THE ANGLO-VIKING RULERS

Guthrum/aethelstan (c.879–90) – the leader of the Scandinavian invaders defeated at the Battle of Edington in 871. Guthrum submitted to Alfred following his defeat. The resulting treaty stipulated that Guthrum and his leading ‘officers’ be baptised as Christians, before permanently leaving Wessex into territory they would occupy peacefully – the ‘Danelaw’. As part of his ‘Christianisation’, Guthrum took the regnal name ‘Aethelstan’ and went into East Anglia – which he appears to have ruled over peacefully. The vast majority of coins struck under his rule copy the two-line type of Alfred, though there are a few among these that attempt to render the name ‘Aethelstan’ – with varying degrees of success.

Cnut of Northumbria (c.900–5) – far more obscure than his 11th-century namesake, who reputedly tried to hold back the waves at Bosham to prove to his followers that he did not possess divine power; this Northumbrian Cnut remains something of an enigma. Aside from a few scant mentions of his name in Medieval Norse sagas compiled four centuries after his death, there are no other literary records mentioning him. Approximately 3,000 pennies struck in his name were found in the 1840 Cuerdale hoard, alongside issues of one ‘Sieferth’ and indeed some other coins displaying both the names ‘Cnut’ and ‘Sieferth’. Sieferth is just as obscure, though some scholars conflate him with Cnut – arguing that they are the same person. Cnut’s coins are redolent with Christian imagery, one iconic type demonstrating his name laid out in the manner of crossing oneself, accompanied by the inscription ‘MIRABILIA FECIT’ (He has done wonderful things) – taken from Psalm 98 (Figure 1).

Regnald I (c.918–21) – in the year 902, the Irish (Gaelic) kings recaptured the city of Dublin from the Vikings. This event seems to have stimulated a diaspora of the upper classes, who variously appear to have fled to both the continent and England. Regnald appears to have been caught up in this; his name is mentioned in documentary sources as fighting naval battles against the Irish and becoming ruler of the Isle of Man from c.914 onwards. Landing in England in 918, his quasivictory over Scottish and English forces at the Battle of Corbridge would allow him to take over York largely unopposed. His existence was tolerated by Edward the Elder (who was perhaps keen to see the Danelaw riven with infighting and instability); Regnald would rule over York for only three years before dying in unclear circumstances. Although coins of his do survive, they are extremely rare – consisting of three distinct issues. The last of these is extremely distinctive, depicting a bow-andarrow design on its obverse face as opposed to his portrait.

Sihtric I (c.921–27) – another elite Scandinavian displaced by the Irish conquest of Dublin, Sihtric seems to have spent some of his early years ruling in the eastern Danelaw. Evidence for this comes in the form of a few coins within the Cuerdale hoard bearing the inscription ‘SIHTRIC COMES’ (Earl Sihtric) – implying he had achieved some degree of regional standing (Figure 2). Returning to re-conquer Dublin in 917, he set himself up as king – but, according to the Irish Annals, left in 920 for Northumbria, where Regnald (a relation)

ruled. Taking control after the latter’s death in 921, one of Sihtric’s first acts was to launch a destructive raid into Cheshire – and it seems to be the case that under his rule, the domain of the York Vikings was expanded south of the Humber. This appears to have caused sufficient concern that King Aethelstan of England (as recorded in the Anglo-saxon Chronicle for 926) met Sihtric at Tamworth to agree some sort of marriage alliance to a West Saxon princess in exchange for his co-operation. However, Sihtric died only a year later. His character has enjoyed something of a renaissance in modern culture, appearing as a character in the television series The Last Kingdom – based on the book by Bernard Cornwell.

Anlaf Guthfrithsson (c.939–41) – a member of the Norse dynasty ruling over Dublin, Anlaf Guthfrithsson took the throne in 934 after the death of his father – who had briefly controlled Northumbria in 927 before being driven out (Figure 3). Perhaps keen to do better, Anlaf attempted an invasion of Northumbria in 937 with the aid of King Constantine III of Scotland – though he was decisively defeated at the Battle of Brunanburgh by King Aethelstan – the same man who had defeated his father a decade before. Retreating to Ireland to lick his wounds, Anlaf would return to England in 939 after Aethelstan’s death, taking advantage of the subsequent instability to impose his control over Northumbria. Negotiating his position with Aethelstan’s successor, Eadmund, Anlaf would soon come to occupy the original ‘Five Boroughs’ of the Danelaw – but died in 941 after a short reign.