"AD. 793. This year came dreadful fore-warnings over the
land of the Northumbrians, terrifying the people most woefully:
these were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and
whirlwinds, and fiery dragons flying across the firmament. These
tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine: and not
long after, on the sixth day before the ides of January in the
same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable
havoc in the church of God in Holy-island, by rapine and
slaughter." Entry for the year 793 in the
Anglo Saxon chronicle. |
793 is predominantly used as the starting point of
‘viking’ history in British schools and colleges
today; although it was not the first time that raiders from the
seas had landed in Britain, it was their most significant visit
in the eighth century.
Six years before
Lindisfarne was raided the Anglo Saxon Chronicle’s records
for A.D. 787. that "This year King Bertric took Edburga the
daughter of Offa to wife. And in his days came first three ships
of the Northmen from the land of robbers. The reve then rode
thereto, and would drive them to the king's town; for he knew not
what they were; and there was he slain. These were the first
ships of the Danish men that sought the land of the English
nation." |
Undeniably barbaric and savage in its execution it
never fails to capture the imagination. Thus 793 provided the
perfect dramatic entrance into the fascinating history of the
Viking empires and particularly their role in British history.
Especially for school children the thought of such a sudden and
brutal attack is fascinating, particularly when they come to see
the priory and imagine just how powerful an impact that raid
would have had on such a remote and peaceful community.
Blood-thirsty warriors tearing up Christians and carrying
prisoners off to their fierce-looking ships during daring raids
are the ‘best bits’ about history lessons at school-
the more blood the better it seems. The 793 raid on Lindisfarne
should not however be confined to school curricula and treated as
just another revision topic or reference point to be forgotten as
soon as the exams are over. A terrible day for Lindisfarne it may
have been, but nevertheless a very important one, and it also
serves as an excellent introduction to a fascinating people and
their ‘period’ in European history.
The raid on Lindisfarne took place at a time when things
could not have been worse according to the Anglo Saxon chronicle.
One might ask then, why was everything so nasty in Northumbria at
the end of the eighth century? The explanation seemed to be,
simply, that the Northumbrians brought it upon themselves. One of
the champions of this particular point of view was the scholar
Alcuin - In a letter to the bishop Higbald of Lindisfarne
not long after the attack he writes:
"Either this is the beginning of greater tribulation, or
else the sins of the inhabitants have called it upon them. Truly
it has not happened by chance, but it is a sign that it was well
merited by someone. But now, you who are left, stand manfully,
fight bravely, defend the camp of God."
Alcuin (735-804) is relied on heavily as a source
for the late eighth century. He was hand-picked to serve as an
advisor to the emperor Charlemagne and invited to act as head of
his palace school having established a reputation as being one of
Europe’s primary scholars. Alcuin was perfectly placed to
observe the unfolding of the later eighth century and was a
contemporary source for the early stages of a "Viking
age."
|
One might think that this was the last thing anyone
would want to hear and certainly the last thing anyone
who’s kinsman had been slaughtered or taken in the attack
would want to consider- but it was by no means a malicious letter
and neither was it meant to be a cynical review or an exercise in
eighth century propaganda. (It should be noted however that
Alcuin was a long way from Northumbria when he sent this
letter.)
The logic behind this thinking was that for something this
bad to happen to arguably the holiest site in eighth century
Britain, then the local community had to have done something very
bad themselves in order to evoke the wrath of God. A quick glance
through the Anglo Saxon chronicle’s entries for the years
preceding 793 is a catalogue of a series of very un-Christian
behaviour. One could be forgiven for thinking that they had
strayed into the pages of Richard III or maybe Macbeth; usurpers,
murders and political assassination were the order of the day,
even hairstyles and fashion sense had become reckless and unholy
apparently.
"Consider carefully, brothers, and examine diligently,
lest perchance this unaccustomed and un-heard of evil was merited
by some unheard-of evil practice... Consider the dress, the way
of wearing the hair, the luxurious habits of the princes and
people." Alcuin to bishop Higbald of
Lindisfarne (780-803) |
By 793 enough was enough. Certainly for Alcuin, (who
was a bit of a square after all) what happened next should not
have been such a terrible surprise. In 793 it seemed that
discipline meted out by God had a new face, in fact it spoke a
new language and favoured a new form of transport and all of this
scared the living daylights out of the Anglo Saxons.
These Viking raiders fitted the bill very well for anyone
in the eighth century casting around for a hellish and bloody
band of people - reportedly bringing the punishment of God down
on the heads of wayward Christians. I would however humbly submit
at this point an anecdote for some of the popular beliefs that
surround the raiders of 793 and their Viking kinsmen.
Not a single
raider would have been seen that day to have been sporting a
lovely pair of horns on either side of their helmet; neither
would these raiders have been hell-bent on destroying absolutely
everything and anybody that they could find; and there was
certainly neither time nor inclination for scribbling down the
phrase "A furore Normanorum, libera nos Domine" (From the
fury of the north-men, God deliver us.)
Firstly, horns on one’s helmet are completely and
utterly useless in combat. They offer no protection and any
impact upon them would jar the helmeted head severely and the
best that they could expect from this would be cricked neck. Add
to this the matter of the rigging and the large square sail of a
ship filled with warriors and perhaps slaves and you will almost
certainly become entangled in something or have someone’s
eye out!
The image
of a mindless barbarian should also be addressed. There should be
no attempt to deny that the raiders did inflict terrible
slaughter and injury on many people and that there were certainly
many deaths on Lindisfarne that day. It would however be
inaccurate to suggest that these raiders lacked any purpose other
than complete devastation of Lindisfarne and all those within the
community. One interpretation of the timing of this raid might
suggest that it was a much more organised affair rather than a
lucky strike. Sailing right across the North Sea and arriving at
Lindisfarne first time in the middle of January is somewhat hard
to believe. It is possible that they may have launched from
further North along the coast. Having gathered what information
they could about Lindisfarne they could then plan a more
articulate attack. It is also possible then that they knew of
Lindisfarne’s wealth, the size of the community there and
the nature of that community - monasteries were popular targets
as they were seldom well defended by their location or by other
means and they often possessed items of great value usually as
part of their religious ceremony.
The ides of January is the 11th of January according to
the Roman calendar and at this time of year the weather
conditions and light levels would not have lent themselves to a
foreign sea-borne raiding party. |
This scenario would thus indicate that there was order
and reason in the way the raid was carried out. Furthermore to
literally bleed Lindisfarne dry at the first instance would
prevent any future chances of collecting either more plunder or
slaves on a return visit. Lindisfarne showed that Vikings had a
flare for organised crime. They were far from the mindless
savages that they are sometimes portrayed as, and the crew that
reached Lindisfarne in 793 were only the beginnings of something
much larger and only displayed a fraction of their potential.
Vikings from Norway and Denmark came in greater numbers
across the sea after 793 but I doubt that even with the increase
in frequency the impact of a Viking raid was diluted or ever came
to be an acceptable occurrence. The Anglo Saxons feared the
Vikings but there is no evidence to suggest that this fear was
popularly expressed with the slogan "A furore normanorum,
libera nos domine." It might be considered as a case of
falsifying the evidence; we can assume that the Anglo Saxons were
terrified of these invaders and this phrase sounds exactly like
the sort of thing they would be saying at the time. I humbly
suggest that this style of assumptive or estimated history be
avoided at all cost, especially when it is expressed as factual
evidence.
Encouraging those who are interested in history to think
for themselves and apply theories and possibilities from their
own ideas is essential to an enjoyment of any historical study or
investigation. Thus to assume that during the 793 raid, members
of the Lindisfarne community had the time and opportunity, or
even the inclination to mutter this Latin phrase is an assumption
based on little or no evidence. It would also be steering too
close to even more manufactured myths about the Vikings for my
liking anyway.
AD 793 is well worth remembering then. It was a bad day
for Lindisfarne and Northumbria but it was good day to be a
Viking raider. It also serves as a good launch pad into Viking
history. I would urge anyone with the opportunity to go and stand
by the priory on Lindisfarne and imagine for themselves what it
would have been like there in 793 - for the home side (the
Lindisfarne community) and for the visitors (Viking raiders). For
a comprehensive history on the Vikings, their origins, their
impact, how they sailed here and elsewhere - I would definitely
start with a brilliant book called ‘Viking Empires’,
a collective work by professors Frederik Pedersen, Angelo Forte
and Richard Oram.
Finally, please forget any unhappy memories about history
lessons at school at the hands of bland and uninspired teachers.
Avoid the unscrupulous and hastily produced
‘reconstructed’ history programs that are allowed to
abound unchecked on television - unless you are viewing them
purely for entertainment value. History has far more to offer you
than this. There are hundreds of very good books on Viking
history, fantastic museums, plenty of courses at universities and
colleges and most importantly your children or grandchildren. If
you want to learn from someone who is inspired, excited and has
as a very good basic knowledge of Viking history - pull your son,
grandson or nephew away from the TV or Xbox - before they reach
about 11 years old preferably - and ask them how the Vikings got
here, where they settled and for extra effect how they went about
dispatching their prisoners.
Nick Attwood MA
Many visiting historians liken the Viking
attack on Lindisfarne to the attrocity of the '911' terrorist
attack on the New York trade centre - or even worse. Let us hope
that 1200 years of history does not soften the lessons learned.
Our thanks to N. Attwood MA for putting this article together for
us.
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