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🚩 Battle of Maldon (991) is described as “a story of guts and glory; patriot versus enemy”. The aftermath of this hard fought battle was the first time that ‘Danegeld’ was paid to the Vikings, which marked the beginning of a new era of Viking raids in England. Bribe in exchange for peace motivated an evergrowing number of Viking raiders, which eventually led to the full conquest of England by Cnut the Great in 1016 – you can also watch that video here: https://youtu.be/HZ4-1E9ep3s
📢 Narrated by David McCallion
🚩Special thanks to Bert’s Battles for providing the source for this video: https://www.youtube.com/@BertsBattles
🚩Animated hand and knife by “Crude Animation”: https://youtu.be/CVA-FcOC5uY
🎼 Music:
Epidemic Sounds
Filmstro
#history #documentary #medieval
The unusually cold North Sea wind slices inland on the morning of August 11 991, as Byrhtnoth, Ealdorman of Essex, rides hard towards a suspected landing point of a Viking army. Alongside him are his Saxon household troops and his thegns with their retainers. In full armor,
Weapons and shields, these men form the vanguard of an army of local farmers armed with rudimentary weapons. With the port town of Maldon disappearing in the distance behind him, Byrhtnoth continues towards the Blackwater estuary. There, his scouts spotted a Viking host that disembarked on the Northey island.
At low tide the Blackwater River exposes a natural causeway that connects the island to the mainland. Such natural defenses made for a good temporary base that Vikings often looked for and used in their raids, for it provided protection to their ships and camp.
The Viking leader Olaf starts gathering the norsemen along the shoreline, intending to push across the causeway and proceed northwest to raid the town of Maldon. But as the water subsides, on the other side of the land bridge the Saxon host emerges from the
Treeline and moves to block the crossing. Byrhtnoth is leading his men from the front, ready to cut down the first Viking that sets foot across the causeway. TOWERING well over 6 feet in height, his long swan-white hair swirling in the wind, the ealdorman is an imposing figure.
Facing him across the narrow land bridge, Olaf addresses the Saxons and promises to leave England if the earl paid him with gold and armour. Byrhtnoth remains stone-faced and replies that he WILL pay him, but with spear tips and sword blades.
The days when the Great Heathen army under the iconic sons of Ragnar Lothbrok terrorised the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were long over. The last Viking king in England, Eric Bloodaxe, had been driven out of Northumbria in 954. But in 975 the young kingdom of England suffered
The premature death of its capable king Edgar, aged just thirty-two. Nicknamed “the Peaceful”, his sixteen-year reign was marked by relative stability and peace from Viking attacks. But if Edgar’s reign had overseen a period of calm, his own successors would oversee
A bloody period of decline. His son by his first wife, the thirteen-year-old Edward was crowned King of the English, supported by many great men of the kingdom. But the late king had married multiple times. His third and final wife Ælfthryth had borne
Him another son Æthelred and she was keen for HIM to succeed her husband instead of Edward. In the coming years she used her status as Edgar’s widow to split the support amongst the nobles. Complicating matters was the possibility that Edward was in fact illegitimate,
Which (if true) would have emphasised Æthelred’s stronger right to the throne. Worse, Edward’s hold on power was further undermined by his own fiery conduct, the temperamental teenage king being prone to violent outbursts, which alienated many of his supporters. Over the next three years,
The rival factions were unable to come to an agreement, with political intrigue and division rife and the threat of civil war itself looming large over the kingdom. But on the 18th of March 978, the matter of succession was decided conclusively
And bloodily at Corfe Castle, where Edward came to meet Ælfthryth. Arriving at the gate with other senior men by his side, Edward was offered a cup of mead (possibly by Ælfthryth herself), which provided the distraction and the cue for one of the men in her
Entourage to stab the young king from behind. In the ensuing commotion Edward’s horse bolted, causing the dying young king to be dragged off as he bled out. This shocking and bloody March Day marked the beginning of Æthelred’s reign. Although,
He was just twelve-years-old at the time and played no part in his half-brother’s demise. The real power behind the throne was his mother, Ælfthryth. And it wasn’t until Æthelred reached his majority six years later in 984 that he began ruling the kingdom independently. But after YEARS
Of poisonous political intrigue the king’s reign began in an atmosphere of suspicion. The prestige of the crown was damaged and would not be restored throughout his reign, which hampered his ability to govern the kingdom effectively. This would earn Æthelred his notorious nickname “Unraed”,
Usually mis-translated as “the Unready”, but more precisely as “no counsel” or “ill-advised”. Worse, throughout the 980s the Danish raiders had returned. Small-scale Viking attacks along the south-eastern and southern coasts became more frequent. Although lacking support to mount a unified response,
Æthelred did respond upon learning that across the English channel the Normans offered shelter to the Danes returning from raids on England. He landed in the Cotentin peninsula and challenged Richard I of Normandy. Open hostility was only avoided thanks to papal intervention and a
Peace treaty was ratified in 991. Although no major battle occurred, Æthelred’s expedition showed that he is QUITE “ready” to act when necessary, despite his nickname suggesting otherwise. However, in the summer of 991, a large fleet of dragon-headed longboats appeared off the shores of Kent. They ravaged Folkstone, before proceeding
Around the southeast coast of England. Their next target was the bustling town of Ipswich. The fleet of nearly 100 ships was possibly commanded by none other than Olaf Tryggvason, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair and future king of Norway. Around mid-July Ipswich was viciously sacked. The ships carrying 4000 norse
Warriors then worked their way down the Essex coast to the Blackwater estuary. It was here on Northey island that the raiders paused, with their next target being the busy and prosperous town of Maldon. Their leader Olaf may have been shocked to
Learn that an English host was waiting for them nearby on the mainland. Byrthnoth, ealdorman of Essex had assembled his own household of warriors, which were complimented by the local fyrd, called to defend their lands. In all, Byrthnoth mustered around 3000 men. But this ealdorman was certainly no pampered Anglo-Saxon aristocrat.
The “white haired” Byrthnoth, though around 60 years old, was a towering presence that day, standing at over six feet in height. He had holdings in ten shires, making him – after King Æthelred himself – the second or third most important man in England.
Olaf, however, wrongly assumed that he was confronted by a spineless leader and brazenly demanded tribute from the stony-faced Saxon host. The island on which the Norse camped was connected in low tide to the mainland by a small land
Bridge. Although the Viking position was strong from a defensive standpoint, Olaf’s host was not in the business of conquest. They would have preferred to avoid a battle and ferry their loot back home at minimal loss of life and limb. But Byrthnoth had the home advantage and
Was in no rush to confront Olaf’s raiders. But confront them he would, for there would be NO tribute paid that day. Left with no choice but to TEST the resolve of the defenders, the Norse readied their blades. As the tide ebbed, Olaf’s men RUSHED across the causeway. Byrthnoth checked
The advance of the enemy by sending in his own retinue of elite troops to hold them. As the first blows were exchanged on the wet sand of the causeway, the Saxons had the better of the fighting. The initial Viking attack was indeed beaten back,
With Olaf hastily ordering a retreat back to Northey to avoid further unnecessary losses. The Saxons cheered seeing the invaders returning to the island, their morale boosted by the quick victory. At this point it would’ve been perfectly reasonable for the Viking leader to cut his losses, board his longboats and select another
Viable, less well-defended town to raid. Why risk funnelling his warriors down a narrow causeway to break on the shields of the angry and now emboldened local defenders? Amazingly, he didn’t need to. Olaf brazenly shouted a challenge to Byrthnoth that he
Should allow his Norsemen to cross the causeway to decide the contest on equal ground, like “REAL” men. Unbelievably, Byrthnoth agreed. Whether it was bravado, or perhaps a calculated decision on the East Saxon leader’s part to allow the crossing so as to destroy the raiders once and
For all before they could do anymore damage elsewhere will never be truly known. Whatever the case, Olaf and his troops eagerly streamed across the land bridge, screaming their battle cries. It was then that the two forces clashed in the traditional manner: two great shield walls splintering against one another,
Each man attempting to hack an opening that could be exploited and widened to break the enemy. Perhaps shockingly to Olaf, Byrthnoth’s mostly fyrd militia held their own and more than posed a tricky challenge to the axes and blades of the Norse contingent, killing many where they stood.
The Vikings were well and truly suffering a proper beating. But despite the valiant effort of the defenders, the decisive moment came when the East Saxon commander himself was fatally wounded, while masterfully wielding his golden-hilted sword. Byrthnoth sunk beneath the shields of his host,
His loyal companions forming around him to defend his body and ultimately falling at the side of their lord. Another man known as Godric, however, who had also received Byrthnoth’s gifts and favours took this opportunity to shamefully flee on his own lord’s horse,
Sealing his fate to death and legend. Many men who knew the horse, erroneously assumed that Byrthnoth himself had fled and panic began to crumble the East Saxon shieldwall. Yet even then hope remained: a simple fyrdsman, known as Dunnere remarkably managed to rally a significant
Number around him to fight on. However, defeat was by then inevitable as the Norse began exploiting the cracks in the Saxon line. In a last stand, a certain Edward the Tall – another loyal retainer of Byrthnoth – broke out of his own shieldwall to hack desperately at
His foes in an attempt to avenge his fallen lord, but was – in his turn – cut down. The savage battle finally ended, with losses on BOTH sides so high that Olaf, despite breaking the English lines, withdrew from his attack on Maldon itself. This was no
Doubt a consolation for the locals, whose blood had reddened the earth that day. The locals waited until the next day to retrieve the body of Byrthnoth. They found his head was cut off and taken, but the Vikings left his golden-hilted sword by his side.
This set-back for Olaf was only a temporary respite overall, with Viking raids continuing in later months. The raiders later defeated a fleet sent from East Anglia and the only solution was to buy them off. It was Sigeric, Archbishop of Canterbury,
Who suggested the payment of a tax to the Danes in exchange for peace, which would become infamously known as the “Danegeld.” King Æthelred paid Olaf a colossal amount to leave England, some 10,000 Roman pounds of silver, which is around 3,3 tons.
But the price of temporary peace for the kingdom only grew. Viking raids of 994, 1002, 1007, and 1012 resulted in progressively higher danegelds. Worse, such appeasement only exacerbated the problem, with ever increasing raids eventually giving way to full-blown conquest by Cnut the Great.
After defeating Æthelred’s son King Edmund Ironside at Assandun, Cnut collected 27 tons of silver from all over England, as well as additional 3.9 tons of silver from the city of London alone. Cnut’s victory led to the full Danish conquest of the Anglo-Saxons and the dispossession of the native House of Wessex.
40 Comments
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🚩 Battle of Maldon (991) is described as "a story of guts and glory; patriot versus enemy". The aftermath of this hard fought battle was the first time that 'Danegeld' was paid to the Vikings, which marked the beginning of a new era of Viking raids in England. Bribe in exchange for peace motivated an evergrowing number of Viking raiders, which eventually led to the full conquest of England by Cnut the Great in 1016 – you can also watch that video here: https://youtu.be/HZ4-1E9ep3s
Its not accurate
3:27 this is going to open a whole new era of porn …and click bait …
another awesome video!
the statue of earl byrthnoth stands proudly to this day, a true warrior like the men of alfred the greats time, maybe byrthnoth would of thought him facing down the danes would finally have athelred to pick up the sword and fight like the wessex kings of old going back to kings like Ecgberht, Æthelwulf who fought the danes many times and won great victories like the great alfred would do as then as his son and grandson would, giving the danes slaughter then gold but there was still athelred's son edmund ironside to come who defeated cnut and pushed him back to the sea only to be betrayed by his own country men at the key battle of assadun, eadric streyona betrayed his people for cnut evn though edmund forgave him for his snakeful ways but cnut had him killed on christmas day for betraying his lord and kin.
My favorite pRt ia finding out HM is an accelerator. But wha'eva. "We will adapt"
I mean we somehpw managed to survive mass extinction and plagues etc. Piece of cake, right. It shouldnt be difficult to handle near or total societal collapse.
There was a lot I had no idea about in this video and it was refreshing
Interestingly, similar thing happened in ancient China. B.C. 638, Soong's king waited until enemy crossed river, ready their formation. It's a famous story in China and Korea.
What a sad but VERY IMPORTANT battle
England just viking vs viking all the way down.
10-0-12 = 1012
I just love how rich and deep the history is of the UK
Fuck ai
Please for the love of god dont promote AI. That stuff is garbage that rips off others work. Further many people are idiots and cant distinguish AI from real work.
Thank you.
My heart sinks every time I hear
“But was, in his turn, cut down”
It's easy today to criticize him for letting the Vikings cross, but in those days it was all about honor and glory. Dude's manhood was challenged in front of his men, so he really had no choice but to let the Vikings cross.
❤❤❤
Can never get enough of History Marche. You always make me want to go and play Total War.
They had cooler names back then.
The AI move is a remarkably bad idea. History coverage and documentation DEMANDS careful fact-checking, editing, and dilligence that these generators are unfortunately just not capable of yet. I really do hope you reconsider, you've got some of the most quality content on this platform and im very worried to see it decline
It is my understanding that Anglos came to England around the year 600 from Denmark and so it is rather ironic that they were attacked by the same people from Denmark roughly 400 years later.
Can you make a video to khlid bn alwaleed history thanks
engagement
I've been there, that estuary is muddy, massive, and the tide comes in and out insanely fast. I'd hate to fight a battle there.
Interresting that they did not take the great leader golden sword so they did respect him for not backing off and also giving them a fair fight. I wonder if other Vikings respect enemies like that as great warriors and did something for them just like this.
You are doing a Great Job
All Im gonna say about the AI sponsorship is I hope everyone that’s complaining helps support the channel.
Thanks
Great video! This tale is so legendary that it's almost hard to believe. I have to wonder at the motivation for surrendering such a strong position to allow the Vikings to cross to give battle? ⚔🔥🪓
sacrifice to the algorithm
That was an odd decision to let the vikings cross and form up on the shore. Chad move that didn't pay off
I think whoever titled this video goofed. This certainly wouldn't have been the first time the Anglo-Saxons paid Danegeld to the Vikings.
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Best channel for History!
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I like how you describe they circumstances and what they might have feelt.
It connects me more to a distant part of history then „Oh he fought in 34 battles, laid 40 woman and build 5 churches.”
That video AI just seems like cheap plagorism. I get that you guys need the sponser but it's unfortunate.
I'm a Kenyan in East Africa, but thanks to this channel I know way more of our colonisers' history than of my own nation's history. Keep it up.
Accuracy is important. In the family tree you show, Aethelred has the same dates as his father. In a history video this is pretty unforgivable. Maybe proof read this stuff before posting? Other than that, good work.