Life of the Holy Blessed King of England Alfred the Great

Ethelwulf
(Old English: Ethelwulf, Athelwulf; 795/810 - January 13, 858) - king of Wessex in 839-858. Son of Egbert and Redburga. From childhood, his father destined the weak and careless Ethelwulf for clergy and entrusted his upbringing to the priests. Throughout his life he remained a zealous Christian, a patron of the clergy and had great respect for the Pope. He founded many monasteries and made numerous donations to temples.

Biography

Viking attacks

The entire twenty-year reign of Aethelwulf passed in fierce wars with the Danes and Norwegians. In the first battle of Sharmut he was defeated. Taking advantage of Aethelwulf's defeat, the Welsh joined the Vikings in their fight against Wessex. Every year the Vikings appeared in one place of the country, then in another, landed on the shore and caused terrible devastation. In 842, the chronicles report, “ there was a great massacre in London, in Quentowick and in Rochester

».

Beginning of Danish colonization of England

Meanwhile, significant changes had occurred in Danish tactics. Already in 840 they first arrived in England with horses. In 850, for the first time in the fall, they did not sail to their homeland, but remained to winter in England on the Isle of Sheppey on the Thames River. Thus began the Danish colonization of England. The Vikings established fortified settlements on the islands of Sheppey, Thanet, and Portland and from there made constant raids on the lands of Aethelwulf.

One of the most prominent Viking leaders of this time was the famous Dan Ragnar Lothbrok ( Leather Pants

), about whose exploits a separate saga and records in English chronicles have been preserved. He stood out among his warriors for his enormous height, terrible strength and incredible cruelty, and his clothes consisted of animal skins, for which he received his nickname. He made several successful trips to England and believed in his invincibility. On his last trip to Northumbria, he went with only a small detachment, but encountered the royal army. All his warriors were killed, and Ragnar himself, on the orders of Ella II, was thrown into a pit with snakes, where he died, singing battle songs. The defense against the Danes was led by King Egbert of Wessex. In the fight against the Normans, the king received great support from his son Æthelstan, whom he appointed king of Kent in 839. With his help, Æthelwulf won several important victories over the Danes, but Æthelstan was killed in 851.

Battles with the Vikings

In 851 the Normans, with 350 ships, entered the Thames estuary, took and sacked London and Canterbury, and then put to flight Beorthwulf, king of Mercia, with the entire army he had brought out to confront them. After this, the pagan army moved to Surrey, to an area located on the south bank of the Thames River west of Kent. At the Battle of Ackley (modern Oakley) in Surrey, Æthelwulf personally led his troops and managed to win an important victory. Immediately after this victory he made a successful campaign in Wales. But raids and battles continued every year until Aethelwulf inflicted a crushing defeat on the Vikings at the mouth of the Perret River. There was a lull for several years, and the Vikings hardly disturbed Aethelwulf's possessions (which cannot be said about other territories). Even after his death, the Vikings did not attack Wessex for another eight years.

Aethelwulf's pilgrimage

In 853, Æthelwulf sent his youngest son Alfred to Rome, who was crowned King of England by Pope Leo IV, and in 855, after the death of his wife Osburga, he went on the pilgrimage himself. He lived in Rome for about a year and donated rich gifts to St. Peter's Church. On the way back, he lived for a long time with the French king Charles II the Bald and on October 1, 856 married his daughter Judith, who at that time was still a 13-year-old girl. After this journey, Aethelwulf established in England the collection of “St. Peter’s mite,” that is, he presented the Church with a tenth share of the taxes and duties collected in the country.

Feuds with son

The last years of Aethelwulf's reign were marred by strife with his sons from his first marriage to Osburga. The eldest of his surviving sons, Ethelbald, who ruled the country during his father's pilgrimage, was outraged by the fact of Alfred's coronation and, with the support of the nobility, rebelled against his father. Ethelwulf, too weak and pious to argue about earthly power, concluded an agreement with his son on the division of the state in 856, according to which Ethelbald received the best western part of the kingdom, and Ethelwulf retained the worst, eastern, most susceptible to attacks by the Normans.

Æthelwulf died on 13 January 858 and was buried at Steyning, and his ashes were later transferred to Winchester. He reigned for 18 and a half years.

Family

In 835, Æthelwulf married Osburga, the daughter of his butler Oslak. This Oslak was a descendant of Stuf and Witgar, two brothers and earls, who received possession of the Isle of Wight from their uncle, King Cerdic, and his son Cynric, their cousin. Æthelwulf had six children by his wife: a daughter Æthelswitha (died 888), who was married in April 853 to Burgred, king of Mercia, and five sons - Æthelstan, Æthelbald, Æthelbert, Æthelred I and Alfred the Great.

From his second wife, Judith, he had a daughter, also Judith, the wife of the German Count Eticho.

Æthelwulf's heir was his son Æthelbald.

Screen adaptation

The author of the series “Vikings” belongs to screenwriter and producer Michael Hirst, who previously worked on the films “The Tudors” and “The Borgias”, “Elizabeth” and “The Golden Age”. The pen meter skillfully mixes eras, using popular quotes from other centuries. The work had to rely on unstable and inaccurate sources; the film included elements of sagas, fables, and fragments of monastic chronicles.

Actor Moe Dunford

The first episode of a multi-part film about the Scandinavians was released in 2013 on the History TV channel. The image of Prince Aethelwulf was embodied by actor Moe Dunford, who played in “The Tudors” and “Game of Thrones.” Dunford admitted in an interview that he considered it flattering to have the opportunity to play an English prince in an international film.

And once the actor shared with reporters:

“Michael constantly discusses our heroes with us and is open to suggestions. We manage to create them together. Michael does a great job of conveying historical reality, but I like that the show is essentially about family, about the relationships between fathers and sons. My character's relationship with King Egbert is the heart of the story."

Literature

• Ethelwulf // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
• [replay.waybackmachine.org/20080511203747/www.genealogia.ru/projects/lib/catalog/rulers/6.htm Northern Europe] // [replay.waybackmachine.org/20080511203747/www.genealogia.ru/projects/lib/ catalog/rulers/0.htm Rulers of the World. Chronological and genealogical tables on world history in 4 volumes] / Author-compiler V.V. Erlikhman. - T. 2.

K:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (type: not specified)

Excerpt characterizing Aethelwulf (King of Wessex)

“And one more thing, please, my dear, sharpen my saber; dull it... (but Petya was afraid to lie) it was never sharpened. Can this be done? - Why, it’s possible. Likhachev stood up, rummaged through his packs, and Petya soon heard the warlike sound of steel on a block. He climbed onto the truck and sat on the edge of it. The Cossack was sharpening his saber under the truck. - Well, are the fellows sleeping? - said Petya. - Some are sleeping, and some are like this. - Well, what about the boy? - Is it spring? He collapsed there in the entryway. He sleeps with fear. I was really glad. For a long time after this, Petya was silent, listening to the sounds. Footsteps were heard in the darkness and a black figure appeared. - What are you sharpening? – the man asked, approaching the truck. - But sharpen the master’s saber. “Good job,” said the man who seemed to Petya to be a hussar. - Do you still have a cup? - And over there by the wheel. The hussar took the cup. “It’ll probably be light soon,” he said, yawning, and walked off somewhere. Petya should have known that he was in the forest, in Denisov’s party, a mile from the road, that he was sitting on a wagon captured from the French, around which the horses were tied, that the Cossack Likhachev was sitting under him and sharpening his saber, that there was a big black spot to the right is a guardhouse, and a bright red spot below to the left is a dying fire, that the man who came for a cup is a hussar who was thirsty; but he knew nothing and did not want to know it. He was in a magical kingdom in which there was nothing like reality. A large black spot, perhaps there was definitely a guardhouse, or perhaps there was a cave that led into the very depths of the earth. The red spot might have been fire, or maybe the eye of a huge monster. Maybe he’s definitely sitting on a wagon now, but it’s very possible that he’s not sitting on a wagon, but on a terribly high tower, from which if he fell, he’d fly to the ground for a whole day, a whole month - keep flying and never reach it . It may be that just a Cossack Likhachev is sitting under the truck, but it may very well be that this is the kindest, bravest, most wonderful, most excellent person in the world, whom no one knows. Maybe it was just a hussar passing for water and going into the ravine, or maybe he just disappeared from sight and completely disappeared, and he was not there. Whatever Petya saw now, nothing would surprise him. He was in a magical kingdom where everything was possible. He looked at the sky. And the sky was as magical as the earth. The sky was clearing, and clouds were moving quickly over the tops of the trees, as if revealing the stars. Sometimes it seemed that the sky cleared and a black, clear sky appeared. Sometimes it seemed that these black spots were clouds. Sometimes it seemed as if the sky was rising high, high above your head; sometimes the sky dropped completely, so that you could reach it with your hand. Petya began to close his eyes and sway. Drops were dripping. There was a quiet conversation. The horses neighed and fought. Someone was snoring. “Ozhig, zhig, zhig, zhig...” the saber being sharpened whistled. And suddenly Petya heard a harmonious choir of music playing some unknown, solemnly sweet hymn. Petya was musical, just like Natasha, and more than Nikolai, but he had never studied music, did not think about music, and therefore the motives that unexpectedly came to his mind were especially new and attractive to him. The music played louder and louder. The melody grew, moving from one instrument to another. What was called a fugue was happening, although Petya did not have the slightest idea what a fugue was. Each instrument, sometimes similar to a violin, sometimes like trumpets - but better and cleaner than violins and trumpets - each instrument played its own and, not yet finishing the tune, merged with another, which started almost the same, and with the third, and with the fourth , and they all merged into one and scattered again, and again merged, now into the solemn church, now into the brightly brilliant and victorious. “Oh, yes, it’s me in a dream,” Petya said to himself, swaying forward. - It's in my ears. Or maybe it's my music. Well, again. Go ahead my music! Well!..” He closed his eyes. And from different sides, as if from afar, sounds began to tremble, began to harmonize, scatter, merge, and again everything united into the same sweet and solemn hymn. “Oh, what a delight this is! As much as I want and how I want,” Petya said to himself. He tried to lead this huge choir of instruments. “Well, hush, hush, freeze now. – And the sounds obeyed him. - Well, now it’s fuller, more fun. More, even more joyful. – And from an unknown depth arose intensifying, solemn sounds. “Well, voices, pester!” - Petya ordered. And first, male voices were heard from afar, then female voices. The voices grew, grew in uniform, solemn effort. Petya was scared and joyful to listen to their extraordinary beauty. The song merged with the solemn victory march, and drops fell, and burn, burn, burn... the saber whistled, and again the horses fought and neighed, not breaking the choir, but entering into it. Petya didn’t know how long this lasted: he enjoyed himself, was constantly surprised by his pleasure and regretted that there was no one to tell it to. He was awakened by Likhachev's gentle voice. - Ready, your honor, you will split the guard in two. Petya woke up. - It’s already dawn, really, it’s dawning! - he screamed. The previously invisible horses became visible up to their tails, and a watery light was visible through the bare branches. Petya shook himself, jumped up, took a ruble from his pocket and gave it to Likhachev, waved, tried the saber and put it in the sheath. The Cossacks untied the horses and tightened the girths. “Here is the commander,” said Likhachev. Denisov came out of the guardhouse and, calling out to Petya, ordered them to get ready. Quickly in the semi-darkness they dismantled the horses, tightened the girths and sorted out the teams. Denisov stood at the guardhouse, giving the last orders. The party's infantry, slapping a hundred feet, marched forward along the road and quickly disappeared between the trees in the predawn fog. Esaul ordered something to the Cossacks. Petya held his horse on the reins, impatiently awaiting the order to mount. Washed with cold water, his face, especially his eyes, burned with fire, a chill ran down his back, and something in his whole body trembled quickly and evenly. - Well, is everything ready for you? - Denisov said. - Give us the horses. The horses were brought in. Denisov became angry with the Cossack because the girths were weak, and, scolding him, sat down. Petya took hold of the stirrup. The horse, out of habit, wanted to bite his leg, but Petya, not feeling his weight, quickly jumped into the saddle and, looking back at the hussars who were moving behind in the darkness, rode up to Denisov. - Vasily Fedorovich, will you entrust me with something? Please... for God's sake... - he said. Denisov seemed to have forgotten about Petya’s existence. He looked back at him. “I ask you about one thing,” he said sternly, “to obey me and not interfere anywhere.” During the entire journey, Denisov did not speak a word to Petya and rode in silence. When we arrived at the edge of the forest, the field was noticeably getting lighter. Denisov spoke in a whisper with the esaul, and the Cossacks began to drive past Petya and Denisov. When they had all passed, Denisov started his horse and rode downhill. Sitting on their hindquarters and sliding, the horses descended with their riders into the ravine. Petya rode next to Denisov. The trembling throughout his body intensified. It became lighter and lighter, only the fog hid distant objects. Moving down and looking back, Denisov nodded his head to the Cossack standing next to him.

The plot of the series "Vikings"

The History Project spans nearly 30 years, and the second half of the final season may take the action even further. The year 793 begins. The Norwegian bond (a free man who owns his own farm - KR) Ragnar Lothbrok invites Jarl Haraldson, the leader of the Kattegat settlement, to go west to explore new lands. The ruler did not appreciate the initiative and refused to provide Ragnar with boats for his raids. Then Lodbrok resorts to the help of his friend, shipwright Floki, who builds him a faster ship. Then he secretly assembles a team, which included Floki himself and Rangar’s brother Rollo, and sails to the shores of Northumbria (northern Britain), leaving his wife Lagertha at home to look after the children. Haraldson, of course, does not intend to put up with this state of affairs, so he plans punishment for those who dare to disobey him. Then, over the course of six seasons, we talk about the life and numerous adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, his wives, children and opponents against the backdrop of historical cataclysms at the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries.