Before There Was An England: The History of Wessex in the 9th Century
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ม.ค. 2020
- In this one I take a look at the fortunes of the Kingdom of Wessex before the time of Alfred the Great and the Great Heathen Army of 865. First of all I'll take a look at King Ecgberht (802-839) who shattered the Mercian Supremacy at the Battle of Ellandun in 825 and cemented West-Saxon control over all the Anglo-Saxon lands south of the Thames. Following this I'll also delve into the reign of his son King Æthelwulf (839-858) and his response to the Viking incursions as well as what information can be gleaned about the nature of the West-Saxon Kingdom and its relationship with Mercia during the time.
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Music Used:
"Sunday Dub" - Kevin MacLeod
"Teller of Tales” - Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
Send me an email if you'd be interested in doing a collaboration! historywithhilbert@gmail.com
#Vikings #LastKingdom #AngloSaxon
Thanks for watching everyone, hope yous enjoyed the video! Be sure to check out my other videos on the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons if you found it interesting and give me a thumbs up or considering subscribbling if you're new!
th-cam.com/play/PLWHb-MbcZ9kqRCotVNapr7UjJcRv85e8S.html
do one on CERDIC
Very interesting but unable to hear on full volume gave up half way
Could you raise your volume? Its hard to hear you even at max....
I think you will find that Judith was the daughter of Charles the bald
The volume is VERY low on my device! 😟
Your content is “Great” regardless! 😊
"Things would have been very different if they had gone differently" ah yes
Sometimes I amaze myself with my logic 😂
This *almost* made me piss myself
Edit: ran into the grass and ended up not pissing myself, we good.
Some differences change very little, while others change everything. Sound logic, on it's face.
Almost as good as: “and Wessex seems to become more powerful than Wessex.”
Ah yes, the floor here is made out of floor.
It seems like everyone back then was called Aethel-something
Æthelstan, Æthelflæd, Æthelwulf, Æthelbeorth, Æthelwynn.
Æthelhelm (Adlem) is the source of my surname.
Aethel essentially ment "Lord" or "Royal Person", so Aethelstan could be thought of as "Stan the Royal" effectivly. Children of royal families were called Aethelings for this reason.
@@Atomlad360 Stan means "stone"
I think the royal family of Wessex commenced a tradition of all their names beginning with the AE letter at some point in the 8th century.
Poor Hilbert is trying to teach us but the thirst is too strong. Great video.
I hope in vain.. Thank you!
@@historywithhilbert146 keep ye hope NOT IN VAIN!!!!p
@@historywithhilbert146 more like hope in veins amiright
Hey Hubert just wanted to let you know your videos inspired me to study Norse and Anglo Saxon history and I’m even taking a course on the Anglo Saxon language.
I also picked up an anglo saxon coin from Northumbria
@@tomplayss8388 I'm trying to learn old Norse, of course, the Anglo Saxon would be interesting too
I see myself falling further into the rabbit hole........................
That's really great to hear! Where are you studying this?
History With Hilbert I’m doing it online with peter bakers website, I am also using his book
3:00 “Wessex seems to become more powerful than Wessex in many regards”
Oops!
That's almost as bad as me calling Louis the Pious Louis the Peaceful lol.
Damnable! You beat me to it!
The english being their own enemies for centuries.
@Jim lastname "BUSFIRE" awww man that sucks. Bad enough when the wilderness bush is fire but when the bus you are escaping on is also on fire. That's harsh man. Keep those koalas safe.
Seeing this really makes me want to rewatch the Last Kingdom
VS 7, i don’t like the way they portray ethelred, lord of the mercians. He is nothing like his real life counterpart
I watch it for the costumes and scenery. It's not very factual.
DL Southwell yeah, just for entertainment and laughs, in the end it’s just a tv series
I agree. Alfred portions are my favorite. The battle scenes are pretty good as well.
@@franciscomm7675 I might actually make a video on that, though in fairness to Bernard Cornwell he does add a note about this at the end of the relevant books. But it makes for good storylines I suppose!
Judith was the daughter of King Charles the Bald, so she was Charlemagne's great-granddaughter. Fun fact...after King Aethelwulf died, she was married to his son King Aethelbald who died just 2 years later so Judith managed to marry 2 Kings and bury them both...all before her 18th birthday! Then she went back to the continent and married again and eventually became known to history as Judith of Flanders.
Flanders? WILHELMUS VAN NASSOUWE BEN IK VAN DUITSEN BLOEEEDDDD
What years were that? -a Fleming
@@samvannoyen713 If you're asking me...Aethelwulf died in 858, Aethelbald in 860. Judith then went back to the continent and married Baldwin. He became the first Margrave of Flanders in 862, I believe though I'm not sure of the timing of that versus when they eloped.
Building a stronger kingdom for the individual kings was the primary goal but it laid the basis for a United England. The Danish invasion provided the reason and Christianity the glue. Bernard Cornwell really goes into this and gives it power. Excellent work Mr. Hilbert.
This is the first video i have ever seen in depth concerning the early Wessex period.
Well I guess it wasn't super early considering that the Kingdom of Wessex started around the 6th century.
you won't find it on Netflix that is for sure
Loving how in-depth this series is!
Thanks mate! Loved your video on Scandinavian trade with the Islamic world the other week!
@@historywithhilbert146 thanks dude!
Excellent work . I d appreciate more on the early Angles and Saxons .
I'm planning to make quite a few more videos on how the English kingdom was formed and of course will be returning to earlier stuff too when I get the chance :)
Can you do a video on the history of Wales during the Viking Age? I would love to learn more about that
Absolutely planning to do that when I get time!
I have a feeling, attacking Wales would have been alot harder. Mountains, tightly controlled and levied. As for Wessex/Mercia/Northumbria where alot more open for an attack.
3:00 "Wessex seems to become more powerful than Wessex."
I know, I'm an idiot :P
I literally read your comment as I got to this part of the video lol
@@historywithhilbert146 Everyone makes mistakes, no worries bro :)
Brilliant work! Looking forward to the next installment!
Enjoyed the video so much! Can’t wait to see more!
I’m 60 & brought up almost next door to a Roman fort built about 285AD with a Norman keep in its north west corner & I’ve always been interested in this period of history & in this particular subject ie Wessex prior to Alfred. Well done, brilliant stuff & it’s great that a young chap such as yourself is producing historical mini documentaries like this & it’s so interesting & well edited. I could only press the thumbs up twice (once on my iPad & once on my wife’s)
I’ve certainly subscribed & wont fail to recommend this channel to my friends, history buffs all.
If the comment section is thirsty then Hilbert's a tall glass of water
Content, delivery, visuals, pacing, details, humor, research - I wish I could give a "like" for each one!
Thank you so much that's very kind of you!
Well done and thank you so much Hilbert.
Thank you!
@@historywithhilbert146 You do great job an cover a lot of great history and languages. Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much!! Love this history,
It’s complicated but awesome!
You help make it clearer which is no small achievement 👑
Very interesting history during this time in these Kingdoms. Also excellent narration! I just subscribe and look forward to more of your work!!!
Greetings from Aruba! Love your videos
Thanks so much Stephan!
Having been born in Winchester and often saw the statue of King Alfred at the end of the High Street, I found this video fascinating and has helped clear up some misconceptions I had. It has been a long time since I moved away from Winchester but I still have a strong sense of a connection with the ancient Kingdom of Wessex.
Hey Hilbert. I just found your channel and I’ve been in love with this period of history for about 15 years. You’ve done a great job in the few videos I’ve seen and I’ll watch them all in due time. I’ve been trying to find when the huscarls became the prominent unit in the military of the kingdoms and was hoping you could enlighten me on this. Thanks for your hard work
Now, there are three ABSOLUTE MADMANS in our family. There's ECGBERHT, ÆTHELWULF... and alfred
Good stuff. Just in time for my binge watch of The Last Kingdom.
Great vid and great music too.
Great video!
I’m such a history nerd, I thought I couldn’t get enough. But other than Kings and Generals, ASNAC History with Hilbert is SOOO addictive and I freakin’ love it!😂❤️
There is a guy with your name running around on mount and blade warband napoleonic wars
This is how you know you have succeeded in yt
Also great content and your success is more than we'll deserved
It's actually me haha - I enjoy a game once in a while when I'm home and have time ;)
Wow haha I feel blessed it was an honour to serve with you sir lol
@@michaelmcghee6594 I'll probably see you on there around Easter time when I'll be avoiding revising for my uni exams ;)
Ain't that the truth goodluck with your semester it's my last one before my masters degree if all goes well!
That humble brag at the beginning 😂
Glad you did a story about it now i know.
Quibble: Hwicce = "HWICH-eh". The C in "ce" and "ci" in Old English was pronounced like modern English "ch".
I want to thank you, Hilbert, for educating me on this pivotal time in the great history of England. As an American, I am absolutely enthralled by these ancient times. I just want to take a moment to ensure that I have understood the theme of this video correctly. So basically, kings during these times were focused on gaining for themselves a much larger Mercia, Wessex, or Northumbria, as opposed to attempting to progress to the idea that they should unify their island as one nation? Was it inconceivable for them because, as far as they were concerned, they saw themselves as radically racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse, so much so that even the languages varied from place to place? Also, more outsiders kept flooding into the country, which further impeded the development of this idea. Sadly, it would take many more centuries of bloodshed, suffering, and heartache so that the enlightenment of a unified nation could evolve. I just love intellectual playgrounds such as this that you have created! Again, thank you so much for the food for thought!
Very good video and resum, so me what i am into those formers kingdoms?in which kingdom should i go for the best?
Thank you for finally saying this. Most people think that Wessex's goal was to unite England
Interesting background to "The Hammer and the Cross".
show love to this guy
i was about to say, you misspelled teleologically. Excellent video, thank you.
it must have been mind-blowing to make pilgrimage to Rome from 9th c britain. Reminds me of when some english laborers in the 16th c. or something discovered some roman graves near london, and were shocked to find intact glass that people had lost the technology to make.
I love your stuff, but please put the volume WAY up. I thank you in advance!
I'll work on this!
Good man!
Great videos. Makes me think less of nationalities. Borders changes so much and the peoples loyalty changed for so many reasons. People move in and out, so on. End of the day people stay where people pay. - from Cambuslang , Scotland( church by river bend in old Gaelic) , ( Western name for people from Western isles and Northern Ireland (probably) or a boat). Which is in central Scotland near Glasgow who probably mostly swore more loyalty and similarity to Anglo Saxons then other Scots. Especially in wars between the countries of England and Scotland. Mostly due to greedy and scared nobles who didn't care the name of the land as long as they still had the land and made a profit for it . Hi
The thong to Remember is all the Germanics , thats Angles ,Saxons Jutes, Danes , norse all spoke languages which were similar. Scotland didn't I think .
I’m currently researching my ancestry. I’m finding that I am possibly a direct descendant of these kings. Great video, information like this is more difficult to research in America. We aren’t taught much English history in school.
I too am researching my ancestry and found out that I'm related to Judith Queen of Wessex.
@@brittanykaufman9394 cus they were so long ago that they’re genes from royalty in practically anyone
Well done ! very interesting. During the lockdown I watched many videos about the Plantagenet but i was curious what happened before. I will continue to search that happened after King Arthur The Great. Thank You
King Arthur the great ?
There's Wessex, Sussex, Essex...and then there's Middlesex
Avery the Cuban-American . So there were four sexes at the time!
Middlesex never became a kingdom i believe .
@@grahamjohnson2559 Correct it was a "province" of Essex
@@Duncan23 No kings of middlese are recorded. There could conceivably have been some very early on.
@@williamcooke5627 I'd personally see them as more of a collection of tribes at that point. By the time the saxon kingdoms were established they had been long consumed by essex
Hilbert, any videos about the battle at Stamford Bridge near York? vagy the battle of Fulford?
By the way, love your videos.
The North remembers.
you are breaking this down better than the historian michael wood! Great vid many thanks
Are you going to be doing any Anglo Saxon/Viking t shirts using the characters in your vids ? That would be awesome
I could do if that's something you'd be interested in? Let me know!
History With Hilbert yes, that is definitely something I would buy 👍🏻
Definitely! That would be very cool.
I think Alfred was also really written like Aelfred (fuse the A & e). Later traditions changed it to the easier spelling, Though I think that old spelling produced the sound we now hear in the beginning of the name Alfred. The letter A was probably those days said like the a in fAther still is.
Someone need to do a video on how historically inaccurate that Vikings is as a show.
I've been thinking about this actually.
It gets a lot right ... and a lot wrong. Biggest one to me, Ivar may not have been a cripple. His name may have been Ivar the Hated, but mistranslated to the Boneless. I kinda feel like a cripple wouldn't have been able to command such leadership and respect back then.
Richard Small your biggest historical inaccuracy is something we can’t possible know accurately? What about the hundreds of years that existed between Ragnar and rollo being born?
@@Imtheshotcaller
Or how many brothers and sisters Alfred had. Or how many towns and cities the Vikings sacked before Alfred stopped them. Or the parentage of Alfred.
I've only recently started to watch the fact checking vids. Ivar was the first that I saw so that's why I brought up the Boneless vs the Hated.
@@richardsmall2855 No, he was not a cripple. The nickname "boneless" most likely means that he was extremely capable in battle, as though he had no bones to add weight to his movements.
On the topic, I could not find much that the show got right, except for the level of brutality by the Vikings, which was very real in actuality. Other than that it is like a low fantasy fiction using real-world locations and peoples.
i want to go back to these times.
I love videos like this, I actually live in the town which is known as the birthplace of King Alfred the Great!
I wish that History was this interesting when I went to school! I believe we would have had many more scholars today. You have to interest young people while their minds are fertile. Instead we concentrate on entertaining & pacifying our children. It’s almost as if we’re competing with our children, & we don’t want them smarter than us. Just get them to conform, so they don’t complicate our free time, & interrupt our leisure time. Thank you for a very interesting video, I subscribed for more!👍🏻 tell your Mom & Dad thanks for doing such a great job of raising you!👍🏻👌🏻
Hello.
Hey!
sound is VERY low!!!
@Stefan Kolodziej no, then i get my ear blasted when i play another video
ikkedansk then turn it down when you go to another video #rocketscience
@@CODmasterpwnage i'm multitasking and doesn't always get to turn sound down, so i get me ears blasted ...#rocketscience!
i remember the days when Hilbert overused the dutch flag meme...simpler times.
"Kings of Westsaxons" might include Jutes or were they absorbed by then? I was amazed to find out that Hastings were a TRIBE dating back to the Roman Times, and rather independent. Of course the landing there of William the Bastard would basically mark the end of the Saxon period.
History of England is like the history of Rome in that it is always fascinating and complex.
It is a complex time, and thank you for telling us more....it is a fascinating time, I hope maybe they teach this at school in England, and influence young people to learn history?
If they teach this this will not make the asian and blacks kids included remember britain is politically correct now, we cant even call white people native british because that is not inclusive, so we invent the term white british wtf
I really beg to differ on the outline of Northumbria, Lothian had been part of Bernicia since the epic of gondolin circa 550 or 600 CE. Bernicia and Dieria were united by war. Forming Northumbria.
Then Rhyged was incorporated via marriage soon after ie Carslie southward. With Motherwell plus Galway (both subjects of Northumbria) remaining the last ex romano-british kingdoms remaining outside Wales or Cornwall. North of Motherwell was the Pictish sub-kingdoms, west the escotti steadily expanding east wards.
I really would pay over the odds for a poster depicting a timeline of all the Heptarchies and when each King or Queen ruled. Offa, Penda, Raedwald, Edwin, Oswald, we have knowledge of the significance of their reigns and what they achieved but little of the timelines relative to the other Kings (except when their offspring wed other Kings or they offered other Kings' refuge/battled them).
i cheaked my acentory and it lead back to the king of Wessex thankyou for basically showing me my family history
The last kingdom on Netflix brought me here. I love English history
Bruh, great video, but you should raise your sound levels.
Me sees this vid: wait a minute that name sounds familiar. The last kingdom flash’s backs.
Ive been playing wayyy to much ck2.... I am hallucinating GUI graphics each time a major history point is brought up.
You should collab with armchair historian that would be very interesting!
*Dat tiny axe doh!*
11:50 the term is axis
Aethelwulfe and aethelred were also grand maesters of the Order of the Ancients
This music is used in... the MERCHANT GAME!!!
Got to find a Scottish version of Hilbert. Alistair Moffat only did a few programs
Neil Oliver did some programmes for the open university I think.
@@grahamjohnson2559 Och aye there ok, he did a BBC series as well. He does not go into the same detail as Hilbert does, i realise we only have the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, Irish Annals, Bede and to some extent the Pictish Chronicles to work with.
This guy does 3 programs on the Picts
th-cam.com/video/0PUj8yYfzv4/w-d-xo.html
I might look into doing a similar video series for the Kingdom of Alba at some point in the future. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in!
@@historywithhilbert146 Might have a few shocks in store for Scots who think they all spoke gealic and wore kilts when driving the Romans out by force, and think Hadrians wall is a border between England and Scotland because of it. Scotti were not even on the island at the time of the romans, just raiding from there homeland in Ireland.
@@historywithhilbert146 Think you've done 3 Hilbert, they're all fantastic. If there's something on Scotland im in
I just had the realization that our last names may be related and/or have a common ancestor. My last name is Hébert originating in Normandy with Germanic origin as well as French of course. I know some of the descendants spread to Britain, while my ancestors migrated to Quebec, Canada. Anyways, random thought of the day! Perhaps we are very very very ...very very distant cousins. P.S. I watch your videos regularly, thank you for making them!
excuse my sleepy brain, french is obviously germanic too
Please do a review of Vinland Saga
Was hoping you were going to start at the beginning with the West Saxons initial invasion/migration.The West Saxons led by Ceawlin fought against the Dubbuni tribe at the battle of Doerham in 577. At the end three kings of Gloucester, Cirencester and Bath were dead. Academics believe this battle split the Romano British tribes and is why the Cornish and the Welsh had their own languages.
The Anglo Saxon kingdoms were really amazing in the fact that they essentially just started out as mercenaries to fight other germanics.
Actually mercenies to fight the Picts and Strath Clydesmen. Vortigern sent diplomats to the continent to hire Hengist and Horsa to drive the Picts away from invading Southern Britain. The Angle and Saxons came and didn't leave. Then they made the English heptarchy. Though it said that the Saxons knew of Britain anyway.
I saw the last Kingdom
Lol @ the Dutch joke! Im subscribing :))
So were the ancestors of Kings of Wessex after Ecgberht Oiscingas and not Cerdicingas? Or by what right did Ecgberht of Kent claim Wessex? Do you think the 'joint kingships' harken back to the Kentish dual Kingship tradition?
A buddy of mine challenged me when I said Danes are not Vikings. Vikings are Danes, Swedes, Russians, and Norman Franks who went on raids, and were thus identified as Vikingr. Who's right?
Vikings aren’t really a race viking means sea raider so idk
Vikings is the term for the seafarer Norsemen (Scandinavians) from Norway, Denmark and Sweden. So some Danes (Norsemen) were Vikings, but some were not.
As much as I enjoy some of History with Hilbert videos, he disregards the symbiotic relationships between the Celt and Germanic people of post Roman Britain. A good number of important Anglo-Saxon figures like Cerdic, Caedwalla, Caedbad, Chad, Cedd, Caedmon, Coenwalh and Penwalh had Celtic/part Celtic names ( some of whom were kings ,priest and poets). I believe there was a strong intermixing, acculturation or cultural overlap between the Britons and the Germanic people from late and post Roman Britain.
*Then the dummy thick Vikings cames, and Alfred needed to do the cleanup*
And finally my audience paid attention ;)
The Last Kingdom brought me here :D
Is King Alfreds Grandfather related to the current Queen in some way??
The last Kingdom brilliant.They only teach you in primary school that Alfred burnt the cakes.Got me very interested in our history.Good to be English.
What about the show the last Kingdom and Ragnar son the hero of north Umbria
There'll always be an England...
There's not enough info to prove young Alfred's trip/pilgrimage to Rome. Some historians dismiss it.
I've read about that actually. I think it wouldn't be the most unlikely course of events seeing as he was his father's 5th son at that point so would be destined for a position in the church. Æthelwulf's pilgrimage to Rome has a much stronger backing in the documentation and the subsequent rebellion of his eldest son relies on him having been gone for some time.
My family on my father's side are directly related to Alfred the Great... Hence, i believe that is where my nose and other features came from.
Loved this, except the volume is loooooow on ur voice
Alfred,like so many kings could have easily failed. There was such a small margin of success for trying to introduce a policy of peace. Being drawn into fight after fight could have failed miserably. It was all he could do was try to influence the importance of literacy,peace,and Christianity.
Penda of Mercia vid maybe?.
GUESS NOT
According to "VIkings" Alfred' s father was Aethelstan the Monk. lol Did the TV show get his mother correct? Was she Judith a daughter of the King AlAle of North Umbria?
No, Alfred was the son of Osburh, another wife of Æthelwulf. Judith of Flanders was a daughter of Charles the Bald and was Alfred's stepmother.
the TV show "Vikings" is a great show, that despite being written by a historian, has nothing to do with historical accuracy outside using names that come up in the sources.
Watch "The Last Kingdom", more historically correct.Vikings is a mish mash of history
@@Wilkse1 but it is fun to watch, I like Last Kingdom, but prefer Vikings, just because it's more fun to watch
Maybe it's the acting that's just better, but you're right, Last Kingdom is the more historically accurate
@@Bluebelle51 to be honest Ive watched all the Vikings episodes from the beginning and it is good .. Skol
What year did King Arthur rule?
What happened to Æ in the english alphabet?
Maybe you could do an episode on the Russian Civil War
Some of these names seem like they are related to the family of Beowulf.
2:46 "... and Wessex seems to become more powerful than Wessex ..."
Malcovich malcovich.
Egbert means Eadg of a blade
Everybody gangsta until Ragnarr Loðbrók conquers Wessex