and then the king did a poo in battle The Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum is an agreement between Alfred of Wessex and Guthrum, the Viking ruler of East Anglia. Its date is uncertain, but must have been between 878, at the earliest, and 890, at the latest. The treaty is one of the few existing documents of Alfred's reign; it survives in Old English in Corpus Christi College Cambridge Manuscript 383, and in a Latin compilation known as Quadripartitus. The original was probably in Old English. All translations below come from Dorothy Whitelock, English Historical Documents 500-1042. Alfred (also Ælfred from the Old English: Ælfrēd) (c. ... Map of the British Isles circa 802 Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. ... Guthrum (died c. ... The term Viking commonly denotes the ship-borne explorers, traders, and warriors of the Norsemen (literally, men from the north) who originated in Scandinavia and raided the coasts of the British Isles, France and other parts of Europe as far east as the Volga River in Russia from the late... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... Events The Danes force king Alfred the Great of Wessex to retreat to a fort in Athelney, Somerset. ... Events The sovereignty of prince Svatopluk I in Bohemia is confirmed. ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ...

The Text

Statue of King Alfred at Wantage

A prologue begins the document, outlining that it is a treaty between "King Alfred and King Guthrum and the councillors ("witan") of all the English race and all the people which is in East Anglia". Statue of Alfred the Great in Wantage (by DJ Clayworth) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Statue of Alfred the Great in Wantage (by DJ Clayworth) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A prologue (Greek πρόλογος, from προ~, pro~ - fore~, and lógos, word), or rarely prolog, is a prefatory piece of writing, usually composed to introduce a drama. ... Alfred (also Ælfred from the Old English: ÆlfrÄ“d) (c. ... Guthrum (died c. ... The Witenagemot (or Witan) was a political institution in Anglo-Saxon England which operated between approximately the 7th century and 11th century. ... The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging to King Raedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ...

The first point is the most famous. First concerning our boundaries: up on the Thames, and then up on the Lea, and along the Lea unto its source, then straight to Bedford, then up on the Ouse to Watling Street. This has been used by many as the boundary of the Danelaw. However, there is no mention of this, and it appears to be primarily a political boundary, perhaps created in the wake of Alfred's taking of London. Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames... Bow Creek (tidal) meets the Limehouse Cut (canal) with a view of Londons Docklands The River Lee or River Lea (both spellings are in general use) is a river in England. ... Statistics Population: 82,488 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TL055495 Administration District: Bedford Shire county: Bedfordshire Region: East of England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Bedfordshire Historic county: Bedfordshire Services Police force: Bedfordshire Police Fire and rescue: Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service Ambulance... The Great Ouse at St Neots The River Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. ... The modern Watling Street crossing the Medway at Rochester near the Roman and Celt crossings Watling Street is the name given to a British ancient trackway which was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. ... Border stone at Passo San Giacomo between Val Formazza in Italy and Val Bedretto in Switzerland Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, states or subnational administrative divisions. ... Green: Danelaw The Danelaw (from the Old English Dena lagu, Danish: Danelagen ) is an 11th century name for an area of northern and eastern England under the administrative control of the Vikings (or Danes, or Norsemen) from the late 9th century. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

The second article raises wergeld values to a considerably higher rate than would normally be expected. This is next, if a man is slain, all of us, Englishman and Dane at the same amount, at eight half-marks of refined gold, except the ceorl who occupies rented land, and their [the Dane's] freedmen; these also are estimated at the same amount, both at 200 shillings. In the treaty, as noted by Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge, a ceorl living on his own land was essentially treated as a noble. They argue that this discouraged killings, as it placed the price of compensation as too high. This presents two problems, according to Paul Kershaw: first, it assumes premeditation. Second, by placing too high a value of compensation, the treaty might actually discourage peaceful dispute settlement. Kershaw argues instead that this was merely a simplification of social structures over the border: Anglo-Saxon and 'Danelaw' social structures did not necessarily correlate, and so a carte-blanche simplification may have been the only way forward. Weregild (Alternative spellings: wergild, wergeld, weregeld, etc. ... The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging to King Raedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ... Green: Danelaw The Danelaw (from the Old English Dena lagu, Danish: Danelagen ) is an 11th century name for an area of northern and eastern England under the administrative control of the Vikings (or Danes, or Norsemen) from the late 9th century. ...

The third section sets out regulations on the number of oaths a plaintiff and defendant are required to produce in a case of manslaughter. An oath (from Saxon eoth) is either a promise or a statement of fact calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually a god, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. ... A plaintiff, also known as a claimant or complainer, is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an action) before a court. ... A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. ...

The fourth stipulates that a man must know his warrantor when purchasing slaves, horses or oxen.

The fifth sets out how the English and Danes could interact. And we all agreed on the day when the oaths were sworn, that no slaves nor freemen might go without permission into the army of the Danes, any more than any of theirs to us. But if it happens that from necessity any one of them wishes to have traffic with us, or we with them, for cattle or goods, it is to be permitted on condition that hostages shall be given as a pledge of peace and as evidence so that one may know no fraud is intended. // Main article: Abolitionism Slavery has existed, in one form or another, through the whole of recorded human history — as have, in various periods, movements to free large or distinct groups of slaves. ...

See also

• List of treaties

This is a chronological list of international treaties, agreements, peaces, etc. ...

Bibliography

• English Historical Documents c.500-1042, D. Whitelock, (Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1955)
• Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge, Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources, (Penguin, 1983)
• Paul Kershaw, 'The Alfred-Guthrum Treaty' in Cultures in Contact: Scandinavian Settlement in England in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. ed. D.M. Hadley & J.D. Richards, (Brepols, 2000)
• Patrick Wormald, The Making of English Law: King Alfred to the Twelfth Century, vol. 1, (Blackwell, 1999)
• Medieval Sourcebook: Alfred and Guthrum's Peace