The result was a payment of 10,000 Roman pounds (3,300 kg) of “The Battle of Maldon” was a poem describing a conflict between the English and Vikings. The battlefield from the air. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Tolkien, is that the poem is an elegy on a terrible loss and that the monastic author pinpoints the cause of the defeat in the commander's sin of pride, a viewpoint bolstered by the fact that ofermōd is, in every other attested instance, used to describe Satan's pride. The Battle of Maldon took place three weeks before Whitsun in 991 AD near Maldon beside the River Blackwater in Essex, England, during the reign of Aethelred the Unready. In the Cotton library, the "Battle of Maldon" text had been in Otho A xii. However, Byrhtnoth's close connections with Ely imply that 10 August is more likely to be the accurate date. The result was a payment of 10,000 Roman pounds (3,300 kg) of silver, the first example of Danegeld in England. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Another viewpoint, most notably held by J. R. R. Tolkien, is that the poem is an elegy on a terrible loss and that the monastic author pinpoints the cause of the defeat in the commander's sin of pride, a viewpoint bolstered by the fact that ofermōd is, in every other attested instance, used to describe Satan's pride. 'The Battle of Maldon' is the name conventionally given to a surviving 325-line fragment of Old English poetry. The poem recorded the names of English deserters as The Embroidery took three years to complete, and its seven panels were all the work of local volunteers. Though chivalrous, Byrhtnoth's move was foolhardy in the extreme. The prize exhibit is The Maldon Embroidery, a 42-foot long wall-hanging depicting scenes from Maldon's history. The poem, of which only fragments remain, tells the tale of Byrhtnoth in stirring detail, and it is through this poem that most of what we know about the battle has been preserved. Connect with us on Facebook. Norse invaders and Norse raiders differed in purpose. English Heritage Battlefield Report, pp. In the aftermath of the Battle of Maldon, the Vikings exacted tribute from local leaders in Hampshire, Kent, and the west of present-day England. The Vikings were attempting to make peace with the English but the leader who is known as Byrhtnoth refuses the offer and in turn decided to go to battle with the Vikings. We also look at the role she played in uniting England. 7–12 of MS Rawlinson B. Aethelred was forced to give them five tons of silver, paid for by a special tax which came to be known as danegeld. To add insult to injury, it is stated that Godric had often been given horses by Byrhtnoth, a detail that, especially during the time period, would have had Godric marked as a coward and a traitor, something that could have easily been described as worse than death. At the time of battle, English royal policy of responding to Viking incursions was split. The Life of Oswald, written in Ramsey around the same time as the battle, portrays Byrhtnoth as a great religious warrior, with references to Biblical prophetic era figures.[6]. The Battle of Maldon took place three weeks before Whitsun in 991 AD near Maldon beside the River Blackwater in Essex, England, during the reign of Aethelred the Unready.Earl Byrhtnoth and his thegns led the English against a Viking invasion. The Vikings offer the cynical suggestion that the English may buy their peace with golden rings. Its Cotton Tiberius manuscript (Version B) says for the year 991: Her wæs Gypeswic gehergod, ⁊ æfter þæm swyðe raþe wæs Byrihtnoð ealdorman ofslagan æt Meldune. Other sites have been suggested, one being Osea Island which can be reached by a causeway, but is too far from the mainland to shout across. His troops, except for personal household guards, were local farmers and villagers of the Essex Fyrd militia. Northey Island seems to fit this description. Viking raiders had made frequent raids in search of plunder on the coast of Britain since the 5th century or earlier. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Wars Throughout History: Fact or Fiction? Battle was joined, but an Englishman called Godrīc fled riding Byrhtnoth's horse. "The Battle of Maldon" is the name conventionally given to a surviving 325-line fragment of Old English poetry. The Life of Oswald, written in Ramsey, England around the same time as the battle, portrays Byrhtnoth as a nearly supernatural, prophetic figure. by Wilfred Berridge, Old English text of the Battle of Maldon poem, The Battle of Maldon, with photograph of the famous causeway, Maldon and Moria: on Byrhtnoth, Gandalf, and heroism in The Lord of the Rings, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Maldon&oldid=980421990, Registered historic battlefields in England, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from April 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Old English (ca. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Earl Byrhtnoth and his thegns led the English against a Viking invasion. An account of the battle, embellished with many speeches attributed to the warriors and with other details, is related in an Old English poem which is usually named The Battle of Maldon. Brihtnoth refused to pay the invaders to leave, challenging them to battle instead, even agreeing to let them cross the causeway to do so. The Battle of Maldon refers to an alliterative poem glorifying an actual historical engagement which shares its name. Therefore, if Byrhtnoth's forces had kept the Vikings off by guarding the causeway or by paying them off, Olaf would likely have sailed farther up the river or along the coast, and raided elsewhere. It is thought that the battle was relatively even, but turned in the Viking’s favour when Brihtnoth was killed. The Vikings withdrew and asked to be allowed to pass unhindered to dry ground so that they could continue the fight on a fair basis. 450-1100)-language text, Articles containing Old Norse-language text, Articles containing Swedish-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. It is incomplete, its beginning and ending both lost. Updates? The battle was commemorated in an Old English heroic poem, which described the war parties aligned on either side of a stream in Essex. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Verio Santoro, La ricezione moderna della Battaglia di Maldon: Tolkien, Borges e gli altri, Roma: Aracne 2012. [8] More precise details come from The Battle of Maldon narrative, which describes how the Vikings established themselves on an island, separated from the mainland by a tidal inlet which could be crossed by a "bridge" or "ford" at low tide.
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