Ceolbert of Mercia (856-874) was the son of King Ceolwulf II of Mercia and the acting Ealdorman of Shropshire in 874, preceding Deorlaf.
Biography[]
Ceolbert was born in Mercia in 856, the son of Thegn Ceolwulf of Mercia. At the age of 18, in 874 AD, he was sent by his father to accompany his Danish overlords Ivar the Boneless and Ubbe Ragnarrsson in completing the defeat of King Burghred of Mercia at Tamworth, as Ceolwulf wanted his son and heir to be battle-hardened before one day succeeding him as the Danes' puppet king. Ceolbert took a liking to Ubbe, Sigurd Styrbjornsson, and Sigurd's adoptive brother Eivor, admiring their kind personalities and Sigurd and Eivor's stories of Norway and its king Harald Fairhair, while he disliked Ivar, who was boorish and showed little regard for Ceolbert's safety.
Ceolbert wearing a cloak
Eivor convinced Ceolbert to hide rather than fight in the Siege of Tamworth in 874 AD, as he did not want to pit the young Ceolbert against his former friends, including King Burghred's thegn Leofrith, who had just recently taught Ceolbert how to wield a greatsword. He was later sent by Ivar to search for Burghred in Leicester and convince him to surrender, only for him to hide in the bathhouse while investigating, and then be rescued by Eivor, who had also been investigating on Ivar's behalf. Ceolbert told Eivor that Burgred was merely stockpiling food in Leicester, but that he had ordered reinforcements to be sent to his wife Aethelswith at Templeborough. Eivor and Ceolbert later attempted to sneak out, only for Ivar to assault and capture the city, killing many in the process. Eivor sent Ceolbert back to Repton to keep him out of harm's way, but, during his father's coronation in Tamworth, Ceolbert was attacked in Repton by Leofrith's men. Leofrith chased Ceolbert to the Isle of Waifs, where Eivor saved Ceolbert by challenging Leofrith to a duel, wounding him, and then honorably executing him. Ceolbert was puzzled as to why Eivor saw fit to kill Leofrith, but Eivor reasoned that he died for his ideals, and that there was thus honor in the deed. After being crowned, Ceolwulf resolved to stabilize Mercia, and he asked Sigurd Styrbjornson to allow for Ceolbert to live among the Raven Clan until the situation settled. Ceolbert was exhilarated, and he moved to Ravensthorpe and learned Norse from Randvi.
Ivar and Ceolbert in Quatford, Shropshire
Later in 874, Ceolbert departed from Ravensthorpe on his father's orders, as his father sought to install him as Ealdorman of Shropshire. There, he was sent to make peace with King Rhodri the Great of the Britons, who had been at war with the Saxons for two years. Ivar was sent with him to intimidate Rhodri into a peace treaty, and Eivor also joined the two of them to ensure that Ivar did not interfere. During the peace talks at the church at Quatford, supervised by the Bishop of Hereford Deorlaf, Rhodri disrespected the young and inexperienced Ceolbert, and Ivar's antics - including the execution of Rhodri's brother Gwriad ap Merfyn - led to the peace talks breaking down and war resuming. Eivor, Deorlaf, Ceolbert, and Ivar were then forced to plan their next moves, and Eivor weakened the Britons' supply lines before joining Ivar and Ceolbert in assaulting the hamlet of Wesberie and slaying Rhodri's guard captain Ynyr ap Cadfarch in the process.
Death[]
Ceolbert's body
After the battle, peace talks were once again held under the oak tree at Wesberie, and Ivar felt disrespected when Deorlaf suggested that he lay low as they tried to find a lasting peace. Ceolbert decided to hunt Ivar a large boar to make amends, and he thus missed the peace talks. Angharad and Eivor agreed to conclude a fair peace deal: the Britons would be granted a few days to withdraw from Caustow Castle to their side of the time-honored border, and the Saxons would agree to the peace. However, those at the camp grew worried about Ceolbert's absence. Meanwhile, an infuriated Ivar stalked Ceolbert in the woods, and Ceolbert was forced to flee into a large cave overrun by wolves. Ivar stabbed Ceolbert in the chest with a Briton dagger and left him to bleed out, and Eivor later searched the cave and found a dying Ceolbert. Eivor removed the dagger and hurriedly carried Ceolbert back to the camp to say his goodbyes, and, when Ivar rushed over to Ceolbert, Ceolbert repeatedly said Ivar's name before dying of blood loss. With Ceolbert's death framed on the Britons, Ivar was able to convince the Norse and Saxons to assault Caustow Castle, and Ivar captured and executed Rhodri. However, Ivar later confessed to Eivor that he had murdered Ceolbert in order to give him the opportunity to kill another king, and he said this with the objective of convincing Eivor to fight him to the death at Manstone Rock. Eivor ultimately killed Ivar and denied him entry to Valhalla, kicking away his axe and letting him bleed out. Ceolwulf was devastated to hear of his son's death, and he made Bishop Deorlaf the new ealdorman instead.
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