his reign and usurped his kingdom; his body was carried to Repton and buried with royal honours. In the same year his cousin Offa, nephew of Eanwulf and son of Thingferht, slew Beornred, the usurper of his kingdom, in battle and reigned in his place. His queen Cynethrith bore him two daughters, namely, Eadburg, who married Brihtric, king of Wessex, and Elfryth, who remained a virgin; and one son, Ecgferht. He died in the thirty-ninth year of his reign and was succeeded by his son Ecgferht, who died in the same year.

⁴ Ecgferht was succeeded by the illustrious Kenulf, son of Cuthbert, who was a grandson in the third degree of King Pybba. His queen Alfrith bore him two daughters, Quendryth and Burgenild, and St Kenelm. He died in the twenty-fourth year of his reign, was buried at Winchcomb, and left his son St Kenelm as heir to his kingdom; but Kenelm was murdered in the same year through the intrigues of his sister Quendryth. His uncle Ceolwulf succeeded him, but two years later he was expelled from the kingdom and Beornwulf was raised to the throne. After two years Beornwulf was slain in battle by the East Angles. His kinsman Ludican succeeded him, but two years later was slain by the East Angles while attempting to avenge his predecessor.

⁵ Wiglaf succeeded Ludican in the kingdom. His queen Cynethryth bore him a son named Wigmund, who by Elfdeda, daughter of Ceolwulf, king of Mercia, had St Wistan. King Wiglaf died in the thirteenth year of his reign and was buried at Repton; Beorhtwulf succeeded him. His queen, Sæthryth, bore him a son named Berhtferht, who slew St Wistan. Wistan’s body was carried to Repton, a monastery famous at that time, and buried in the tomb of his grandfather, King Wiglaf. Heavenly miracles were not lacking at his martyrdom, for a column of light rose from the place where he was murdered up to heaven and remained visible to all the inhabitants of the place for thirty days.

⁶ King Beorhtwulf died in the thirteenth year of his reign and was succeeded by Burhred, who married Ethelswitha, daughter of Ethelwulf, king of Wessex. He was driven from his kingdom in the twenty-second year of his reign by an army of pagan Danes and soon afterwards went to Rome, where he did not long survive, and lies buried in St Mary’s Church in the Saxon School. In the same year that Burhred was driven from his kingdom, the pagan Danes placed the government of Mercia in the hands of his thane, Ceolwulf, for a time; but after three years they divided part of it among themselves and gave part to him, allowing him to reign there. He was the last of the Mercian kings. After his death, Alfred, king of Wessex, in order to rid his country entirely of the army of pagan Danes, recovered London and the surrounding districts by his valour and gained possession of that part of the kingdom of Mercia which Ceolwulf had held.

The Origin of the Kings of Bernicia. #

¹ In the year of our Lord 547, according to Dionysius, Ida, son of Eoppa, a very valiant chief, began to reign in Bernicia. He had six sons by his queen, namely, Adda, Bealric, Theodore, Ethelric, Osmere, and Theodhere; and six by his concubines, Occa, Alric, Ecca, Oswald, Sogor, and Sogothere. He reigned for twelve years, and his eldest son Adda succeeded him.

The Origin of the Kings of Deira. #

¹ In the year of our Lord 559, according to Dionysius, Œlla, son of Yffi, a very powerful chief, began to reign in Deira, which he ruled for nearly thirty years. Meanwhile, the following kings reigned in Bernicia during Œlla’s lifetime: Adda, the eldest son of Ida, for seven years; Theodoric, for seven years; and Ethelric, for two years. On his death, Œlla expelled his son Edwin from the kingdom in the third year of his reign and reigned over both provinces for five years. On his death, his son Ethelfrid assumed the government. His queen Acha, daughter of Œlla, bore him seven sons: Eanfrith, Oslaf, Oslac, St King Oswald, St King Oswy, Offa, and Oswudu; and one daughter, the abbess St Ebbe. His brother Theobald was slain in the battle in which he defeated Aidan, king of the Scots. Ethelfrid himself also fell in a battle with Redwald, king of East Anglia, in the twenty-fourth year of his reign, and was succeeded by St Edwin, son of Œlla.

² While Edwin was in exile, two sons were born to him by Quenburg, daughter of Creoda, king of Mercia, namely, Osfrith and Eadfrith. Hereric was the son of Eadfrith, and by Beorhtswith he had two daughters: the abbess St Hilda, foundress of the monastery called Streoneshalh, and St Hereswith, queen of the East Angles. Edwin also had two sons by his queen St Ethelburg, daughter of Ethelbert, king of Kent, namely, St Ethelhun and St Wuscfrea; and two daughters, St Eanflede and St Etheldrith. He was slain in the seventeenth year of his reign and the forty-eighth year of his age, together with his son Osfrith, by Penda, the pagan king of Mercia, and Ceadwalla, the barbarian king of the Welsh.

³ Edwin was succeeded by St Oswald, son of his predecessor Ethelfrid and his sister Acha. St Oswald was slain in the ninth year of his reign by Penda, king of Mercia, mentioned above, and was succeeded by his brother Oswy. In the second year of King Oswy’s reign, St Oswine, son of Osric, who was the son of Alfric, uncle of King Edwin, began to reign over the Deiri and was slain in the seventh year of his reign. Oswald, son of King Oswald, succeeded him. King Oswy had two sons by his queen Eanflede, daughter of King Edwin, namely, Ecgfrid and Elfwine; and three daughters, including Osthryth, who married Peada, king of the East Mercians, and Alfrede, who was devoted to God by her father after his victory in which King Penda was slain. Oswy reigned for three years over the Mercians and the other peoples of the southern provinces. At his death, in the twenty-eighth year of his reign, he left his son Ecgfrid as heir to his kingdom. Ecgfrid was slain by the Picts in the fifteenth year of his reign and was succeeded by his brother Ahlfrid, who died in the twentieth year of his reign and was succeeded by his son Osred, who was slain in the eleventh year of his reign. Osred was succeeded by Kenred, son of Cuthwine, great-grandson of King Ida, who died two years later, whereupon Osric was raised to the throne. He died in the eleventh year of his reign, and Ceolwulf, his predecessor’s brother, succeeded him. In the ninth year of Ceolwulf’s reign, he became a monk, resigning the government of the kingdom to his nephew Eadbriht, son of Eata. Eadbriht became a monk in the nineteenth year of his reign, and his son Oswulf was appointed king; but he was slain by the Northumbrians after reigning for one year. Moll Ethelwold succeeded him, but abdicated the government in the seventh year of his reign, and Alhred, son of Eanwin, a descendant of King Ida in the third generation, succeeded to the throne. The Northumbrians expelled him from the kingdom in the ninth year of his reign and raised to the throne Ethelred, also called Ethelbert, son of Moll. The Northumbrians also deposed him in the fifth year of his reign and made Alfwold king. Alfwold was foully slain by a very powerful man named Sigan, and was succeeded by his nephew Osred, son of Alhred. After a year had passed, Osred too was driven from the kingdom by the Northumbrians, who recalled King Ethelbert, whom they had previously deposed, to the throne. After he was murdered by those around him, Osbald took possession of the throne, but held it for only a few days and was succeeded by Eardulf, who reigned for one year.

⁴ For seventy-six years from that time, Northumbria was governed in part by kings, the last of whom were Osbryht and Ella, who, in the year 867, according to the reckoning of Dionysius, were slain at York, together with the flower of the Northumbrian youth, by pagans consisting of Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, Goths, and people of other nations. From that year, the English kings who had ruled Northumbria for three hundred and twenty-one years ceased to reign there for fifty-one years. Indeed, for eight years they had no king at all, being crushed, plundered, and enslaved by the pagans just mentioned; for during that period, St Edmund, king of East Anglia, was slain, Burhred, king of Mercia, was driven overseas, and their kingdoms were subjugated, while Alfred, king of Wessex, was nearly ruined and the greater part of his kingdom occupied. The Danes incessantly overran England sailed around its coasts, burning monasteries with their monks and churches with their clergy, putting cities, towns, castles, and vills to the flames, laying waste the lands, and slaughtering multitudes of the people. Nor is this surprising, for so powerful and numerous an army had never landed in England before or afterwards. It was led by eight kings, namely, Bagseg, Halfdene, Hinguar, Hubba, Guthrum, Oskytel, Amund, and Eowils, and by more than twenty earls, and was well furnished with arms of every kind. In the ninth year after Osbryht and Ella fell, the pagan kings Halfdene and Eowils began to reign in Northumbria and reigned for twenty-six years. After they were slain by the English, Reignald was king for ten years, and Sihtric reigned for a few years.

⁵ On Sihtric’s death, his son Guthferth assumed the government, but shortly afterwards the powerful and glorious King Athelstan drove him out of his kingdom; and in the year of our Lord 926, according to Dionysius, being the 447th year from the arrival of the English in Britain, Athelstan, the first of the Anglo-Saxons to do so, obtained the monarchy of all England, having the king of the Scots and the Welsh kings as his tributaries, reigned as sole king over the whole of England.

The Genealogy of the Kings of Wessex. #

¹ In the year of our Lord 519, according to Dionysius, Cerdic and his son Cynric, as we find in the English Chronicle, began to reign in Wessex; and in the sixteenth year of his reign, Cerdic died and Cynric became sole king. He died in the thirty-sixth year of his reign and was succeeded by his son Ceaulin, who reigned for thirty-three years. Ceol, the son of his brother Cuthwulf, who two years earlier had been appointed king under him, ungratefully rebelled against him and, driving him from his kingdom, reigned in his place for five years. After his death, Ceolwulf, son of Cutha, became king; he died in the fourteenth year of his reign and was succeeded by Cynegils, son of his brother Ceol, who, in the twenty-fourth year of his reign, was the first of the kings of Wessex to receive Christian baptism, together with his people, at the hands of St Birinus, the bishop. His son, King Cuichelm, died the following year, having been baptised by the same bishop.

² King Cynegils died in the thirty-first year of his reign, and his son Cenwalch succeeded to the government of the kingdom. He was baptised in East Anglia by St Felix, the bishop, and built the church at Winchester in which the bishop’s seat is situated. He died in the thirty-sixth year of his reign, and his wife Sexburg reigned for one year after him. Then Cenfus reigned for two years, as King Alfred states, but according to the English Chronicle his son Œscwine reigned for nearly three years. He was succeeded by Centwine, son of King Cynegils, who died in the eighth year of his reign. He was succeeded by Ceadwall, son of Cenbriht, great-grandson of King Ceaulin, and after him Ina, son of the sub-king Cenred, who was the grandson of a grandson of King Ceaulin, governed the kingdom and built Glastonbury. His brother’s name was Ingels, and he had two sisters, St Cuthburg and St Quenburg.

³ Ina was succeeded in the kingdom by Ethelhard, who was of the lineage of King Cerdic. He died in the fourteenth year of his reign and was succeeded by his kinsman Cuthred. Sigeberht, son of the sub-king Sigeric, then ascended the throne and reigned for one year; but Cynewulf, a descendant of King Cerdic, drove him out and reigned in his place. The etheling Cynehard, son of Sigeric and brother of Sigeberht, slew Cynewulf in the thirtieth year of his reign, and Brihtric, one of the descendants of King Cerdic, succeeded him. Brihtric died in the fifteenth year of his reign and was succeeded by Egbert, son of Alhmund the sub-king, a great-grandson of King Ina. Egbert died in the thirty-seventh year of his reign and was succeeded by his son Ethelwulf.

⁴ Among his other good deeds, King Ethelwulf ordered that three hundred mancuses should be sent to Rome every year, of which one hundred were to be used in honour of St Peter to purchase oil for filling all the lamps of that church on the eve of Easter and also at cock-crow; one hundred in honour of St Paul, in the same manner; and one hundred mancuses for the catholic and apostolic pope. He released a tenth part of his whole kingdom from all royal service and tribute and offered it to the One and Triune God for the redemption of his own soul and those of his predecessors. After his death and burial at Winchester, his son Ethelbald succeeded to the kingdom and died in the third year of his reign. His brother Ethelbert succeeded him and reigned for five years. After him, his brother Ethelred reigned for eight years; during his reign, Ella and Osbryht, the kings of Northumbria, and St Edmund, king of East Anglia, were slain by the pagan Danes, who took possession of their kingdoms. On the death of Ethelred, his brother Alfred began to reign. He was the most accomplished of the Saxon poets, most vigilant in the service of God, and most discerning in reviewing judicial proceedings. His queen Elswitha bore him two sons, Edward and Ethelward, and three daughters, Ethelfleda, Lady of the Mercians, Ethelgeova, a nun, and Eifthryth. In the third year of his reign, Burhred, king of Mercia, was driven from his kingdom by the aforementioned Danes.

⁵ King Alfred died in the twenty-ninth year of his reign and was succeeded by his son Edward, whose queen Edgiva bore him three sons, Edwin, Edmund, and Edred, together with St Edburga and three other daughters; of these, Otho, emperor of the Romans, married one, Charles, king of the Western Franks, another, and Sihtric, king of Northumbria, the third. His eldest son Athelstan was by Ecgwin, a lady of very noble birth. He reigned over all the provinces of England as far as the River Humber and received the submission first of the Welsh kings and afterwards of the kings of the Scots, the Northumbrians, and the Strathclyde Britons. On the death of King Edward, his son Athelstan succeeded to the throne, and after him reigned his brother Edmund, who had by his queen St Elfgiva two sons, Edwy and Edgar. Edmund having been brutally murdered, his brother Edred succeeded to the kingdom in his place and died in the tenth year of his reign. Edwy, son of his brother Edmund, was the next king and, dying in the fourth year of his reign, was succeeded by his brother Edgar, then sixteen years of age. By Eneda, a lady of noble birth, he had St Edward; by St Wulfthryth, St Edgith; and by his queen Elfthryth, two sons, Edmund and Ethelred. In the fourth year of his reign, by his order, St Ethelwold expelled the canons from the Old Minster at Winchester, and in the tenth year of his reign St Oswald expelled them from Worcester, and monks were installed in their place. Edgar died in the thirty-second year of his age and the sixteenth of his reign, leaving [his son] Edward as heir to his kingdom. Edward was slain by order of his stepmother Elfthryth in the third year of his reign and was succeeded in the kingdom by his brother Ethelred. By Elfgiva, daughter of Ethelbert the ealdorman, he had three sons, Edmund, Edwin, and Ethelstan, and one daughter, Edgitha. By Emma, daughter of Richard, earl of Normandy, he had two sons, Alfred and Edward.

⁶ Ethelred died in the thirty-ninth year of his reign and was succeeded by his son Edmund, who had two sons by a lady of noble birth, Edmund and Edward; but he died the same year through the treachery of Edric Streon. After his death, Canute, son of Sweyn, king of Denmark, who had invaded England with a powerful fleet seven months before King Ethelred’s death, seized the reins of government and sent the sons of King Edmund into exile. One of these, Edmund, died in Hungary at an early age; but Edward married Agatha, daughter of the Emperor Henry III, by whom he had Margaret, queen of Scots, Christiana, a nun, and Edgar the etheling. King Canute died in the nineteenth year of his reign, having made Hardicanute, his son by Queen Emma, king of Denmark. Harold, his son by Elfgiva of Hampshire, succeeded him in England died five years after his father’s death. He was succeeded by his brother Hardicanute, who died in the third year of his reign and was succeeded by Edward, son of King Ethelred and his brother on his mother’s side.

⁷ Edward, king of England, died in the twenty-third year of his reign. By his choice and gift, he was succeeded by Earl Harold, son of Godwin, earl of Wessex, by Githa, sister of Sweyn, king of Denmark and father of St Canute the martyr. Harold had a son named Harold by his queen Aldgitha, daughter of Earl Algar. In the same year he fell in battle against William, earl of Normandy, who succeeded him in the kingdom. William had three sons by his queen Matilda, namely, Robert, William, and Henry. He died in Normandy in the twenty-second year of his reign. He was succeeded by his son William, who died without issue in the thirteenth year of his reign in the province of the Jutes, after being struck by an arrow in the New Forest. He was succeeded in the kingdom by his youngest brother Henry.

The Printed Editions Have the Following Addition. #

¹ By his queen Matilda, he [Henry] had a son named William and a daughter named Matilda, who was first empress of the Romans and afterwards countess of Anjou.

The L. Manuscript Contains This Further Addition. #

¹ Having succeeded to the throne, he took as his wife Matilda, daughter of Malcolm, king of the Scots, by his queen Margaret. She conceived and bore him a son named William and a daughter, Matilda, who in due course was married to Henry, emperor of Germany. When his son was scarcely an adult, the king arranged a marriage for him with the daughter of Fulk, count of Anjou. Returning to England with his father and many nobles of both kingdoms, he was shipwrecked and drowned, together with all who had embarked in his company, not because the sea was tempestuous, but through the sheer negligence of the sailors. On hearing this, the king was greatly troubled. After the emperor’s death, he recalled his daughter from Germany and caused her to remain at his own court. On the death of his wife, the queen, he married another, namely, Adeliza, daughter of G[odrey], duke of Lorraine; and declared his daughter Matilda successor to the throne by right of inheritance if he should have no son and heir by Adeliza. All the barons of England confirmed this by their oaths at London.

² Meanwhile, discord arising, as it often did, between the king and the count of Anjou, the king, being a lover of peace and unwilling that his kingdom should be disturbed any longer, gave his daughter in marriage to Geoffrey, son of Count Fulk. For three years she remained childless, but in the fourth year she conceived and gave birth to a son, who afterwards became king of England under the name of Henry. Count Fulk, having resigned his county to his son Geoffrey, went to Jerusalem and there, his fortunes prospering, was crowned king.

³ King Henry died in the thirty-sixth year of his reign and was buried in the monastery at Reading, which he had built from the foundations. But when Count G. and his wife, who was the heir, wished to succeed to the kingdom, the nobles of the land, disregarding their oath, refused to acknowledge him as king, saying, ‘No alien shall reign over us’ [Deuteronomy 17:15]. Taking counsel together, they therefore placed the crown of the kingdom on the head of Stephen, brother of the bishop of Winchester and nephew of King Henry. Consequently, the count of Anjou, deeply aggrieved by the injury he had suffered, began to cause great trouble for King Stephen and wrested the whole of Normandy from him. His son Henry, having also reached maturity, came over to England with his mother and, supported by a great number of the barons of the realm, claimed the kingdom entirely for himself. After crossing the sea to and fro several times on visits to England, he assembled a powerful army and prepared to wage a desperate war against the king, who was no less eager for the conflict. Many places were fortified against him with locks and bolts, especially the castle of Wallingford, and England was grievously harassed by the mutual ravages of both parties.

⁴ At that time no respect was shown either to the bishop’s mitre or the abbot’s cowl; both were stripped of their possessions if they did not, at the first demand, provide whatever was required. And if a husbandman had grain left with which to sow his land, the crop was carried off by the enemy before it was ripe, as fodder for horses instead of food for men. The more a prisoner possessed with which he could ransom himself from suffering, the more cruelly he was tortured, for the man who was best able to plunge others into dishonour and ruin was considered far more honourable than the rest. At length, through the intervention of their counsellors on both sides, Stephen, disinheriting his own family, acknowledged Henry on oath as his successor to the kingdom. Before a year had passed after this treaty, King Stephen died in the nineteenth year of his reign. On receiving this news, Henry, who was then duke of Normandy and Aquitaine and count of Anjou, for his father was now dead, came over to England with his wife Eleanor, who, having been married to Lewis, king of France, had been divorced from him on grounds of consanguinity. He was accompanied by the archbishop of Rouen and many French nobles, both spiritual and lay, and on his arrival obtained the crown of England in accordance with the oaths of fealty he had previously received.

Concerning the Kingdom of Kent. #

¹ The dominions of the Kentish kings were confined to Kent, in which there are these two bishoprics: the archbishopric of Canterbury and the bishopric of Rochester.

Concerning the Kingdom of Wessex. #

¹ The dominions of the kings of Wessex included Wiltshire, Berkshire, and Dorsetshire, in which there is one bishop, whose see is now at Salisbury but was formerly at Ramsbury or Sherborne. Sussex was also subject to them, although at one time it had its own king. The episcopal see of that province was formerly at Selsey, an island around which the tide flows, as Bede relates, and where St Wilfrid built a monastery; but the bishop now resides at Chichester. The kingdom of Wessex also included Hampshire and Surrey, in which there is one bishop, whose see is at Winchester; Somersetshire, with a bishop formerly at Wells but now at Bath; Domnania, called Devonshire, and Cornubia, called Cornwall, in which there were then two bishoprics, one at Crediton and the other at St Germain’s; but now there is only one, whose see is at Exeter.

Concerning the Kingdom of Mercia. #

¹ The dominion of the kings of Mercia included the following districts: Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire, in which there is one bishop whose see is at Worcester; Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, in which there is one bishop, whose diocese contains part of Warwickshire and Shropshire, and whose see was formerly at Litchfield but is now at Chester or Coventry; Herefordshire, whose bishop has half of Shropshire and part of Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, with his see at Hereford; Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, half of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, and Lincolnshire, all of which are under a bishop who now has his see at Lincoln, which was formerly at Dorchester; Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, whose spiritual care belongs to the archbishop of York, but which formerly had a bishop of their own, whose see was at Leicester.

Concerning the Kingdom of East Anglia. #

¹ The kings of the East Angles ruled Cambridgeshire, where there is a bishop whose see is at Ely, and Norfolk and Suffolk, which have a bishop whose see is now at Norwich but was formerly at Elmham or Thetford.

Concerning the Kingdom of Essex. #

¹ The kings of Essex ruled Essex and half of Hertfordshire, which were included in, and still form part of, the diocese of the bishop of London.

Concerning the Kingdom of Northumbria. #

¹ The Northumbrian kings had dominion over all the country lying beyond the River Humber as far as Scotland. There were in it the archbishop of York and the bishops of Hexham, Ripon, Lindisfarne, and Whitherne; but the bishoprics of Hexham and Ripon have been dissolved, and the bishop of Lindisfarne was transferred to Durham.

² These were the territories allotted to the several kingdoms; but amid the changes of the times, one king after another either extended his frontiers through his valour or lost ground through his weakness.

Concerning the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. #

¹ In ancient times, the archbishop of Canterbury had in his province the following bishops: the bishops of London, Winchester, Rochester, Sherborne, Worcester, Hereford, Litchfield, Selsey, Leicester, Elmham, Sidnacester, and Dunwich. In the time of King Edward the Elder, there were added the bishops of Cornwall, Crediton, and Wells in Wessex, and of Dorchester in Mercia.

² The archbishop of York had under his jurisdiction all the bishops beyond the Humber, namely, Ripon, Hexham, Lindisfarne, that of Candida Casa, now called Whitherne, and all the bishops of Scotland the Orkney Islands, in the same manner as the archbishop of Canterbury has jurisdiction over the bishops of Ireland Wales. The bishoprics of Ripon and Hexham have long since disappeared as a result of hostile invasions, and those of Leicester, Sidnacester, and Dunwich, I do not know how.

³ Furthermore, in the reign of King Edward the Simple-Minded, the dioceses of Cornwall and Crediton were united, and the see was transferred to Exeter. Under King William the Bastard, it was ordered in council that the bishops should leave their vills and establish their residences in the cities of their dioceses. Consequently, the bishop of Litchfield moved to Chester, formerly called Caerligion; the bishop of Selsey to Chichester; the bishop of Elmham first to Thetford and afterwards to Norwich; the bishop of Sherborne to Salisbury; and the bishop of Dorchester to Lincoln. The bishop of Lindisfarne had long before moved to Durham, and the bishop of Wells more recently to Bath.

Concerning the Bishops’ Seats in Council #

¹ When the archbishop of Canterbury presides at a council, let him have the archbishop of York on his right hand, with the bishop of Winchester next to him, and the bishop of London on his left. But if the archbishop of Canterbury should be absent, the archbishop of York, as president of the council, shall have the bishop of London on his right hand the bishop of Winchester on his left. Let the others take their seats according to the order in which they were consecrated.

The End. #