Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 979

Right then, let's see what's happening in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

It's either that or some photos of my cat, OK?

To recap, The Chronicle was an account of Anglo-Saxon history, written down from about 600 AD onward. There were copies in various parts of the country - Winchester maybe, Canterbury, somewhere in the Midlands and Peterborough.
They all said the same things, but regional variations in dialect started to emerge. The Peterborough Chronicle went on until about 12 hundred and something. There are some copies still in existence in the British Museum, Oxford, etc.

...and now, let's see what those those crazy guys are up to...

A.D. 979. In this year was Ethelred consecrated king, on the Sunday fortnight after Easter, at Kingston. And there were at his consecration two archbishops, and ten diocesan bishops. This same year was seen a bloody welkin oft-times in the likeness of fire; and that was most apparent at midnight,and so in misty beams was shown; but when it began to dawn, then it glided away.

A.D. 980. In this year was Ethelgar consecrated bishop, on the sixth day before the nones of May, to the bishopric of Selsey; and in the same year was Southampton plundered by a pirate-army, and most of the population slain or imprisoned. And the same year was the Isle of Thanet overrun, and the county of Chester was plundered by the pirate-army of the North. In this year Alderman Alfere fetched the body of the holy King Edward at Wareham, and carried him with great solemnity to Shaftsbury.



That's it, folks.

I've had a look for who this King Edward is. He isn't Edward I of England, who was 300 years later. He seems to be Edward the Elder (King of Wessex?), who was a son of king Alfred. According to the Internet, he was more of a warrior than holy man, but maybe he was both. He had a "formidable sister" called Aethelflaed, who was married to the king of Mercia and then took over running the kingdom when her husband died.