Alvar the Kingmaker (49 page)

Most of the rest of my story is true and I have only twice knowingly played with the chronology: Edwy Fairchild succeeded in 955, but I delayed his coronation to coincide with Alvar’s investiture the following year. It was not uncommon for coronations to occur some lengthy time after succession. It seems likely that Æthelmund (Edelman ‘Greybeard’) of Cheshire died in 965, but it suited my story to have him die in the previous year.

There is some doubt as to the order of events following Edward’s murder. I chose to have Alvar rebury Edward’s body before Æthelred’s coronation, but it might well have happened the other way round; no-one is absolutely sure. I strongly believe that Edgar would have been crowned long before 973, even though the chroniclers do not mention such an event, and it seems to make sense that his first coronation would have been a muted affair. No reason is given anywhere in the sources for the banishment of Earl Oslac (Beorn). His Bernician counterpart, whose son was taken hostage by Kenneth, was called Eadulf Evilcild, but I simplified his name and called him Wulf. Evidence points to Oslac’s having been an ally of Alvar and Æthelred and there is no reason why his loathing for Oswald would not have matched Alvar’s. There was indeed a fire in London around the time of Elwood’s death, but I’m afraid I put the two events together. A later medieval story accused Edgar of having murdered Elwood, but has been discredited. The circumstances of Elwood’s and the Fairchild’s death described here are my own suggestions of what could have happened – their timings were, at the least, convenient for those who benefited from them.

All the domestic events in the book are well documented. Edgar’s was a strong and stable kingship; he built up a powerful navy, reformed the coinage, and was an astute diplomat. Under his rule, the machinery of local and central government turned smoothly and efficiently. He was always at pains to recognise the Danelaw and his fourth law code did indeed go out with an instruction to Alvar, Æthelwine (Brandon) and Oslac (Beorn) to let its contents be known throughout the land. He was recorded as having been an unusually short man, and Kenneth really did taunt him about his diminutive stature. For details of Edgar’s spectacular coronation at Bath and the submission of the kings at Chester, the collapse at Calne (where Dunstan “alone remained standing on a beam”) and the murder at Corfe, one need look no further than the pages of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The bedroom antics of both Edwy Fairchild and Edgar are also well documented. There is some confusion and debate over the exact number and status of Edgar’s wives and women; for simplicity, I have gone with the theory expounded by Ann Williams that he only had two, rather than three, ‘wives’. The land disputes mentioned in the chapters 976-977 are all based on real cases and all the land charters mentioned in the witan scenes are quoted from the original documents. The oaths sworn at the hundred courts and during the hold-oath ceremony are authentic and as close to the vernacular as I could get without losing the meaning. Alfreda’s testimony regarding the conditions of the gift of land at Taunton, mentioned in the meeting at Calne, is a rare, early example of a letter written by a queen. The description of the town layout of Winchester is taken from archaeological evidence and it is documented that Dunstan wrote the oath which Edgar swore at Bath.

I have charted Alvar’s rise to power as faithfully as I can, relying on the few known facts. He was indeed a benefactor of Glastonbury and it is true that he only attacked Oswald’s monasteries. It is frustrating that Alvar’s will is not extant and that we do not know how he died. He was, however, campaigning in Wales in the year of his death, so again I have drawn my own conclusions. I prefer to think that such an energetic man would not have been withered by old age, but stopped only by a spear or arrow.

Byrhtferth of Ramsey, writing his near-contemporary Life of Oswald, called Alvar “The blast of the mad wind from the western territories,” but when referring to his role in the reburial of Edward the Martyr, he called him, “The glorious ealdorman.” I think that he was both these things.

Acknowledgements

I must begin by expressing my gratitude to Ann Williams. It was in her lectures, many years ago, that I first heard the name Ælfhere. He was the earl described as the ‘mad blast’ from Mercia, such was his unleashed fury at the injustices he suffered and the hypocrisy he encountered. I began to wonder what drove him to that point and knew that one day I would write his story. This is it, although I have modernised his name to Alvar. Ann was always on hand to answer my queries and give me feedback on the early drafts. My thanks must also go to Kate Hebblethwaite, formerly of Trinity, Dublin, who looked at the first completed manuscript and, again, gave me constructive criticism. I would also like to express my appreciation for the time that Karen Cunningham spent, not only reading an early draft but also producing from it a detailed synopsis to guide me through subsequent edits. My thanks also go to Adam Brunn for helping me with my Old English verbs, and to Julia Brannan, for her help and support.

© Annie Whitehead 2016

ISBN Paperback Edition 9781786106889