Cunnan - User contributions [en]

Eadred

2007-12-01T13:34:54Z

Streona:

'''Eadred''' succeeded his brother [[Edmund the Magnificent|Edmund I]] in 946. Both were sons of [[Edward the Elder]].
He reigned for 9 years, dying in 955 CE, aged 30. He is descrobed as suffering from the "heriditary illness of the House of Wessex", similar to his grandfather [[Alfred the Great]] which is now believed to be Crohn's Disease. His reign was remarkable for the rebellion in York by Archbishop Wulfstan who invited the pagan Norwegian prince, Eric Bloodaxe to become king of a breakaway kingdom. After some internal squabbles Bloodaxe (so called due to his having killed his two brothers) was turned out only to return once more. Eadred led a punitive expedition, but did not meet Eric Bloodaxe who had been ambushed and himself killed at a place called Stanmoor. He ruthlesslessly harried the area, burning down the great priory at Ripon. Archbishop Wulfstan was taken prisoner and demoted to a smaller Bishopric in the south where he could be watched.
He had poor health and is reported to have been unable to swallow solid food, having to chew it, drink the juices and spit out the residue. In the face of these difficulties he was a remarkably tough and able leader. St. Dunstan had come to notice under Edmund, but reached a position of dominanance under Eadred, becoming inseparable as Eadred neared death.
Unmarried, he left no son, and was succeeded by his nephew, [[Eadwig All-Fair]], whose marriage to Aelgifu, his distant cousin was annulled by Archbishop Odo the Severe.
[[category:people (medieval)]][[category:monarchs (medieval)]][[category:10th century]]

Harold Godwinsson

2007-11-30T23:25:33Z

Streona:

'''Harold Godwinsson''', was born ca. 1022. His reign lasted from 5 January 1066 to 14 October 1066, when he was killed at the [[Battle of Hastings]].

Harold's father was Godwin, the powerful [[Earl]] of [[Wessex]], and thus he was grandson to Wulfnoth Cild, [[Thegn]] of [[Sussex]]. Godwin married twice, first to Thyra Sveinsd�ttir (994 - 1018), a daughter of Sweyn I of [[Denmark]], who was [[King]] of Denmark, of [[Norway]], and of [[England]]. His second wife was Gytha Thorkelsd�ttir, who was a granddaughter to the legendary [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[viking]] Styrbj�rn Starke and great-granddaughter to [[Harold Bluetooth]], King of [[Denmark]] and [[Norway]], father of Sweyn I. This second marriage resulted in the birth of two sons Harold and Tostig Godwinsson, and a sister Edith of Wessex (1020 - 1075) who was [[Queen consort]] of [[Edward the Confessor]].

Created [[Earl]] of East Anglia in 1045, Harold was sent, with his father Godwin, into exile in 1051, for leading opposition to [[Edward the Confessor|King Edward]] but helped him to regain his position by force of arms a year later.
The citizens of Dover had been in dispute with Edward's Norman favourite, Eustace of Boulogne who had attempted to forcibly billet his men in the town. In the resulting riot several Normans were killed. Edward demanded that Godwin punish the citizens by harrying the surrounding area- which he refused to do, resulting in he and his sons going into exile, but only to raise support for a triumphal return.
When Godwin died in 1053, Harold succeeded him as earl of [[Wessex]] (a province at that time covering the southernmost third of England), which made him the second most powerful figure in England after the king.

When Edward's nephew (also an Edward) was located in Hungary (he was in exile ever since the time of Canute), he was recalled, arriving back in 1057, as a possible counter-weight to Harold's vaulting ambitions. However ''Edward the Exile'' died mysteriously within weeks. He left a four-year-old son, Edgar, but Edward was compelled to declare that, were he to die before Edgar was of age, Harold Godwinsson should be his [[regent]].

In 1058 Harold also became Earl of [[Hereford]], and he replaced his late father as the focus of opposition to growing [[Norman]] influence in England under the restored [[Saxon]] monarchy of [[Edward the Confessor]], who had spent more than a quarter of a century in exile in [[Normandy]].

Harold sought glory in a series of campaigns, between 1062 and 1063 against the ruler of [[Gwynedd]] in [[Wales]], Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, who had conquered all of [[Wales]]; this conflict ended with Gruffydd's defeat (and death at the hands of his own troops) in 1063. Around 1064, Harold married [[Edith of the Swan-Neck|Edith]], daughter of the Earl of [[Mercia]], who was also the former wife of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. By Harold, Edith had two sons - possibly twins - named Harold and Ulf, both of whom survived into adulthood and probably ended their lives in exile. Harold entered into this marriage (which amassed even more power for him) despite that fact that, by the Danish law then pertinent, he was already married to Ealdgyth or Edith, known as the "swan-neck", by whom he had several (possibly 5) children.

In 1065 Harold supported a rebellion against his brother [[Tostig Godwinsson|Tostig]], Earl of Northumbria, who was replaced by Morcar. This strengthened Harold's acceptability as Edward's successor, but fatally divided his own family, driving Tostig into alliance with [[Harald Hardrada]], [[King]] of [[Norway]].

At about the same time, King [[Edward the Confessor|Edward]] had sent Harold as his envoy to Normandy, and to its duke, William, to whom Edward had promised the English throne some 10 years earlier, impressed by the [[Norman]] skill of government. In the course of his visit (which began with shipwreck) Harold swore on holy [[relic]]s to uphold William's right to succeed (although he was later, whilst acknowledging the oath, to say that it had been given under duress and without knowledge of the relics -- a mere spoken promise).

Upon Edward the Confessor's death (on 5 January 1066), however, Harold ignored both William and Edgar's respective claims, as closest blood-kin of the dead king, and, claiming that Edward had promised him the crown on his deathbed, he compelled the Witenagemot (the assembly of the kingdom's leading notables) to approve him for coronation as king, which then took place on the following day.

However, the country was invaded, by both Harald of Norway and [[William the Conqueror|William]], [[Duke]] of [[Normandy]]. The first argued that he had an hereditary right (and a strong enough army) to govern [[England]]. William also claimed that in accepting the crown of England, Harold had perjured himself of his recent oath.

Invading what is now Yorkshire in September, 1066, [[Harald Hardrada]] and Tostig defeated the English [[earl]]s, Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria, at the [[Battle of Fulford]] near [[York]] (on September 20), but were in turn defeated and slain by Harold's army five days later at the [[Battle of Stamford Bridge]] (September 25).

Harold now forced his army to march 240 miles to intercept William, who had landed perhaps 7000 men in [[Sussex]] in southern England three days later, on 28 September. Harold established his army in hastily built earthworks near Hastings. The two armies clashed near Hastings on 14 October, where after a hard fight Harold was killed and his forces routed. <br>
Harold's wife, Edith of the Swan-neck, was called to identify the body, which she did by some private mark (the face being destroyed) known only to herself.

Harold did have one lasting effect on history: his illegitimate daughter, Gytha of [[Wessex]], married Vladimir Monomakh, the Grand Duke of the Kievan Rus', and is ancestor to several Russian rulers. Consequently the Russian Orthodox Church has recently recognised Harold as a [[martyr]] with October 14 as his feast day.

A [[Saxon]] cult of hero worship rose around Harold (as a focus of anti-[[Norman]] sentiment) and by the 12th century legend said that Harold had indeed survived the battle, had spent two years in Winchester after the battle recovering from his wounds, and then had traveled to Germany where he spent years wandering as a [[pilgrimage|pilgrim]]. As an old man he was supposed to have returned to England and lived as a hermit in a cave near Dover. As he lay dying, he had confessed that although he went by the name of Christian, he had been born Harold Godwinsson. Various versions of this story persisted throughout the Middle Ages, and have little claim to fact.
However a visit to the so-called ex-King Harold Waltham Abbey- a monk at by Henry I in 1100 could have had a basis in fact even though Harold Godwinsson would have been 100 years old. When Harold died at Hastings, his wife was pregnant with a son she called Harold, who would have been Harold Haroldsson, who may have given rise to these stories.

<center>
<table border = 1>
<tr>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Preceded by:<br>[[Edward the Confessor]]
</td>
<td width = 40% align = center>
[[English Monarchs]]
</td>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Succeeded by:<br>[[William the Conqueror]]
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

This has been adapted from material from Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Godwinson], with additions from a variety of sources including '''Ashley''', ''British Kings and Queens'' (2002) Constable & Robinson.

[[Category:Monarchs (medieval)]]
[[category:11th century]]
[[category:people (medieval)]]

Harold Godwinsson

2007-11-30T22:52:11Z

Streona:

'''Harold Godwinsson''', was born ca. 1022. His reign lasted from 5 January 1066 to 14 October 1066, when he was killed at the [[Battle of Hastings]].

Harold's father was Godwin, the powerful [[Earl]] of [[Wessex]], and thus he was grandson to Wulfnoth Cild, [[Thegn]] of [[Sussex]]. Godwin married twice, first to Thyra Sveinsd�ttir (994 - 1018), a daughter of Sweyn I of [[Denmark]], who was [[King]] of Denmark, of [[Norway]], and of [[England]]. His second wife was Gytha Thorkelsd�ttir, who was a granddaughter to the legendary [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[viking]] Styrbj�rn Starke and great-granddaughter to [[Harold Bluetooth]], King of [[Denmark]] and [[Norway]], father of Sweyn I. This second marriage resulted in the birth of two sons Harold and Tostig Godwinsson, and a sister Edith of Wessex (1020 - 1075) who was [[Queen consort]] of [[Edward the Confessor]].

Created [[Earl]] of East Anglia in 1045, Harold was sent, with his father Godwin, into exile in 1051, for leading opposition to [[Edward the Confessor|King Edward]] but helped him to regain his position by force of arms a year later. When Godwin died in 1053, Harold succeeded him as earl of [[Wessex]] (a province at that time covering the southernmost third of England), which made him the second most powerful figure in England after the king.

When Edward's nephew (also an Edward) was located in Hungary (he was in exile ever since the time of Canute), he was recalled, arriving back in 1057, as a possible counter-weight to Harold's vaulting ambitions. However ''Edward the Exile'' died mysteriously within weeks. He left a four-year-old son, Edgar, but Edward was compelled to declare that, were he to die before Edgar was of age, Harold Godwinsson should be his [[regent]].

In 1058 Harold also became Earl of [[Hereford]], and he replaced his late father as the focus of opposition to growing [[Norman]] influence in England under the restored [[Saxon]] monarchy of [[Edward the Confessor]], who had spent more than a quarter of a century in exile in [[Normandy]].

Harold sought glory in a series of campaigns, between 1062 and 1063 against the ruler of [[Gwynedd]] in [[Wales]], Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, who had conquered all of [[Wales]]; this conflict ended with Gruffydd's defeat (and death at the hands of his own troops) in 1063. Around 1064, Harold married [[Edith of the Swan-Neck|Edith]], daughter of the Earl of [[Mercia]], who was also the former wife of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. By Harold, Edith had two sons - possibly twins - named Harold and Ulf, both of whom survived into adulthood and probably ended their lives in exile. Harold entered into this marriage (which amassed even more power for him) despite that fact that, by the Danish law then pertinent, he was already married to Ealdgyth or Edith, known as the "swan-neck", by whom he had several (possibly 5) children.

In 1065 Harold supported a rebellion against his brother [[Tostig Godwinsson|Tostig]], Earl of Northumbria, who was replaced by Morcar. This strengthened Harold's acceptability as Edward's successor, but fatally divided his own family, driving Tostig into alliance with [[Harald Hardrada]], [[King]] of [[Norway]].

At about the same time, King [[Edward the Confessor|Edward]] had sent Harold as his envoy to Normandy, and to its duke, William, to whom Edward had promised the English throne some 10 years earlier, impressed by the [[Norman]] skill of government. In the course of his visit (which began with shipwreck) Harold swore on holy [[relic]]s to uphold William's right to succeed (although he was later, whilst acknowledging the oath, to say that it had been given under duress and without knowledge of the relics -- a mere spoken promise).

Upon Edward the Confessor's death (on 5 January 1066), however, Harold ignored both William and Edgar's respective claims, as closest blood-kin of the dead king, and, claiming that Edward had promised him the crown on his deathbed, he compelled the Witenagemot (the assembly of the kingdom's leading notables) to approve him for coronation as king, which then took place on the following day.

However, the country was invaded, by both Harald of Norway and [[William the Conqueror|William]], [[Duke]] of [[Normandy]]. The first argued that he had an hereditary right (and a strong enough army) to govern [[England]]. William also claimed that in accepting the crown of England, Harold had perjured himself of his recent oath.

Invading what is now Yorkshire in September, 1066, [[Harald Hardrada]] and Tostig defeated the English [[earl]]s, Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria, at the [[Battle of Fulford]] near [[York]] (on September 20), but were in turn defeated and slain by Harold's army five days later at the [[Battle of Stamford Bridge]] (September 25).

Harold now forced his army to march 240 miles to intercept William, who had landed perhaps 7000 men in [[Sussex]] in southern England three days later, on 28 September. Harold established his army in hastily built earthworks near Hastings. The two armies clashed near Hastings on 14 October, where after a hard fight Harold was killed and his forces routed. <br>
Harold's wife, Edith of the Swan-neck, was called to identify the body, which she did by some private mark (the face being destroyed) known only to herself.

Harold did have one lasting effect on history: his illegitimate daughter, Gytha of [[Wessex]], married Vladimir Monomakh, the Grand Duke of the Kievan Rus', and is ancestor to several Russian rulers. Consequently the Russian Orthodox Church has recently recognised Harold as a [[martyr]] with October 14 as his feast day.

A [[Saxon]] cult of hero worship rose around Harold (as a focus of anti-[[Norman]] sentiment) and by the 12th century legend said that Harold had indeed survived the battle, had spent two years in Winchester after the battle recovering from his wounds, and then had traveled to Germany where he spent years wandering as a [[pilgrimage|pilgrim]]. As an old man he was supposed to have returned to England and lived as a hermit in a cave near Dover. As he lay dying, he had confessed that although he went by the name of Christian, he had been born Harold Godwinsson. Various versions of this story persisted throughout the Middle Ages, and have little claim to fact.
However a visit to the so-called ex-King Harold Waltham Abbey- a monk at by Henry I in 1100 could have had a basis in fact even though Harold Godwinsson would have been 100 years old. When Harold died at Hastings, his wife was pregnant with a son she called Harold, who would have been Harold Haroldsson, who may have given rise to these stories.

<center>
<table border = 1>
<tr>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Preceded by:<br>[[Edward the Confessor]]
</td>
<td width = 40% align = center>
[[English Monarchs]]
</td>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Succeeded by:<br>[[William the Conqueror]]
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

This has been adapted from material from Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Godwinson], with additions from a variety of sources including '''Ashley''', ''British Kings and Queens'' (2002) Constable & Robinson.

[[Category:Monarchs (medieval)]]
[[category:11th century]]
[[category:people (medieval)]]

Talk:Edward the Exile

2007-11-30T22:46:13Z

Streona: suggest delete everything

AAAAAAAAArgh!
He was NOT Edward Atheling- he was known as Edward the Exile. Atheling does not mean "Exile" it means "nobly born" or "royally born". His son was Edgar the Atheling. I suggest deleting this stub and redoing it altogether. [[User:Streona|Streona]] 09:46, 1 December 2007 (EST)

Talk:Aethelred Unraed

2007-11-29T20:40:02Z

Streona:

NO NO NO ! (sorry) Aelgifu, wife of King Edwy or Eadwig All-Fair died shortly before he did. This "bed sharing" incident is probably the product of sex-starved monks imaginations- see my article on [[Eadwig]]. The real story is much more interesting. There were a ridiculous number of Anglo-Saxon upper class totty called Aelgifu or Aelfgifu or Elgiva etc. Eadwig's mother was also called St. Elgiva. Cnut's handfast wife was Aelfgifu of Northampton, Ethelred Unraed's second wife was Emma but she had to change her name to Aelgifu, An "Aelgifu" appears in the Bayeux Tapestry, who may be the paramour of Sweyn Godwinsson . You can check on the Prosopography of Anglo Saxon England- there are hordes.
[[User:Streona|Streona]] 06:38, 30 November 2007 (EST)

Aethelred Unraed

2007-11-29T20:37:59Z

Streona:

'''Aethelred II''' was [[birth|born]] about 968AD, son of [[King Edgar]] the Peaceful and his second wife Aelfthryth (otherwise Elfrida). His [[name]] meant "Well-Counselled". He was [[crown]]ed in 979, at about the age of 10, after his elder brother [[Edward the Martyr]] had an accident at Corfe [[Castle]] (he accepted a [[drink]] of [[mead]] from his step-mother, and one of her men stabbed him, in the back). Ethelred witnessed this and cried inconsolably until his mother, Aelfthryth, beat him with candles, after which he could never bear the sight of candles in his presence. What he did when it got dark is attested by chroniclers who said that he slept a lot and in the remarkable number of children he fathered.
Much of his later actions can be viewed in the context of borderline personality disorder as a result of traumatic childhood experience.
Coming to the throne aged 10, he was dominated by the party opposed to the Benedictine faction of Dunstan, [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]-who had backed Edward and was literally cursed by the circumstances in which he came to the throne. Even before this Dunstan is said to have cursed him when he allegedly defecated in the font whilst being christened. On crowning him,[[Dunstan]] gave a speech slagging him off. England was also afflicted by a number of poor harvests, which the Church unhelpfully attributed to the death of his brother, who became known as Edward the Martyr and reburied at a purpose-built shrine. Only on the deaths of these original counsellors and his coming of age could Ethelred begin to choose his own goevernment and make his own decisions- which he seems to have done consistently badly over a period of 37 years.

In about 985 Aethelred [[marriage|married]] Aelfgifu of Mercia and they had eight children, one of whom, Edmund, was later to be [[king]] ([[Edmund Ironside]]).

Unfortunately Athelred was also plagued by [[Viking]] invasions, who systematically plundered the [[Wessex]] and East Anglian coast from 997AD on. These were possibly as a result of King Harald Bluetooth's attempts to impose Christianity on his often unwilling subjects.

The King could either "pay or play" -- he could either bribe them to go away or he could fight them. The legacy of his father, King Edgar's reign under the stewardship of [[St.Dunstan]], gave him substantial resources squandered on paying off his enemies, rather than rewarding supporters or building armed forces. Unfortunately even when he did, he could not rely on the loyalty of his commanders (such as Wulfnoth Cild or Aethelric of Mercia). He also lacked for counsellors with, frankly, spine, to advocate one course or the other through thick and thin. Thus he gained his later [[byname]] of Unraed -- the Uncounselled, or the Ill-Counselled (perhaps also became of his selection of [[Eadric Streona]] as a son-in-law and chief counsellor -- a man later to be demonised as a multiple traitor).
Eadric was useful to Ethelred in arranging the assassinations various potential dissidents such as Aelfhelm of York and Morcar and Siferth and allegedly his son and rival, Edmund Ironsides. He also took the vital position of Ealdorman of Mercia, which had been left vacant after the treason of Aethelric (which Ethelred punished by seizing his son, Aelfgar, and burning his eyes out with white-hot pokers. Eadric succeeded in defeating the Welsh during nhis incumbency.

The Millenium seems to have spurred him into action -- he found an army and a fleet, and went to war against Malcolm, his [[Cumberland]] under-king, who had been remiss in contributing to the [[danegeld]] [[tax]]es. Two years later he sorted out a dispute with the [[Duke]] of [[Normandy]] by marrying the duke's sister [[Emma of Normandy|Emma]], the Pearl of [[Normandy]]. Their first son, born within the year, was to be [[Edward the Confessor]].

It was the same year (1002)Aethelred decided to solve the Viking problem by having all [[Denmark|Danes]] living in [[England]] killed in the St.Brice's Day Massacre. However this outrage did not affect the fighting forces of the Isle of Wight and in the Danelaw, except to enrage them, especially after the murder of Gunnhild, the sister of Sweyn Forkbeard, the Danish King. It is possible that the intended victims were Danish mercenaries (referred to by Palgrave as "stipendiary bravos")but popular hatred of the Danes allowed it to degenerate into a mass pogrom.
In 1006 the Vikings returned; the next year Aethelred bought them off; in 1009 they returned.
Ethelred raised a huge fleet at Sandwich, but Brihthelm, brother of [[Eadric Streona]] accused his nephew, Wulfnoth Cild of Sussex of treachery. Wulfnoth made off with a third of the fleet, followed by his vengeful uncle, who ran into a storm. The local ships of Wulfnoth returned and burned the wrecked fleet, before deserting to the Danes in East Anglia.
In 1012 they [[martyr]]ed St Alfheah[[Archbishop of Canterbury]] at Greenwich, outside [[London]]. In 1013 they invaded in force and Aethelred fled for his life to his brother-in-law, Robert of Normandy, leaving England to Sweyn Haraldsson ('Forkbeard'). He died in 1014 and Aethelred returned, to reclaim the [[throne]], and died in 1016, being [[becoming king|succeeded]] by his son [[Edmund Ironside|Edmund]].

His 37-year [[reign]] was, in fact, one of the longest in English history, and introduced several long-standing features including the introduction of the 12-man jury. The English economy and the coinage were well handled during this period and the financial and administrative ability to raise such large amounts of Danegeld was a testimony to this. However this was in the greatest part due to the legacy Ethelred had inherited which showed its resilience in surviving Ethelred's misrule as wellm as it did. In addition to his much publicised faults- probably attributable to Borderline Personality Disorder- he was extremely cruel and haunted by a misplaced religious piety formed from guilt over the death of his brother. Most of his surviving children lived to be murdered by Cnut and Harald Harefoot. His reign -and its legacy- was arguably the most disasrous in English History.

'''Disclaimer:''' Parts of the above have been inspired by a re-reading of Cyril Hart's ''Between Severn (Saefren) and Wye (Waege) in the Year 1000''.

<center>
<table border = 1>
<tr>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Preceeded by:<br>[[Edward the Martyr]]
</td>
<td width = 40% align = center>
[[English Monarchs]]
</td>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Succeeded by:<br>[[Edmund Ironside]]
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

[[Category:Monarchs (medieval)]][[category:people (medieval)]][[category:10th century]][[category:11th century]]

Aethelred Unraed

2007-11-29T20:36:24Z

Streona:

'''Aethelred II''' was [[birth|born]] about 968AD, son of [[King Edgar]] the Peaceful and his second wife Aelfthryth (otherwise Elfrida). His [[name]] meant "Well-Counselled". He was [[crown]]ed in 979, at about the age of 10, after his elder brother [[Edward the Martyr]] had an accident at Corfe [[Castle]] (he accepted a [[drink]] of [[mead]] from his step-mother, and one of her men stabbed him, in the back). Ethelred witnessed this and cried inconsolably until his mother, Aethelthryth, beat him with candles, after which he could never bear the sight of candles in his presence. What he did when it got dark is attested by chroniclers who said that he slept a lot and in the remarkable number of children he fathered.
Much of his later actions can be viewed in the context of borderline personality disorder as a result of traumatic childhood experience.
Coming to the throne aged 10, he was dominated by the party opposed to the Benedictine faction of Dunstan, [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]-who had backed Edward and was literally cursed by the circumstances in which he came to the throne. Even before this Dunstan is said to have cursed him when he allegedly defecated in the font whilst being christened. On crowning him,[[Dunstan]] gave a speech slagging him off. England was also afflicted by a number of poor harvests, which the Church unhelpfully attributed to the death of his brother, who became known as Edward the Martyr and reburied at a purpose-built shrine. Only on the deaths of these original counsellors and his coming of age could Ethelred begin to choose his own goevernment and make his own decisions- which he seems to have done consistently badly over a period of 37 years.

In about 985 Aethelred [[marriage|married]] Aelfgifu of Mercia and they had eight children, one of whom, Edmund, was later to be [[king]] ([[Edmund Ironside]]).

Unfortunately Athelred was also plagued by [[Viking]] invasions, who systematically plundered the [[Wessex]] and East Anglian coast from 997AD on. These were possibly as a result of King Harald Bluetooth's attempts to impose Christianity on his often unwilling subjects.

The King could either "pay or play" -- he could either bribe them to go away or he could fight them. The legacy of his father, King Edgar's reign under the stewardship of [[St.Dunstan]], gave him substantial resources squandered on paying off his enemies, rather than rewarding supporters or building armed forces. Unfortunately even when he did, he could not rely on the loyalty of his commanders (such as Wulfnoth Cild or Aethelric of Mercia). He also lacked for counsellors with, frankly, spine, to advocate one course or the other through thick and thin. Thus he gained his later [[byname]] of Unraed -- the Uncounselled, or the Ill-Counselled (perhaps also became of his selection of [[Eadric Streona]] as a son-in-law and chief counsellor -- a man later to be demonised as a multiple traitor).
Eadric was useful to Ethelred in arranging the assassinations various potential dissidents such as Aelfhelm of York and Morcar and Siferth and allegedly his son and rival, Edmund Ironsides. He also took the vital position of Ealdorman of Mercia, which had been left vacant after the treason of Aethelric (which Ethelred punished by seizing his son, Aelfgar, and burning his eyes out with white-hot pokers. Eadric succeeded in defeating the Welsh during nhis incumbency.

The Millenium seems to have spurred him into action -- he found an army and a fleet, and went to war against Malcolm, his [[Cumberland]] under-king, who had been remiss in contributing to the [[danegeld]] [[tax]]es. Two years later he sorted out a dispute with the [[Duke]] of [[Normandy]] by marrying the duke's sister [[Emma of Normandy|Emma]], the Pearl of [[Normandy]]. Their first son, born within the year, was to be [[Edward the Confessor]].

It was the same year (1002)Aethelred decided to solve the Viking problem by having all [[Denmark|Danes]] living in [[England]] killed in the St.Brice's Day Massacre. However this outrage did not affect the fighting forces of the Isle of Wight and in the Danelaw, except to enrage them, especially after the murder of Gunnhild, the sister of Sweyn Forkbeard, the Danish King. It is possible that the intended victims were Danish mercenaries (referred to by Palgrave as "stipendiary bravos")but popular hatred of the Danes allowed it to degenerate into a mass pogrom.
In 1006 the Vikings returned; the next year Aethelred bought them off; in 1009 they returned.
Ethelred raised a huge fleet at Sandwich, but Brihthelm, brother of [[Eadric Streona]] accused his nephew, Wulfnoth Cild of Sussex of treachery. Wulfnoth made off with a third of the fleet, followed by his vengeful uncle, who ran into a storm. The local ships of Wulfnoth returned and burned the wrecked fleet, before deserting to the Danes in East Anglia.
In 1012 they [[martyr]]ed St Alfheah[[Archbishop of Canterbury]] at Greenwich, outside [[London]]. In 1013 they invaded in force and Aethelred fled for his life to his brother-in-law, Robert of Normandy, leaving England to Sweyn Haraldsson ('Forkbeard'). He died in 1014 and Aethelred returned, to reclaim the [[throne]], and died in 1016, being [[becoming king|succeeded]] by his son [[Edmund Ironside|Edmund]].

His 37-year [[reign]] was, in fact, one of the longest in English history, and introduced several long-standing features including the introduction of the 12-man jury. The English economy and the coinage were well handled during this period and the financial and administrative ability to raise such large amounts of Danegeld was a testimony to this. However this was in the greatest part due to the legacy Ethelred had inherited which showed its resilience in surviving Ethelred's misrule as wellm as it did. In addition to his much publicised faults- probably attributable to Borderline Personality Disorder- he was extremely cruel and haunted by a misplaced religious piety formed from guilt over the death of his brother. Most of his surviving children lived to be murdered by Cnut and Harald Harefoot. His reign -and its legacy- was arguably the most disasrous in English History.

'''Disclaimer:''' Parts of the above have been inspired by a re-reading of Cyril Hart's ''Between Severn (Saefren) and Wye (Waege) in the Year 1000''.

<center>
<table border = 1>
<tr>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Preceeded by:<br>[[Edward the Martyr]]
</td>
<td width = 40% align = center>
[[English Monarchs]]
</td>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Succeeded by:<br>[[Edmund Ironside]]
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

[[Category:Monarchs (medieval)]][[category:people (medieval)]][[category:10th century]][[category:11th century]]

Aethelred Unraed

2007-11-29T20:17:16Z

Streona:

'''Aethelred II''' was [[birth|born]] about 968AD, son of [[King Edgar]] the Peaceful and his second wife Aelfthryth (otherwise Elfrida). His [[name]] meant "Well-Counselled". He was [[crown]]ed in 979, at about the age of 10, after his elder brother [[Edward the Martyr]] had an accident at Corfe [[Castle]] (he accepted a [[drink]] of [[mead]] from his step-mother, and one of her men stabbed him, in the back). Ethelred witnessed this and cried inconsolably until his mother, Aethelthryth, beat him with candles, after which he could never bear the sight of candles in his presence. What he did when it got dark is attested by chroniclers who said that he slept a lot and in the remarkable number of children he fathered.
Much of his later actions can be viewed in the context of borderline personality disorder as a result of traumatic childhood experience.
Coming to the throne aged 10, he was dominated by the party opposed to the Benedictine faction of Dunstan, [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]
and was literally cursed by the circumstances in which he came to the throne. Even before this Dunstan is said to have cursed him when he allegedly defecated in the font whilst being christened. On crowning him, Dunstan gave a speech slagging him off.

In about 985 Aethelred [[marriage|married]] Aelfgifu of Mercia and they had eight children, one of whom, Edmund, was later to be [[king]] ([[Edmund Ironside]]).

Unfortunately Athelred was also plagued by [[Viking]] invasions, who systematically plundered the [[Wessex]] and East Anglian coast from 997AD on
The King could either "pay or play" -- he could either bribe them to go away or he could fight them. The legacy of his father, King Edgar's reign under the stewardship of [[St.Dunstan]], gave him substantial resources squandered on paying off his enemies, rather than rewarding supporters or building armed forces. Unfortunately even when he did, he could not rely on the loyalty of his commanders (such as Wulfnoth Cild or Aethelric of Mercia). He also lacked for counsellors with, frankly, spine, to advocate one course or the other through thick and thin. Thus he gained his later [[byname]] of Unraed -- the Uncounselled, or the Ill-Counselled (perhaps also became of his selection of [[Eadric Streona]] as a son-in-law and chief counsellor -- a man later to be demonised as a multiple traitor).
Eadric was useful to Ethelred in arranging the assassinations various potential dissidents such as Aelfhelm of York and Morcar and Siferth and allegedly his son and rival, Edmund Ironsides. He also took the vital position of Ealdorman of Mercia, which had been left vacant after the treason of Aethelric (which Ethelred punished by seizing his son, Aelggar, and burning his eyes out with white-hot pokers.

The Millenium seems to have spurred him into action -- he found an army and a fleet, and went to war against Malcolm, his [[Cumberland]] under-king, who had been remiss in contributing to the [[danegeld]] [[tax]]es. Two years later he sorted out a dispute with the [[Duke]] of [[Normandy]] by marrying the duke's sister [[Emma of Normandy|Emma]], the Pearl of [[Normandy]]. Their first son, born within the year, was to be [[Edward the Confessor]].

It was the same year (1002)Aethelred decided to solve the Viking problem by having all [[Denmark|Danes]] living in [[England]] killed in the St.Brice's Day Massacre. However this outrage did not affect the fighting forces of the Isle of Wight and in the Danelaw, except to enrage them, especially after the murder of Gunnhild, the sister of Sweyn Forkbeard, the Danish King. It is possible that the intended victims were Danish mercenaries (referred to by Palgrave as "stipendiary bravos")but popular hatred of the Danes allowed it to degenerate into a mass pogrom.
In 1006 the Vikings returned; the next year Aethelred bought them off; in 1009 they returned.
Ethelred raised a huge fleet at Sandwich, but Brihthelm, brother of [[Eadric Streona]] accused his nephew, Wulfnoth Cild of Sussex of treachery. Wulfnoth made off with a third of the fleet, followed by his vengeful uncle, who ran into a storm. The local ships of Wulfnoth returned and burned the wrecked fleet, before deserting to the Danes in East Anglia.
In 1012 they [[martyr]]ed St Alfheah[[Archbishop of Canterbury]] at Greenwich, outside [[London]]. In 1013 they invaded in force and Aethelred fled for his life to his brother-in-law, Robert of Normandy, leaving England to Sweyn Haraldsson ('Forkbeard'). He died in 1014 and Aethelred returned, to reclaim the [[throne]], and died in 1016, being [[becoming king|succeeded]] by his son [[Edmund Ironside|Edmund]].

His 37-year [[reign]] was, in fact, one of the longest in English history, and introduced several long-standing features including the introduction of the 12-man jury.

'''Disclaimer:''' Parts of the above have been inspired by a re-reading of Cyril Hart's ''Between Severn (Saefren) and Wye (Waege) in the Year 1000''.

<center>
<table border = 1>
<tr>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Preceeded by:<br>[[Edward the Martyr]]
</td>
<td width = 40% align = center>
[[English Monarchs]]
</td>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Succeeded by:<br>[[Edmund Ironside]]
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

[[Category:Monarchs (medieval)]][[category:people (medieval)]][[category:10th century]][[category:11th century]]

Talk:Aethelred Unraed

2007-11-29T19:38:33Z

Streona:

NO NO NO ! (sorry) Aelgifu, wife of King Edwy or Eadwig All-Fair died shortly before he did. This "bed sharing" incident is probably the product of sex starved monks imaginations- see article on [[Eadwig]]. The real story is much more interesting. There were a ridiculous number of Anglo-Saxon upper class totty called Aelgifu or Aelfgifu or Elgiva etc. Eadwig's mother was also called St. Elgiva. Cnut's handfast wife was Aelfgifu of Northampton, Ethelored Unraed's second wife was Emma but she had to change her name to Aelgifu, An "Aelgifu" appears in the Bayeux Tapestry, who may be the paramour of Sweyn Godwinsson . You can check on the Prosopography of Anglo Saxon England- there are hordes.
[[User:Streona|Streona]] 06:38, 30 November 2007 (EST)

User talk:Simoncursitor

2007-11-29T19:17:14Z

Streona: /* Horses Branle */

Hello and welcome to Cunnan,

Good work on what you've been working on so far, we normally start by encouraging new users to make edits but you've beaten us to it. Feel free to edit [[User:Simoncursitor|your user page]] to tell us about yourself and link to any other websites you're involved in.

One small tip: you can sign your user-name on talk pages by typing <nowiki>~~~</nowiki> for something like "[[User:Tobin|Tobin]]" or by typing <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> for "[[User:Tobin|Tobin]] 09:04, 7 Oct 2004 (EST)".

[[User:Tobin|Tobin]]

===Kingdom of Alvia===
Since you added it to [[Other re-enactment sites]], could you explain what exactly Alvia is coz the homepage confuses me. Is it a fictional kingdom played within [[Far Isles]] or is it a breakaway group from Far Isles? - [[User:Cian|Cian Gillebhrath]]

:Alvia as such never existed, and, in due course, will come off here. It was "invented" as a Far Isles plot device. I offered to flesh it out, did so, and found that the people who'd started it had forgotten saying I could, and thought someone had run with the idea and founded it. However, the FI have stuck with it and (for those who don't know the *truth*) I don't want to spoil the illusion that it might be Out There Somewhere. It's here short-term simply for that reason (and because I built the p*gg*ng web-site and I'm proud(-ish) of it. Thank you for bothering to look at it. It will also die eventually, but I have three more heraldic devices to put on, and several Guilds yet to do. Not to mention possibly the Return of Wicked!Alix and her Dupe-Princess!Ysabeau.
:--[[User:Simoncursitor|Simoncursitor]] 18:42, 4 Nov 2004 (EST)
<hr>
Some really beautiful writing about english monachs. thankyou[[User:Tiff|Tiff]] 08:22, 5 Jan 2005 (CST)

"post-racialist Uk PoV"? Your additions are good and in-depth, so what is a "post-racialist"? Are you meaning a modern Brit having a Roman PoV in the timeline of the "post-Roman Empire"? - [[User:Cian|Cian Gillebhrath]]
No, merely writing as someone whose ancestors were probably at least indirectly responsible for the annihilation of African civilization. We will certainly have benefited from it, given that without it there would be no British Empire, just a muddy island occasionally conquered by the [[France|French]].

==User Status==

You have just been upgraded to sysop level. As you did not ask for this you will be relieved to know that this status comes with no obligations. It does however allow you to do a number of things such as edit the Main Page, and block spammers. To block spammers go to the Recent Changes page, where the block option will come up for any user that has not logged in (ie, they are an IP address). If they have logged in, you can block them by going to Special pages, scrolling to the bottom, clicking on Block User and typing in their name.

There are a couple of other minor things you can do, including protecting pages, but there is only one page where it was felt that was necessary, so it's not a commonly used power.

If you have any further questions, just put them up here. In part this is our way of saying both that we trust you, and we appreciate your efforts on the wiki. [[User:Conrad Leviston|Conrad Leviston]] 08:54, 27 May 2005 (CDT)

*Thank you -- I will endeavour to live up to the high standards you have set. I hope you don't mind if I exercise this, later this week, by just slotting in the Scottish kings onto the Main Page, so that I can get to them quicker, for edits. May I say that Cunnan has fast become one of my favourite sites to visit and to contribute to, because of the peaceful and scholarly atmosphere -- something which I sometimes miss in Real Life, let alone on the World Wide Weirdness.
--[[User:Simoncursitor|Simoncursitor]] 04:40, 30 May 2005 (CDT)

==the mango issue==
In solidarity with your decision to delete the spurious mango page, I have researched and written a little blurb about the period relevance of [[mango]]s. --[[User:Elyas|Elyas]] 17:05, 14 Jun 2005 (CDT)

Thank you. I'm pleased everything has "worked out". --[[User:Simoncursitor|Simoncursitor]] 02:06, 15 Jun 2005 (CDT)

==England==

I have edited the [[England]] page with a view to creating links useful to those with English personae. With this in mind I have attempted to create pages for distinct eras, e.g. [[Anglo-Saxon England]]. I am not totally happy with the way that I have grouped the eras (I think an ''Angevin England'' page might be a good idea), but my English history is not good enough for me to do this with any confidence. Could you take a look at it for me and group the eras into what you think is useful from a cultural point of view?

not my question, but I'm not convinced by your middle eras. I guess i think more in terms of archeology than history. 1066 is a clear change, but changes such as gaining anjevin kings didn't really change the overall society.
*perhaps: Roman England/brittain, Anglo saxon england, anglo-norman england, medieval england
Weather medeival england starts in 1155 or sometime later, is a bit to argue.
[[User:Tiff|Tiff]] 02:44, 23 Jun 2005 (CDT)

== re: Arthur ==

Please edit away. I am actually not a big Arthuriana person, and have scant knowledge of the subject. But when I saw it was missing it seemed like such a critical thing for an SCA wiki. I figured if I started the framework then it would be easier for more qualified others to fill in the blanks. :) [[User:Sabine|Sabine]] 11:12, 19 Jul 2005 (CDT)

==Scottish Monarchs==

I took a look at the Scottish Monarchs list. Gosh you'rs doing a good job! I have a little template that I would like to use to pretty up the pages. You can see what I have currently on the [[Duncan II]] page. If you would like to see any changes to the template let me know on the [[Template talk:Scottish Monarch]] page. Using the template is pretty straightforward, but in case you are confuse by something, I'll write a set of instructions at [[Template talk:Scottish Monarch]]. [[User:Conrad Leviston|Conrad Leviston]] 21:21, 19 Jul 2005 (CDT)

==Garb==

Hi, I've done a quick page on [[garb]] the heraldic charge. See [[Talk:Garb]] for related issues if you want to comment on it. [[User:Conrad Leviston|Conrad Leviston]] 04:09, 7 Sep 2005 (CDT)

You asked me: <cite>Would you mind my undoing your re-direct, and turning it into a disambiguation, so as to allow the secondary, heraldic, meaning of ''"garb"'', as a stask of corn, to be recorded ? --[[User:Simoncursitor|Simoncursitor]] 02:38, 7 Sep 2005 (CDT)</cite>

:Looks like you have this taken care of. I like the new page. Thanks. --[[User:JakeVortex|JakeVortex]] 11:57, 21 Oct 2005 (CDT)

==re:Viking==
Sorry -- the "erased silliness" bit was about buses being an endagered species -- not the actual use of "viking" as a verb. I'm actually looking into the etymology of the word "viking" -- it appears to have something to do with a "vyk" or "creek", unless my Norse is worse than my Latin, in which case I'm dead wrong.

Of course, it could be like the Canadian use verb "jigging", which can mean "to dance a jig" or "to go hunting for small game". I've never danced a jig before, but I've been 'coon jiggin', greytail jiggin' and coney jiggin' (raccoon, squirrel and rabbit, respectively.

== Re: the North Pole ==

Go ahead -- the article was written as part of a vandalism spree, and I was so demoralized at that point that I just wiped it and went to bed.

Oddly, it has inspired me to do some research on the medieval concept of the "Ultima Thule", as the land beyond the northlands, the furthest extent of the world. I'll post an article on it, eventually.
[[User:Paul Matisz]] 20 Apr 2006, 01:30 EST

== User: 208.182.75.11 ==

Simon: Is it possible to block this yahoo for more than 24 or 48 hours (say indefinitely, or for 3-4 months at the least)? He keeps coming back and messing up articles, and I can see he's bee blocked multiple times?

Also, how does one block a user, or erase an entire article?
[[User:Paul Matisz]]

== Spoke too soon! ==

[[Religion in the Renaissance]] has been repeatedly vandalized again, looks like by the same people. I've corrected it.
Guilty parties: [[User:64.56.136.110]], [[User:66.4.125.11]] and [[User:208.182.75.11]].

It's not that I mind, so much, it's just that the vandalism is really juvenile. Makes you wish for a higher form of vandal.

== Credit where credits due ==
Keep on going Simon with your monarchs, etc. articles, but don't forget the [[Cunnan:Copyrights|copyright "policy"]]. I noticed that [[James I]] etc were mainly cut'n'paste from [[Wikipedia]] articles. Even the article is going to be added to or rewritten later, we should at least credit Wikipedia with being the source of the original text. - [[User:Cian|Cian Gillebhrath]] 15:13, 11 May 2006 (EST)
== Horses Branle ==
As far as I know, the [[Horses Branle]] is a [[dance]], not a particular [[dance step]], so I have undone the "dance step" category you added to the page. - [[User:Cian|Cian Gillebhrath]]
Sorry -- this was added because the article specifies the steps being used, rather thsn just describing the dance.

==Eadric Streona==

I would recommend looking up anything Anglo Saxon on stephenjmurray.net, but also Frank Stenton's History of Anglo Saxon England or Francis Palgrave History of the Anglo Saxons or The House of Ehelred by Thomas Kelley, but original sources would be Chronicon ex Chrononicis by Florence and John of Worcester, William of Malmesbury, Roger of Wendover,Walter Mapp, Geoffery de Gaimar and of course the Anglo Saxon Chronicle plus the works of Aethelweard the Historian- possibly Eadric's father- who wrote in excruciatingly bad Latin (which makes him something of a personal hero) but had access to a now lost version of the ASC. Thanks for the appreciation.
[[User:Streona|Streona]] 06:17, 30 November 2007 (EST)

Eadwig All-Fair

2007-11-28T17:35:07Z

Streona:

'''Eadwig All-Fair''' was a [[king]] of [[England]]. A [[mythology|legend]] (or tradition) has it that Eadwig's [[coronation]] was delayed whilst the King was fetched from his chamber (by the formidable Archbishop '''Dunstan'''), where he was lying between his sweetheart (later his wife) [[Aelfgifu]], and her mother Aethelgifu (who may have stayed on as the king's mistress).

In fact Eadwig had been fostered with his relative Eadric of Washington, whose wife was Aethelgifu and daughter was Aelgifu. Dunstan and Cynefyrth, Bishop of Lichfield were offended at Eadwig (then 16 years old) absenting himself from the coronation feast and burst in upon him in a back room with his foster-mother and sister, hauling him bodily away. The accounts by monks of this incident are slanted towards Dunstan- a man described by Sir Francis Palgrave as "partially insane" (or as we would say today "psychotic"), who no doubt wished to reassert his position of dominance enjoyed under King [[Eadred]]. They describe a scene of sexual corruption probably of their own imagination, also descriibng the "diadem" of England flung upon the floor. This is a very early reference to possibly the first crown of England, which may be the same as the "diadem" given as a diplomatic gift to King Athelstan.
Eadwig banished Dunstan- who apparently saw the devil mocking him from the gates of Glastonbury Abbey, when nobody else could. Dunstan fled to Ghent, where he came into contact with the Benedictines.
Eadwig then married Aelgifu. He attempted to create his own party by generous grants to courtiers and the Church, but supporters of Dunstan plotted his return by backing Eadwig's brother Edgar. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Odo the Severe, annulled Eadwig's marriage and "put away his strumpet" on the grounds of being within 9 degrees of consanguinity.
Aelgifu was then facially disfigured and sold as a slave in Ireland. Eadwig's kingdom was split along the Thames with Edgar.
However the Irish took pity upon Aelgifu and she returned. Whilst travelling to meet Eadwig gher party was ambushed and she was murdered. Eadwig died shortly after hearing the news.We are not told how.
<center>
<table border = 1>
<tr>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Preceded by:<br>[[Eadred]]
<td width = 40% align = center>
[[English Monarchs]]
<td width = 30% align = center>
Succeeded by:<br>[[Edgar the Peaceable]]
</table>
</center>

[[category:Monarchs (medieval)]]

Eadwig All-Fair

2007-11-28T17:33:26Z

Streona:

'''Eadwig All-Fair''' was a [[king]] of [[England]]. A [[mythology|legend]] (or tradition) has it that Eadwig's [[coronation]] was delayed whilst the King was fetched from his chamber (by the formidable Archbishop '''Dunstan'''), where he was lying between his sweetheart (later his wife) [[Aelfgifu]], and her mother Aethelgifu (who may have stayed on as the king's mistress).

In fact Eadwig had been fostered with his relative Eadric of Washington, whose wife was Aethelgifu and daughter was Aelgifu. Dunstan and Cynefyrth, Bishop of Lichfield were offended at Eadwig (then 16 years old) absenting himself from the coronation feast and burst in upon him in a back room with his foster-motherand sister, hauling him bodily away. The accounts by monks of this incident are slanted towards Dunstan- a man described by Sir Francis Palgrave as "partially insane" (or as we would say today "psychotic"), who no doubt wished to reassert his position of dominance enjoyed under King [[Eadred]]. They describe a scene of sexual corruption probably of their own imagination, also descriibng the "diadem" of England flung upon the floor. This is a very early reference to possibly the first crown of England, which may be the same as the "diadem" given as a diplomatic gift to King Athelstan.
Eadwig banished Dunstan- who apparently saw the devil mocking him from the gates of Glastonbury Abbey, when nobody else could. Dunstan fled to Ghent, where he came into contact with the Benedictines.
Eadwig then married Aelgifu. He attempted to create his own party by generous grants to courtiers and the Church, but supporters of Dunstan plotted his return by backing Eadwig's brother Edgar. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Odo the Severe, annulled Eadwig's marriage and "put away his strumpet" on the grounds of being within 9 degrees of consanguinity.
Aelgifu was then facially disfigured and sold as a slave in Ireland. Eadwig's kingdom was split along the Thames with Edgar.
However the Irish took pity upon Aelgifu and she returned. Whilst travelling to meet Eadwig gher party was ambushed and she was murdered. Eadwig died shortly after hearing the news.We are not told how.
<center>
<table border = 1>
<tr>
<td width = 30% align = center>
Preceded by:<br>[[Eadred]]
<td width = 40% align = center>
[[English Monarchs]]
<td width = 30% align = center>
Succeeded by:<br>[[Edgar the Peaceable]]
</table>
</center>

[[category:Monarchs (medieval)]]

Eadric Streona

2007-11-28T16:52:19Z

Streona:

Much of what is known about '''Eadric''' comes from the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', whose editors do not seem to have liked him. However, he does seem to have had an unfortunate talent for choosing the winning side in conflicts, usually while the conflict was going on.

Allegedly he was born of ignoble stock, but this has been questioned with evidence that he was the son of [[Aethelweard the Historian]]. He made himself useful to [[King]] [[Aethelred Unraed|Ethelred]] II. Later chroniclers suggested that he had a hand in advising Ethelred to carry out the [[St.Brice's Day Massacre]] 0n 13 November 1002 in which Gunnhild, sister to Swein Forkbeard the [Dane]] was killed, something history has laid at Ethelred's door, and later, at a time when four of the king's closest councillors were assassinated.
Aelfhelm of Northumbria had been invited to a feast by Eadric Streona at Shrewsbury and subsequently taken out hunting in the forest, where he was separated and ambushed by Godwine Porthund, the public hangman of Shrewsbury, in the pay of Eadric. Ethelred then had Aelfhelm's sons Ufgeat and Wulfgeat blinded with hot pokers.
Later the ealdormen Morcar and Siferth were invited to a meeting to discuss their loyalty to the King, which appearwed to be resolved amicably, ending in a heavy drinking bout, upon which they were murdered by Eadric on Ethelred's orders.

Eadric was made [[ealdorman]] of the [[Mercia]]ns, in 1007, and given Ethelred's daughter, Eadgyth, in [[marriage]]. (One of those four, Aelfhelm of Northumbria, had a daughter, Aelgifu. At some point she became the handfast wife of [[Cnut]] son of Swein Forkbeard).

The next year, 1008CE, when Ethelred tried to raise a [[navy|fleet]] to defend against [[Viking]] attacks, Eadric is said to have advised against this, and then to have raised feuds amongst his family which distracted the king. The implication drawn by the Chroniclers was that, in this, Eadric was complicit with the raiders. The fleet (possibly storm damaged) failed to stop an invasion in 1009, and Ethelred only got rid of the raiders by paying [[tribute]] of around �48,000. The fleet had been led by Eadric's brother, [[Brithelm]] who accused his nephew, [[Wulfnoth Cild]] of unknown charges of treachery at [[Sandwich]]. Wulfnoth then mutinied with a smaller squadron of the fleet and Brithelm followed after him. Brithelm's fleet was wrecked in a storm and Wulfnoth's squadron attacked and burned them.

In 1011, Eadric appears to have been among the leaders in a move to ransom Aelfheah, [[Archbishop]] of [[Canterbury]], who had been captured by the Vikings, and tribute was paid, despite the Archbishop's insistence that no money be handed over, but resulted in the defection of the Danish leader and [[Jomsviking]]. [[Thorkel the Tall]].

During the invasion of [[Swein Forkbeard]], in 1013CE (which resulted in Ethelred's temporary abandonment of the [[throne]], Eadric appears to have been able to avoid the Chronicle-writers' eyes, and it is not clear whether he supported king or invader.

In 1015, Swein's son, [[Canute the Great|Cnut]] sailed for [[England]]. [[Aethelred Unraed|Ethelred]] summoned a great council of [[noble]]s in [[Oxford]]. Eadric promptly murdered two of them, Siferth and Morcar, for reasons unstated. Ethelred seized their property and arrested Siferth's widow, Ealdgyth. His son [[Edmund Ironside]], for reasons he saw good, promptly took the lady out of custody, married her, rode to Siferth's lands and, with the consent of the people there, took over Siferth's [[demesne]].

Cnut landed, and Eadric, with 40 [[ship]]s, deserted the king, and went over to him. As Cnut turned south, towards [[London]], after ravaging [[Northumbria]] and killing its [[earl]], Ethelred died and [[Edmund Ironside|Edmund]] his son was chosen as king. Cnut besieged London, but Edmund broke out, harried Cnut's forces, forcing him to break the [[siege]], and caught him at Otford in Kent, doing bloody slaughter. At this point Eadric swapped sides again and joined Edmund. Who, for reasons unguessable, accepted him, with the foreseeable consequence.

In battle at Ashingdon, Eadric went back over to Cnut, and Edmund was defeated, fleeing to Gloucestershire. At one point eadric is said to have killed a soldier who bore an unfortunate resemblance to Edmund and held his head up claiming that it was Edmund. Edmund and Cnut agreed to split the [[kingdom]], which lasted until Edmund died (or was murdered - on the toilet- possibly by Eadric) in November 1016.

Left as sole king, [[Canute the Great|Cnut]] gave Eadric the earldom of Mercia. Then he had second thoughts (perhaps remembering his wife Aelfgifu's father, and the suspicion that Eadric might have had a hand in his death), and (according to the Chroniclers) asked Eadric how he could be sure, given his past history of betrayals, that he would remain loyal this time. To ensure his loyalty Cnut had Eadric [[execution|executed]]. One version has it that Eadric was beating Cnut at chess, at which Cnut wanted to change the rules. In trhe ensuing row Eadric is said to have shouted that he had killed Edmund Ironsides for Cnut, which Cnut had known nothing about) and ordered one of his earls, Eric Hlathir to cut him down on the spot with an axe. Eadric's body was then thrown into the Thames and his head placed upon a pole in ironic fulfilment of Cnut's promise to "raise him up highher than anyone else".
Eadgyth, Cnut gave to another earl, Thorkell the Tall of East [[Anglia]], even while he himself was marrying Ethelred's widow, Aelgifu (or [[Emma of Normandy|Emma]], sister to Richard [[duke]] of [[Normandy]].

The names of his sons (said to have been implicated in the assassination of Edmund Ironsides) are not recorded, but [[Eadric the Wild]] is said to have been his nephew. His sons would have had a claim to the throne as Ethelred's grandsons.

A [[play]] ''Edmond Ironside'', written in the [[Elizabethan]] style, portrays Eadric as a villain of [[Richard III|Ricardian]] hue, making him hate [[Edmund Ironside|Edmund]] for reminding Eadric of his base birth, whilst [[Canute the Great|Cnut]] valued him heedless of his origins. It also features an incident in which Eadric produces what he says is Edmund's head in order to induce his troops to surrender. The play has sometimes been ascribed to [[Shakespeare]], but the attribution is widely challenged, not least on the grounds that the play is rambling and poorly organised. Eadric as a character is, however, acknowledged as a prototypical Elizabethan villain.

In December [[2005]] the [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4560716.stm BBC History Magazine] named Eadric Streona the worst Briton of the [[11th century|eleventh century]].

[[category:people (medieval)]][[category:10th century]][[category:11th century]]

User:Streona

2007-11-28T16:48:05Z

Streona:

I am interested primarily in English History 512-1066. I am also logged on in the same name on Wikipedia.

Eadric Streona

2007-11-28T16:45:01Z

Streona:

Much of what is known about '''Eadric''' comes from the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', whose editors do not seem to have liked him. However, he does seem to have had an unfortunate talent for choosing the winning side in conflicts, usually while the conflict was going on.

Allegedly he was born of ignoble stock, but this has been questioned with evidence that he was the son of [[Aethelweard the Historian]]. He made himself useful to [[King]] [[Aethelred Unraed|Ethelred]] II. Later chroniclers suggested that he had a hand in advising Ethelred to carry out the [[St.Brice's Day Massacre]] 0n 13 November 1002 in which Gunnhild, sister to Swein Forkbeard the [Dane]] was killed, something history has laid at Ethelred's door, and later, at a time when four of the king's closest councillors were assassinated.
Aelfhelm of Northumbria had been invited to a feast by Eadric Streona at Shrewsbury and subsequently taken out hunting in the forest, where he was separated and ambushed by Godwine Porthund, the public hangman of Shrewsbury, in the pay of Eadric. Ethelred then had Aelfhelm's sons Ufgeat and Wulfgeat blinded with hot pokers.
Later the ealdormen Morcar and Siferth were invited to a meeting to discuss their loyalty to the King, which appearwed to be resolved amicably, ending in a heavy drinking bout, upon which they were murdered by Eadric on Ethelred's orders.

Eadric was made [[ealdorman]] of the [[Mercia]]ns, in 1007, and given Ethelred's daughter, Eadgyth, in [[marriage]]. (One of those four, Aelfhelm of Northumbria, had a daughter, Aelgifu. At some point she became the handfast wife of [[Cnut]] son of Swein Forkbeard).

The next year, 1008CE, when Ethelred tried to raise a [[navy|fleet]] to defend against [[Viking]] attacks, Eadric is said to have advised against this, and then to have raised feuds amongst his family which distracted the king. The implication drawn by the Chroniclers was that, in this, Eadric was complicit with the raiders. The fleet (possibly storm damaged) failed to stop an invasion in 1009, and Ethelred only got rid of the raiders by paying [[tribute]] of around �48,000. The fleet had been led by Eadric's brother, [[Brithelm]] who accused his nephew, [[Wulfnoth Cild]] of unknown charges of treachery at [[Sandwich]]. Wulfnoth then mutinied with a smaller squadron of the fleet and Brithelm followed after him. Brithelm's fleet was wrecked in a storm and Wulfnoth's squadron attacked and burned them.

In 1011, Eadric appears to have been among the leaders in a move to ransom Aelfheah, [[Archbishop]] of [[Canterbury]], who had been captured by the Vikings, and tribute was paid, despite the Archbishop's insistence that no money be handed over, but resulted in the defection of the Danish leader and [[Jomsviking]]. [[Thorkel the Tall]].

During the invasion of [[Swein Forkbeard]], in 1013CE (which resulted in Ethelred's temporary abandonment of the [[throne]], Eadric appears to have been able to avoid the Chronicle-writers' eyes, and it is not clear whether he supported king or invader.

In 1015, Swein's son, [[Canute the Great|Cnut]] sailed for [[England]]. [[Aethelred Unraed|Ethelred]] summoned a great council of [[noble]]s in [[Oxford]]. Eadric promptly murdered two of them, Siferth and Morcar, for reasons unstated. Ethelred seized their property and arrested Siferth's widow, Ealdgyth. His son [[Edmund Ironside]], for reasons he saw good, promptly took the lady out of custody, married her, rode to Siferth's lands and, with the consent of the people there, took over Siferth's [[demesne]].

Cnut landed, and Eadric, with 40 [[ship]]s, deserted the king, and went over to him. As Cnut turned south, towards [[London]], after ravaging [[Northumbria]] and killing its [[earl]], Ethelred died and [[Edmund Ironside|Edmund]] his son was chosen as king. Cnut besieged London, but Edmund broke out, harried Cnut's forces, forcing him to break the [[siege]], and caught him at Otford in Kent, doing bloody slaughter. At this point Eadric swapped sides again and joined Edmund. Who, for reasons unguessable, accepted him, with the foreseeable consequence.

In battle at Ashingdon, Eadric went back over to Cnut, and Edmund was defeated, fleeing to Gloucestershire. At one point eadric is said to have killed a soldier who bore an unfortunate resemblance to Edmund and held his head up claiming that it was Edmund. Edmund and Cnut agreed to split the [[kingdom]], which lasted until Edmund died (or was murdered - on the toilet- possibly by Eadric) in November 1016.

Left as sole king, [[Canute the Great|Cnut]] gave Eadric the earldom of Mercia. Then he had second thoughts (perhaps remembering his wife Aelfgifu's father, and the suspicion that Eadric might have had a hand in his death), and (according to the Chroniclers) asked Eadric how he could be sure, given his past history of betrayals, that he would remain loyal this time. To ensure his loyalty Cnut had Eadric [[execution|executed]]. One version has it that Eadric was beating Cnut at chess, at which Cnut wanted to change the rules. In trhe ensuing row Eadric is said to have shouted that he had killed Edmund Ironsides for Cnut, which Cnut had known nothing about) and ordered one of his earls, Eric Hlathir to cut him down on the spot with an axe. Eadric's body was then thrown into the Thames and his head placed upon a pole in ironic fulfilment of Cnut's promise to "raise him up highher than anyone else".
Eadgyth, Cnut gave to another earl, Thorkell the Tall of East [[Anglia]], even while he himself was marrying Ethelred's widow, Aelgifu (or [[Emma of Normandy|Emma]], sister to Richard [[duke]] of [[Normandy]].

A [[play]] ''Edmond Ironside'', written in the [[Elizabethan]] style, portrays Eadric as a villain of [[Richard III|Ricardian]] hue, making him hate [[Edmund Ironside|Edmund]] for reminding Eadric of his base birth, whilst [[Canute the Great|Cnut]] valued him heedless of his origins. It also features an incident in which Eadric produces what he says is Edmund's head in order to induce his troops to surrender. The play has sometimes been ascribed to [[Shakespeare]], but the attribution is widely challenged, not least on the grounds that the play is rambling and poorly organised. Eadric as a character is, however, acknowledged as a prototypical Elizabethan villain.

In December [[2005]] the [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4560716.stm BBC History Magazine] named Eadric Streona the worst Briton of the [[11th century|eleventh century]].

[[category:people (medieval)]][[category:10th century]][[category:11th century]]

Eadric Streona

2007-11-28T16:33:07Z

Streona:

Much of what is known about '''Eadric''' comes from the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', whose editors do not seem to have liked him. However, he does seem to have had an unfortunate talent for choosing the winning side in conflicts, usually while the conflict was going on.

Allegedly he was born of ignoble stock, but this has been questioned with evidence that he was the son of [[Aethelweard the Historian]]. He made himself useful to [[King]] [[Aethelred Unraed|Ethelred]] II. Later chroniclers suggested that he had a hand in advising Ethelred to carry out the [[St.Brice's Day Massacre]] 0n 13 November 1002 in which Gunnhild, sister to Swein Forkbeard the [Dane]] was killed, something history has laid at Ethelred's door, and later, at a time when four of the king's closest councillors were assassinated.
Aelfhelm of Northumbria had been invited to a feast by Eadric Streona at Shrewsbury and subsequently taken out hunting in the forest, where he was separated and ambushed by Godwine Porthund, the public hangman of Shrewsbury, in the pay of Eadric. Ethelred then had Aelfhelm's sons Ufgeat and Wulfgeat blinded with hot pokers.
Later the ealdormen Morcar and Siferth were invited to a meeting to discuss their loyalty to the King, which appearwed to be resolved amicably, ending in a heavy drinking bout, upon which they were murdered by Eadric on Ethelred's orders.

Eadric was made [[ealdorman]] of the [[Mercia]]ns, in 1007, and given Ethelred's daughter, Eadgyth, in [[marriage]]. (One of those four, Aelfhelm of Northumbria, had a daughter, Aelgifu. At some point she became the handfast wife of [[Cnut]] son of Swein Forkbeard).

The next year, 1008CE, when Ethelred tried to raise a [[navy|fleet]] to defend against [[Viking]] attacks, Eadric is said to have advised against this, and then to have raised feuds amongst his family which distracted the king. The implication drawn by the Chroniclers was that, in this, Eadric was complicit with the raiders. The fleet (possibly storm damaged) failed to stop an invasion in 1009, and Ethelred only got rid of the raiders by paying [[tribute]] of around �48,000. The fleet had been led by Eadric's brother, [[Brithelm]] who accused his nephew, [[Wulfnoth Cild]] of unknown charges of treachery at [[Sandwich]]. Wulfnoth then mutinied with a smaller squadron of the fleet and Brithelm followed after him. Brithelm's fleet was wrecked in a storm and Wulfnoth's squadron attacked and burned them.

In 1011, Eadric appears to have been among the leaders in a move to ransom Aelfheah, [[Archbishop]] of [[Canterbury]], who had been captured by the Vikings, and tribute was paid, despite the Archbishop's insistence that no money be handed over, but resulted in the defection of the Danish leader and [[Jomsviking]]. [[Thorkel the Tall]].

During the invasion of [[Swein Forkbeard]], in 1013CE (which resulted in Ethelred's temporary abandonment of the [[throne]], Eadric appears to have been able to avoid the Chronicle-writers' eyes, and it is not clear whether he supported king or invader.

In 1015, Swein's son, [[Canute the Great|Cnut]] sailed for [[England]]. [[Aethelred Unraed|Ethelred]] summoned a great council of [[noble]]s in [[Oxford]]. Eadric promptly murdered two of them, Siferth and Morcar, for reasons unstated. Ethelred seized their property and arrested Siferth's widow, Ealdgyth. His son [[Edmund Ironside]], for reasons he saw good, promptly took the lady out of custody, married her, rode to Siferth's lands and, with the consent of the people there, took over Siferth's [[demesne]].

Cnut landed, and Eadric, with 40 [[ship]]s, deserted the king, and went over to him. As Cnut turned south, towards [[London]], after ravaging [[Northumbria]] and killing its [[earl]], Ethelred died and [[Edmund Ironside|Edmund]] his son was chosen as king. Cnut besieged London, but Edmund broke out, harried Cnut's forces, forcing him to break the [[siege]], and caught him at Otford in Kent, doing bloody slaughter. At this point Eadric swapped sides again and joined Edmund. Who, for reasons unguessable, accepted him, with the foreseeable consequence.

In battle at Ashingdon, Eadric went back over to Cnut, and Edmund was defeated, fleeing to Gloucestershire. At one point eadric is said to have killed a soldier who bore an unfortunate resemblance to Edmund and held his head up claiming that it was Edmund. Edmund and Cnut agreed to split the [[kingdom]], which lasted until Edmund died (or was murdered - on the toilet- possibly by Eadric) in November 1016.

Left as sole king, [[Canute the Great|Cnut]] gave Eadric the earldom of Mercia. Then he had second thoughts (perhaps remembering his wife Aelfgifu's father, and the suspicion that Eadric might have had a hand in his death), and (according to the Chroniclers) asked Eadric how he could be sure, given his past history of betrayals, that he would remain loyal this time. To ensure his loyalty Cnut had Eadric [[execution|executed]]. Eadgyth Cnut gave to another earl, Thorkell of East [[Anglia]], even while he himself was marrying Ethelred's widow, Aelgifu (or [[Emma of Normandy|Emma]], sister to Richard [[duke]] of [[Normandy]].

A [[play]] ''Edmond Ironside'', written in the [[Elizabethan]] style, portrays Eadric as a villain of [[Richard III|Ricardian]] hue, making him hate [[Edmund Ironside|Edmund]] for reminding Eadric of his base birth, whilst [[Canute the Great|Cnut]] valued him heedless of his origins. It also features an incident in which Eadric produces what he says is Edmund's head in order to induce his troops to surrender. The play has sometimes been ascribed to [[Shakespeare]], but the attribution is widely challenged, not least on the grounds that the play is rambling and poorly organised. Eadric as a character is, however, acknowledged as a prototypical Elizabethan villain.

In December [[2005]] the [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4560716.stm BBC History Magazine] named Eadric Streona the worst Briton of the [[11th century|eleventh century]].

[[category:people (medieval)]][[category:10th century]][[category:11th century]]

Talk:Eadric Streona

2007-11-28T16:05:15Z

Streona:

Eadric is a fascinating character- I do not accept that he was of ignoble birth. The parentage of Eadric has been variously attributed to [[Aethelric]], Ealdorman of Mercia- which would show he was not of "ignoble" birth, if true- or to Wulfric Spot. Both of these are unlukely. Professor Kelley's opinion is that "Aethelric" was a typo (or "quillo") for Aethelweard the Historian. However Aethelric was Eadric's predecessor as Ealdorman of Mercia, so it may be that it was later assumed that he was his father. In fact Aethelric was fired by King Ethelred for betraying naval secrets to the Danes and the post left vacant for several years- his actual son was Aelfgar, whom the king had blinded. Wulfric Spot was the brother of Aelfhelm, whom Streona assassinated for Ethelred and this is not mentioned in the ASC.
Furthermore [[Brihthelm]] is described in the ASC as both Eadric Streona's brother and the uncle of Wulfnoth Cild. Wulfnoth is believed to be the son of [[Aethelmaer the Great]] and he was the son of Aethelweard the Historian, which implies that he was Eadric's brother and shared the same father.
Eadric supposed ignoble birth is probably written as an insult by [[Florence of Worcester]]. [[William of Malmesbury]] descibes him as "the refuse of mankind and a reproach unto the English" and these monks were quite a snobbish crowd anyway. Much of the [["Sermo ad Lupem"]] is concerned with the lower orders not knowing their place.
[[Aethelweard the Historian]] rather loudly announces his pedigree as descended from King Ethelred I, which is more royal than the king. Also Ethelred II gave him his daughter to marry, which, no matter how smart he was (which even his detractors acknowledge) would be unlikely were he of "low birth".
Aethelweard and [[St.Alfheah]] were sent on diplomatic missions to the Danes and these appear to have been related to the payment of Danegeld (which was apparently Aethelweard's idea). Later Eadric attempted to ransom Alfheah from the Danes at Greenwich. The Danes however killed him whilst they were drunk in contravention of orders from their leader Thorkel the Tall. As Thorkel saw he was losing his grip, he defected to the English and thereafter was closely l;inked with Eadric Streona. It seems very likely therefore that Eadric engineered this defection. I suggest that Eadric was a go-between between the Danes and the English king Ethelred II and a capable Mr. Fixit for Ethelred (especially when he wanted someone assassinated. Occupying such an ambiguous position led to his eventual treachery. Streona seems to have been loyal to Ethelred until Ethelred declined into terminal illness.
His descent into treachery was chiefly directed against [[Edmund Ironsides]], who pursued a vigorous confrontational policy against the Danes in contrast to the appeasement evidently favoured by Eadric. Moreover Edmund rather pointedly married the wife of one of the Ealdorman Eadric had murdered ([[Siferth]])and set himself up as king, even though his father Ethelred was not yet dead - technically treason.
The cause of Eadric's downfall at the order of Cnut was said to be his admission of having arranged the assassination of Ironsides. Cnut had a ruthless and treacherous streak every bit as bad as Streona, but he was made a Saint.
The death of Ironsides in 1015 appears from various accounts, to have happened on the toilet either by Streona's son(s) hiding in the pit with a sword or according to [[Geoffery of Gaimar]]
by booby trapping the toilet seat with a crossbow. The first referenc4 to crossbows in England is at the Battle of Hastings, where the wages bill for crossbowmen attests to their presence.However a primitive form from Sweden called the Skane lockbow would have been known to the Danes, especially thorkel the Tall, who was Streona's close associate.
[[User:Streona|Streona]] 03:02, 29 November 2007 (EST)

Talk:Eadric Streona

2007-11-28T16:02:48Z

Streona:

Eadric is a fascinating character- I do not accept that he was of ignoble birth. The parentage of Eadric has been variously attributed to [[Aethelric]], Ealdorman of Mercia- which would show he was not of "ignoble" birth, if true- or to Wulfric Spot. Both of these are unlukely. Professor Kelley's opinion is that "Aethelric" was a typo (or "quillo") for Aethelweard the Historian. However Aethelric was Eadric's predecessor as Ealdorman of Mercia, so it may be that it was later assumed that he was his father. In fact Aethelric was fired by King Ethelred for betraying naval secrets to the Danes and the post left vacant for several years- his actual son was Aelfgar, whom the king had blinded. Wulfric Spot was the brother of Aelfhelm, whom Streona assassinated for Ethelred and this is not mentioned in the ASC.
Furthermore [[Brihthelm]] is described in the ASC as both Eadric Streona's brother and the uncle of Wulfnoth Cild. Wulfnoth is believed to be the son of [[Aethelmaer the Great]] and he was the son of Aethelweard the Historian, which implies that he was Eadric's brother and shared the same father.
Eadric supposed ignoble birth is probably written as an insult by [[Florence of Worcester]]. [[William of Malmesbury]] descibes him as "the refuse of mankind and a reproach unto the English" and these monks were quite a snobbish crowd anyway. Much of the [["Sermo ad Lupem"]] is concerned with the lower orders not knowing their place.
[[Aethelweard the Historian]] rather loudly announces his pedigree as descended from King Ethelred I, which is more royal than the king. Also Ethelred II gave him his daughter to marry, which, no matter how smart he was (which even his detractors acknowledge) would be unlikely were he of "low birth".
Aethelweard and [[St.Alfheah]] were sent on diplomatic missions to the Danes and these appear to have been related to the payment of Danegeld (which was apparently Aethelweard's idea). Later Eadric attempted to ransom Alfheah from the Danes at Greenwich. The Danes however killed him whilst they were drunk in contravention of orders from their leader Thorkel the Tall. As Thorkel saw he was losing his grip, he defected to the English and thereafter was closely l;inked with Eadric Streona. It seems very likely therefore that Eadric engineered this defection. I suggest that Eadric was a go-between between the Danes and the English king Ethelred II and a capable Mr. Fixit for Ethelred (especially when he wanted someone assassinated. Occupying such an ambiguous position led to his eventual treachery. Streona seems to have been loyal to Ethelred until Ethelred declined into terminal illness.
His descent into treachery was chiefly directed against [[Edmund Ironsides]], who pursued a vigorous confrontational policy against the Danes in contrast to the appeasement evidently favoured by Eadric. Moreover Edmund rather pointedly married the wife of one of the Ealdorman Eadric had murdered ([[Sigebert]])and set himself up as king, even though his father Ethelred was not yet dead - technically treason.
The cause of Eadric's downfall at the order of Cnut was said to be his admission of having arranged the assassination of Ironsides. Cnut had a ruthless and treacherous streak every bit as bad as Streona, but he was made a Saint.
The death of Ironsides in 1015 appears from various accounts, to have happened on the toilet either by Streona's son(s) hiding in the pit with a sword or according to [[Geoffery of Gaimar]]
by booby trapping the toilet seat with a crossbow. The first referenc4 to crossbows in England is at the Battle of Hastings, where the wages bill for crossbowmen attests to their presence.However a primitive form from Sweden called the Skane lockbow would have been known to the Danes, especially thorkel the Tall, who was Streona's close associate.
[[User:Streona|Streona]] 03:02, 29 November 2007 (EST)