in Normandy freely raided Brittany, but no fresh settlements were made and the Viking here had become a recognised part of the Frankish ost.
We must now turn our attention to the Danish settlements in England. We have seen that already by the year 880 they had attained the same measure of independence which was granted to Normandy in 911, but their later fortunes were by no means so peaceful or uneventful. The Danes in East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria were not willing to confine themselves to their settlements, and soon Edward the Elder and his sister Aethelfleda, the "Lady of the Mercians," established a line of fortified towns in Southern Mercia preparatory to an advance on Danish territory. By the year 917 all was ready. Derby fell in that year and Leicester in 918 before the advance of Aethelfleda, while in the same years Northampton, Stamford and Nottingham were captured by Edward, and East Anglia made its submission. By the end of his reign Edward was master of the whole realm, including English, Danes and Norwegians. These last were settled chiefly in Northumbria, where we find towards the close of the ninth and in the early years of the tenth century a line of kings closely associated with the Norse kingdom of Dublin. The Norsemen were often in alliance with the Scots, and matters came to a crisis in 937 when a great confederation of Scots, Strathclyde Welsh, and Norsemen was formed against Aethelstan. The confederates were defeated in the famous battle of Brunanburh (perhaps the modern Birrenswark in Dumfriesshire), and England was freed from its greatest danger since the days of King Alfred and his struggle with Guthrum (O.N. Guðormr) and the sons of Ragnarr Loðbrók. The Norse leaders retired for a time, but trouble was renewed in 940 by an Anlaf (? Olaf Guðfriðson)[1]. Next year the famous Anlaf Sihtricsson (O.N. Olafr Sigtryggson), nicknamed "Cuaran," is found at York. He marched south and endeavoured to conquer the district of the Five Boroughs. King Edmund advanced to their help, and soon drove Anlaf out of Northern Mercia and relieved the Danish boroughs from Norse oppression. During the next twelve years Northumbria was in a state of anarchy. At times Anlaf was acknowledged as king, at others English sovereignty was recognised. Twice during this period Eric Blood-axe, son of Harold Fairhair, appeared as king, but was finally expelled in 954. Later Scandinavian tradition tells us that Aethelstan was on friendly terms with Harold Fairhair, and that when Eric was expelled from Norway in 934 he was welcomed to England by Aethelstan and given charge of Northumbria, where he ruled at York. Edmund was less favourably disposed towards Norwegians and appointed one Olaf in his stead. Ultimately Eric was defeated and killed by his rival. Eric may have been appointed to rule Northumbria after the defeat of Anlaf-Olaf at Brunanburh, while the appointment of Olaf as ruler of Northumbria may refer to the partition of England between Olaf and Edmund in 942, With the expulsion of
- ↑ These Anlafs are variously identified; but cf. infra, p. 368.
