Military Timeline (Part 2)

900 Constantine becomes ruler of Scotland - Constantine claimed the  throne of Scotland when Donald II was killed in battle.

902 Norwegians expelled from Dublin.- The Norse that had occupied Dublin  were expelled with nowhere to go. Over the next few years they attacked  Wales, Scotland and North West England. This year was  the great fight at the Holme between the men of Kent and the Danes.  (This year Elswitha died.)

905 Athelwold killed Athelwold and Eric the Dane were killed in battle  against Edward the Elder. This year Ethelwald enticed  the army in East-Anglia to rebellion; so that they overran all the land  of Mercia, until they came to Cricklade, where they forded the Thames;  and having seized, either in Bradon or thereabout, all that they could  lay their hands upon, they went homeward again. King Edward went after,  as soon as he could gather his army, and overran all their land between  the foss and the Ouse quite to the fens northward. Then being desirous  of returning thence, he issued an order through the whole army, that  they should all go out at once. But the Kentish men remained behind,  contrary to his order, though he had sent seven messengers to them.  Whereupon the army surrounded them, and there they fought. There fell  Aldermen Siwulf and Sigelm; Eadwold, the king's thane; Abbot Kenwulf;  Sigebriht, the son of Siwulf; Eadwald, the son of Acca; and many also  with them; though I have named the most considerable. On the Danish side  were slain Eohric their king, and Prince Ethelwald, who had enticed  them to the war. Byrtsige, the son of Prince Brihtnoth; Governor Ysop;  Governor Oskytel; and very many also with them that we now cannot name.  And there was on either hand much slaughter made; but of the Danes there  were more slain, though they remained masters of the field. Ealswitha  died this same year; and a comet appeared on the thirteenth day before  the calends of November

911 Rollo founds the Norman Dynasty - Rollo, in return for land in  Northen France, swore allegiance to the French king Charles III.  Charles' motives were to use a settled band of Vikings in his country to  help prevent more Viking attacks in the future. The hope that Charles  may have had of removing the Vikings at a later date proved impossible  to implement.
This year the army in Northumberland broke the truce, and despised every  right that Edward and his son demanded of them; and plundered the land  of the Mercians. The king had gathered together about a hundred ships,  and was then in Kent while the ships were sailing along sea by the  south-east to meet him. The army therefore supposed that the greatest  part of his force was in the ships, and that they might go, without  being attacked, where that ever they would. When the king learned on  enquiry that they were gone out on plunder, he sent his army both from  Wessex and Mercia; and they came up with the rear of the enemy as he was  on his way homeward, and there fought with him and put him to flight,  and slew many thousands of his men. There fell King Eowils, and King  Healfden; Earls Ohter and Scurf; Governors Agmund, Othulf, and Benesing;  Anlaf the Swarthy, and Governor Thunferth; Osferth the collector, and  Governor Guthferth.
(Then the next year after this died Ethelred, lord of the Mercians.)  This year died King Edward at Farndon in Mercia; and Elward his son died  very soon after this, in Oxford. Their bodies lie at Winchester. And  Athelstan was chosen king in Mercia, and consecrated at Kingston. He  gave his sister to Otho, son of the king of the Old-Saxons. St. Dunstan  was now born; and Wulfhelm took to the archbishopric in Canterbury. This  year King Athelstan and Sihtric king of the Northumbrians came together  at Tamworth, the sixth day before the calends of February, and  Athelstan gave away his sister to him.
(This year Bishop Wulfhelm was consecrated. And that same year King  Edward died.)

914 Vikings return to Ireland Vikings landed at Waterford in Ireland and  established a base.

924 Jul 17 Edward the Elder dies - Edward the Elder died (at Farndon in  Mercia). He was succeeded by his son Athelstan. This  year, before midsummer, went King Edward with an army to Nottingham; and  ordered the town to be repaired on the south side of the river,  opposite the other, and the bridge over the Trent betwixt the two towns.  Thence he went to Bakewell in Peakland; and ordered a fort to be built  as near as possible to it, and manned. And the King of Scotland, with  all his people, chose him as father and lord; as did Reynold, and the  son of Eadulf, and all that dwell in Northumbria, both English and  Danish, both Northmen and others; also the king of the  Strathclydwallians, and all his people.
(This year Edward was chosen for father and for lord by the king of the  Scots, and by the Scots, and King Reginald, and by all the  North-humbrians, and also the king of the Strath-clyde Britons, and by  all the Strath-clyde Britons.)(This year King Edward died among the  Mercians at Farndon; and very shortly, about sixteen days after this,  Elward his son died at Oxford; and their bodies lie at Winchester. And  Athelstan was chosen king by the Mercians, and consecrated at Kingston.  And he gave his sister to Ofsae (Otho), son of the king of the  Old-Saxons.)

925 Sep Athelstan becomes King of Wessex and Mercia At this point  Aethelstan was not king of all England, and had to wait until 927 to  become overlord of all other kings.


926 Sihtric marries Aethelstan's sister - To help consolidate his links  to the North, Athelstan married his sister to Sihtric, the Norse King of  York. This year appeared fiery lights in the northern  part of the firmament; and Sihtric departed; and King Athelstan took to  the kingdom of Northumbria, and governed all the kings that were in this  island: -- First, Howel, King of West-Wales; and Constantine, King of  the Scots; and Owen, King of Monmouth; and Aldred, the son of Eadulf, of  Bamburgh. And with covenants and oaths they ratified their agreement in  the place called Emmet, on the fourth day before the ides of July; and  renounced all idolatry, and afterwards returned in peace

927 Athelstan defeats the Vikings When Sihtric died he left an heir  Olaf. The king of the Norse in Dublin arrived to assist Olaf but  Athelstan was ready for any trouble that they could do and defeated  them. York was seized and its fortifications destroyed . Athelstan  becomes overlord King. With the death of Sihtric, the Dane's leader in  the North, Athelstan then drove out his sons. This left Athelstan the  master of Northumbria. His attacks on the Welsh and the submission of  Constantine the King of Scotland and Owen the King of Cumberland led to  him becoming overlord.This year King Athelstan expelled  King Guthfrith; and Archbishop Wulfhelm went to Rome.

933 Edwin is drowned - Accused of conspiring against his own family  Edwin, Aethelstan's own brother, is put on a ship without sail or rudder  to drift. Edwin throws himself into the sea to avoid the horrors of  starvation. Edwin's accuser it later found to invented the crime and is  put to death. The whole story could be a fabrication and comes from the  works by William of Malmesbury.This year died Bishop  Frithestan

934 Athelstan invades Scotland - Athelstan put together a large army and  invaded Scotland destroying it as he advanced north. This  year went King Athelstan into Scotland, both with a land-force and a  naval armament, and laid waste a great part of it.

937 Danish invasion - The Dane Anlaff (possibly Sihtric's son), Owen of  Cumberland and Constantine, King of the Scots sailed into the Humber to  invade Nothumbria. Athelstan's speed at raising his army that marched  north put paid to any plans of invasion and a fierce battle occurred  (Brunanburgh near Beverley ?) in which many Danish kings and earls were  killed. (This year King Athelstan and Edmund his brother  led a force to Brumby, and there fought against Anlaf; and, Christ  helping, had the victory: and they there slew five kings and seven  earls.)

939 Oct Edmund succeeds his brother Athelstan Edmund, the half-brother  of Athelstan, became King of England at the age of 18.

942 Death of Fulk the Red - Fulk I, count of Anjou, also known as Fulk  the Red, died. He was succeeded by his son, also called Fulk.
Here
Edmund king,
of Angles lord,
protector of friends,
author and framer
of direful deeds.
o'erran with speed
the Mercian land.
whete'er the course
of Whitwell-spring,
or Humber deep,
The broad brim-stream,
divides five towns.
Leicester and Lincoln.
Nottingham and Stamford,
and Derby eke.
In thraldom long
to Norman Danes
they bowed through need,
and dragged the chains
of heathen men;
till, to his glory,
great Edward's heir,
Edmund the king,
refuge of warriors,
their fetters broke.

943 Dunstan and Glastonbury. - Dunstan moved to Glastonbury where he  placed the monastery under the rule of the Benedictine Order and became  the abbot there.
Malcolm I becomes ruler of Scotland. Constantine abdicated in 943 to  retire to a monastery. Malcolm I became ruler of Scotland. This year Anlaf stormed Tamworth; and much slaughter was  made on either hand; but the Danes had the victory, and led away with  them much plunder. There was Wulfrun taken, in the spoiling of the town.  This year King Edmund beset King Anlaf and Archbishop Wulfstan in  Leicester; and he might have conquered them, were it not that they burst  out of the town in the night. After this Anlaf obtained the friendship  of King Edmund, and King Edmund then received King Anlaf in baptism; and  he made him royal presents. And the same year, after some interval, he  received King Reynold at episcopal hands. This year also died King  Anlaf..
944 Edmund captures York. - Edmund I took control of York and the  surrounding area. He removed sacred relics from the remains of Whitby  Abbey and moved them to Glastonbury Abbey.
This year King Edmund reduced all the land of the  Northumbrians to his dominion, and expelled two kings, Anlaf the son of  Sihtric, and Reynold the son of Guthferth.

946 May Eadred becomes King of Wessex. He followed his brother Edmund  who was murdered. Edmund left two sons, Eadwig and Edgar, who were both  too young to rule. This year King Edmund died, on St.  Augustine's mass day. That was widely known, how he ended his days: --  that Leof stabbed him at Pucklechurch. And Ethelfleda of Damerham,  daughter of Alderman Elgar, was then his queen. And he reigned six years  and a half: and then succeeded to the kingdom Edred Atheling his  brother, who soon after reduced all the land of the Northumbrians to his  dominion; and the Scots gave him oaths, that they would do all that he  desired.

948 Eadred destroys the monastery at Ripon. This year  King Edred overran all Northumberland; because they had taken Eric for  their king; and in the pursuit of plunder was that large minster at  Rippon set on fire, which St. Wilferth built. As the king returned  homeward, he overtook the enemy at York; but his main army was behind at  Chesterford. There was great slaughter made; and the king was so wroth,  that he would fain return with his force, and lay waste the land  withal; but when the council of the Northumbrians understood that, they  then abandoned Eric, and compromised the deed with King Edred.

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Italics - Anglo Saxon Chronicles

Copyright: As part 1