WHY THE PEOPLE OF THE TENTH CENTURY PRAYED THE LORD TO PROTECT THEM FROM
THE FURY OF THE NORSEMEN
IN the third and fourth centuries, the Germanic tribes of central Europe
had broken through the defences of the Empire that they might plunder
Rome and live on the fat of the land. In the eighth century it became
the turn of the Germans to be the "plundered-ones." They did not
like this at all, even if their enemies were their first cousins, the
Norsemen, who lived in Denmark and Sweden and Norway.
What forced these hardy sailors to turn pirate we do not know, but
once they had discovered the advantages and pleasures of a buccaneering
career there was no one who could stop them. They would suddenly descend
upon a peaceful Frankish or Frisian village, situated on the mouth of
a river. They would kill all the men and steal all the women. Then they
would sail away in their fast-sailing ships and when the soldiers of
the king or emperor arrived upon the scene, the robbers were gone and
nothing remained but a few smouldering ruins.
During the days of disorder which followed the death of Charlemagne, the
Northmen developed great activity. Their fleets made raids upon every
country and their sailors established small independent kingdoms along
the coast of Holland and France and England and Germany, and they even
found their way into Italy. The Northmen were very intelligent They
soon learned to speak the language of their subjects and gave up the
uncivilised ways of the early Vikings (or Sea-Kings) who had been very
picturesque but also very unwashed and terribly cruel.
Early in the tenth century a Viking by the name of Rollo had repeatedly
attacked the coast of France. The king of France, too weak to resist
these northern robbers, tried to bribe them into "being good." He
offered them the province of Normandy, if they would promise to stop
bothering the rest of his domains. Rollo accepted this bargain and
became "Duke of Normandy."
But the passion of conquest was strong in the blood of his children.
Across the channel, only a few hours away from the European mainland,
they could see the white cliffs and the green fields of England. Poor
England had passed through difficult days. For two hundred years it had
been a Roman colony. After the Romans left, it had been conquered by the
Angles and the Saxons, two German tribes from Schleswig. Next the
Danes had taken the greater part of the country and had established the
kingdom of Cnut. The Danes had been driven away and now (it was early in
the eleventh century) another Saxon king, Edward the Confessor, was
on the throne. But Edward was not expected to live long and he had no
children. The circumstances favoured the ambitious dukes of Normandy.
In 1066 Edward died. Immediately William of Normandy crossed the
channel, defeated and killed Harold of Wessex (who had taken the crown)
at the battle of Hastings, and proclaimed himself king of England.
In another chapter I have told you how in the year 800 a German
chieftain had become a Roman Emperor. Now in the year 1066 the grandson
of a Norse pirate was recognised as King of England.
Why should we ever read fairy stories, when the truth of history is so
much more interesting and entertaining?