SAXON KINGS OF ENGLAND 802-839 EGBERT 839-858 ETHELWULF 858-860 ETHELBALD 860-866 ETHELBERT 866-871 ETHELRED I 871-899 ALFRED THE GREAT 899-924 EDWARD THE ELDER 924-939 ATHELSTAN 939-946 EDMUND I 946-955 EADRED 955-959 EADWIG 959-975 EDGAR 975-978 EDWARD 978-1016 ETHELRED II 1016 EDMUND Anglo Saxon CoinageThe Sceatta currency and the Northumbrian styca, came before the penny first struck by Offa of Mercia. Many hoards of Anglo-Saxon coins have been discovered in England, The most important being the find made in 1840, in a leaden chest near a fors over the Ribble, above Preston. It contained 10000 silver hammered coins and almost 1000ozs of silver; it was buried between the year 903 and 905 and may have been the treasure chest of a Danish army. facts: 815- EGBERT OF WESSEX DEFEATS THE BRITONS OF CORNWALL. 834- THE DANES RAID ENGLAND. 889 - DONALD II, FIRST KING OF THE PICTS AND SCOTS 900- ENGLAND DIVIDED INTO SHIRES, WITH COUNTY COURTS AS THE SAFEGUARD OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF THE INHABITANTS. 900 – DONALD II DIES IN BATTLE 937 - Athelstan of Wessex defeats Scots, north Welsh and Norse at Brunanburgh – regarded by some as 'first king of all England' 941- THE DANES IN ENGLAND MAKE WAR ON EDMUND I 980 - Vikings renew assault on England 1007- ETHELRED II PAYS £30,000 TO THE DANES TO GAIN TWO YEARS FREEDOM FROM ATTACKS. Saxon army: The army consisted of a national militia, or "fyrd," and a feudal militia. From the earliest times all freemen were obliged to fight in the defense of the country. Under the feudal system, every large landholder had to furnish the King a stipulated number of men, fully equipped with armor and weapons. As this method was found more effective than the first, it gradually superseded it. The Saxons always fought on foot. They wore helmets and rude, flexible armor, formed of iron rings, or of stout leather covered with small plates of iron and other substances. They carried oval-shaped shields. Their chief weapons were the spear, javelin, battle-ax, and sword. The wars of this period were those of the different tribes seeking to get the advantage over each other, or of the English with the Danes. Runes: The language of the Saxons was of Low-German origin. Many of the words resemble the German of the present day. When written, the characters were called runes, mysteries or secrets. The chief use of these runes was to mark a sword hilt, or some article of value, or to form a charm against evil and witchcraft. It is supposed that one of the earliest runic inscriptions is the following, which dates from about 400 A.D. It is cut on a drinking horn, and (reproduced in English characters) stands thus: EK HLEWAGASTIR - HOLTINGAR - HORNA - TAWIDO I, Hlewagastir, son of Holta, made the horn The Ancient Saxon Faith: Before their conversion to Christianity, the Saxons worshiped Woden and Thor, names preserved in Wednesday (Woden's day) and Thursday (Thor's day). The first appears to have been considered to be the creator and ruler of heaven and earth; the second was his son, the god of thunder, slayer of evil spirits, and friend of man. The essential element of their religion was the deification of strength, courage, and fortitude. It was a faith well suited to a warlike people. It taught that there was a heaven for the brave and a hell for cowards. The Town: The first Saxon settlements were quite generally on the line of the old Roman roads. They were surrounded by a rampart of earth set with a thick hedge or with rows of sharp stakes. Outside this was a deep ditch. These places were called towns, from "tun," meaning a fence or hedge. The chief fortified towns were called "burghs" or boroughs. Later on, this class of towns generally had a corporate form of government, and eventually they sent representatives to Parliament One or more houses might constitute a town. A single farmhouse is still so called in Scotland. The Hall: The buildings in these towns were of wood. Those of the lords or chief men were called "halls," from the fact that they consisted mainly of a hall, or large room, used as a sitting, eating, and often as a sleeping room,--a bundle of straw or some skins thrown on the floor serving for beds. There were no chimneys, but a hole in the roof let out the smoke. If the owner was rich, the walls would be decorated with bright-colored tapestry, and with suits of armor and shields hanging from pegs. Life in the Hall: Here in the evening the master supped on a raised platform at one end of the "hall," while his followers ate at a lower table. The Saxons were hard drinkers as well as hard fighters. After the meal, while horns of ale and mead were circulating, the minstrels, taking their harps, would sing songs of battle and ballads of wild adventure. Outside the "hall" were the "bowers," or chambers for the master and his family, and, perhaps, an upper chamber for a guest, called later by the Normans a sollar, or sunny room. If a stranger approached a town, he was obliged to blow a horn; otherwise he might be slain as an outlaw. Here in the midst of rude plenty the Saxons, or Early English, lived a life of sturdy independence. They were rough, strong, outspoken, and fearless. Theirs was not the nimble brain, for that was to come with another people (the Normans), though a people originally of the same race. The mission of the Saxons was to lay the foundation; or, in other words, to furnish the muscle, grit, and endurance, without which the nimble brain is of little permanent value. | 
