Eadric the Grasper: Sons of Mercia: 1

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But Edmund was left little time: the Danish army went south to London, Edmund left for Wessex, Eadric and Cnut followed him, and two inconclusive battles were fought at Penselwood in Somerset and Sherston in Wiltshire, which lasted two days. The Anglo-Saxon Home: A History of the Domestic Institutions and Customs of England (from the Fifth to Eleventh Century). Since he was sacked in disgrace (due to betraying naval secrets to the Danes) and his son Aelfgar blinded, this is very unlikely. Fortunately for Canute, Edmund died of battle injuries not long afterwards; Canute now ruled all of England. However, Eadric Streona was at this time a close associate of one of the Jomvikings, Thorkell the Tall, who had fought in the Battle of Hjorungavagr in 985, in which a primitive crossbow known as the Skåne Lockbow was used, and so might have had access to such an infernal device.

Eadric was described by William of Malmesbury, writing one hundred years after Eadric’s death, as “ the refuse of mankind and a reproach unto the English. At some point Ædric managed to separate Ælehelm from the rest of group and the town butcher who was also, very conveniently the town executioner, bumped him off. The above narrative is taken from mainly from the Chronicle Manuscript C, there being at least seven versions of the Chronicle available.In 1015, there was a council held in Oxford, to which Eadric invited the brothers Sigeferth and Morcar, who were two thegns from the Seven Burhs in the East Midlands. Eadric followed Aethelred and his family back from Normandy and once again set himself up as the king’s enforcer. This may either reflect or account for his sudden rise to prominence, since John of Worcester implies that the marriage had taken place by 1009.

Alphege at Greenwich by Thorkell the Tall's men, Thorkell defected to Ethelred possibly through Eadric's agency. He appears to have endeared himself to Ethelred II - to whom he was (on the whole) loyal - by arranging the assassinations of his internal opponents. With England now more vulnerable to seaborne invasion, an army led by Thorkell the Tall arrived in 1009 and wreaked havoc in much of the country. The chronicler William of Malmsbury recorded of Eadric Streona- "This fellow was the refuse of mankind, the reproach of the English; an abandoned glutton, a cunning miscreant; who had become opulent, not by nobility, but by specious language and impudence.Without contradicting the known facts, "Eadric the Grasper" presents another conception of this historical figure: he is suave, charming, intelligent, and values peace above all things. Eadric Streona was at this time a close associate of one of the Jomvikings, Thorkell the Tall, who had fought in the Battle of Hjorungavagr in 985, in which a primitive crossbow, known as the Skåne Lockbow was used and so might have had access to such an infernal device.

When she awoke this morning, she did so with the determination to save her baby brother no matter what. He tried to further survey the area in the failing light and realized that he had not only ridden in a circle, but a very large circle; they had passed through this spot in the morning. It has a fantasy novel feel and pace to it and while that may not be a detriment to me, as I read fantasy novels and enjoy the genre, it may be bothersome to some readers expecting a higher level of writing. This was sealed when Edmund rebelled against his father and married Aelgifu, the daughter of one of Eadric Streona's victims in his role as Ethelred's hitman, giving him a northern power base.Fans of Bernard Cornwell, Georgette Heyer, Ken Follet ("Pillars of the Earth"), and Baroness Orczy ("The Scarlet Pimpernel") will especially enjoy the style of this swashbuckling historical fiction. Eadric does appear among the thegns in 1007 at St Albans Abbey, [5] in which year he was appointed Ealdorman of Mercia. Prince Edmund joins Earl Uhtred in Northumbria and instead of attacking Eadric and Cnut in the east of England they travel into Eadric’s lands of West Mercia and plunder and kill while Cnut does the same in the east.