The Battle of Ancaster occurred in 875 AD when the army of Ealdorman Hunwald of Lincolnshire stormed the rebel stronghold of Ancaster, Lincolnshire, occupied by the army of the treacherous Bishop Herefrith of Lincoln. Herefrith - who had rebelled against the newly-elected ealdorman after failing to massacre his political opponents at the shiremoot in Lincoln - was killed by the Norwegian Viking warrior Eivor at the end of the battle, putting an end to his uprising and leading to the gradual pacification of Lincolnshire.
Background[]
During the rule of Ealdorman Hundbeorht of Lincolnshire in the late 9th century AD, Lincolnshire was a prosperous region of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. The markets in Lincoln were busy and thriving, and Danish settlers bolstered the population, founding towns such as Great Grimsby. The nobility was loyal to the Danish-installed King of Mercia, Ceolwulf II of Mercia, and Lincolnshire was far removed from the front line of the conflict between the invading Great Heathen Army and the native Saxons. However, the chaos caused by the Viking invasions of England gave way to increased brigandage in the countryside of Lincolnshire, and Hundbeorht's declining health enabled the powerful Order of the Ancients to gradually assume control over the day-to-day affairs of Lincolnshire. In 875 AD, Bishop Herefrith of Lincoln secretly ordered that the sickly Ealdorman Hundbeorht be spirited away from Lincoln to Bolingbroke Castle, taking advantage of the ealdorman's sudden disappearance to become the regent of the shire. He also secretly had Hundbeorht's young son Hunwald kidnapped, taken to the Wash, and forcibly exiled, with his soldiers claiming that Hunwald was an immediate threat to his father; they accused Hunwald of seeking to usurp his father's titles while he was still reigning. Herefrith proceeded to bolster the military presence in Lincoln and run the shire's affairs from the town hall, and the people were kept in apprehension and fear about their disappeared ealdorman's fate.
Massacre at the Shiremoot[]
The shiremoot at Lincoln
Hunwald later returned to Lincoln with help from his new ally, the acting Jarl of Ravensthorpe, Eivor, who was in search of alliances across England. He also discovered that his father had died in Bolingbroke, and that his death had been kept secret for weeks. Bishop Herefrith concealed his involvement in the plot by expressing his sympathy for Hunwald, but he then announced that a shiremoot to nominate a new ealdorman was in order, and that he was planning on presenting himself as a candidate. Thegn Aelfgar of Gainsborough also decided to enter contention, and Hunwald, encouraged by Eivor and his Danish lover Swanburrow, decided to seek his father's old title. The shiremoot, consisting of 12 nobles, was unable to choose a winner once they cast their stones at the town hall of Lincoln, as each of the three candidates received four votes. As a result, Abbess Acha had Eivor serve as the tie-breaking, thirteenth elector. After speaking with the nobleman Earconbert, who said that he saw the qualities of the late Hundbeorht in his young son Hunwald, Eivor was reassured about voting for his new friend, and he cast his vote in Hunwald's favor. This ruined Herefrith's plan to openly seize power, so he decided to take drastic action. He stormed out of the town hall and sent in soldiers to massacre the attendees, hoping to seize power for himself. The soldiers killed King Ceolwulf's representative Aelfnoth Clark and a few other guests, but Eivor and the other nobles killed all of the assassins. Hunwald and Aelfgar immediately set about raising a fyrd to restore order and find Herefrith, who raised a rebel army and occupied the fortress of Ancaster.
Battle[]
The "Sword Shower in Anecastre"
Hunwald, Aelfgar, and Eivor took command of the large fyrd and led it to Wynmere Lake, just outside of Ancaster. There, they set up a forward camp and prepared for the battle, building a battering ram. Eivor signalled the officer Ordric the Skinner when he was ready to begin the assault, and the "Sword-Shower in Anecastre", as it would come to be known, began. Eivor personally manned the battering ram and saw to it that it breached the outer walls, allowing for the fyrdsmen to charge into the city. Eivor charged deeper into the city and commandeered a springald, using it to destroy the barricade blocking the second gateway. With the second gate breached, the fortress was overrun by Hunwald's loyal men. Eivor then discovered from the priest Wigferth Challender that Herefrith had holed up in the chapel, and Eivor chased Herefrith from the chapel to the hillside, where he shot him in the neck with an arrow and then stabbed him with his hidden blade. With Herefrith dead, his army collapsed, and Ancaster was retaken.
Aftermath[]
Hunwald's fyrdsmen after the battle
With Herefrith and his rebellion dealt with, Hunwald was confirmed as the new Ealdorman of Lincolnshire by King Ceolwulf, and he then formalized his alliance with Eivor and the Raven Clan. It would be months, however, before the situation in Lincolnshire calmed, as he was forced to suppress the rampant brigandage which had plagued the countryside during the latter years of his father's reign.