Hello everyone and welcome to the History of England episode 6, the Mikael Hayethan

Hira, a great heathen army.

Last time we heard about Athelwolf, a not inconsiderable king, an epithet which sounds

very much in the style of Seller and Yateman, I'm very proud.

We heard how, with the help of his lads, Athelwolf was actually pretty successful in holding

about the growing Viking tide, defeating the largest invasion yet in 851.

Now no one was pretending that the successes of 851 were expected to be the end of the

affair, but it's signal that things were hairy but manageable, manageable hairy.

In 854 the Vikings were back, with an ominous development when the Viking armies stayed

over winter at the Isle of Shepi, that's in the mouth of the Thames.

Although there is no information about what they did during the winter, it's ominous since

it seems to indicate a greater intent to stay more permanently.

It meant they could start campaigning earlier and of course, it did no king's reputation

any good whatsoever to have a bunch of hairy thugs staying as uninvited guests on his

hood.

By no means the least of Athelwolf's achievements though, especially in the context of Anglo-Saxon

England's inheritance laws, roughly characterised as, devil take the hindmost, was at the

succession on his death in 856 was to be smooth and uncontested.

This is even more remarkable since he had five sons.

Now the agreement was made that each brother should succeed the other if they were unsprogged.

It was useful they agreed all this, given the general lack of sprogs, with one notable

exception, an exception so notable that it will be noted later, hopefully you have noted

...