Wallingford
Wallingford (Old English: Wælingford), is a market town in Oxfordshire, England. Belonging to the historic county of Berkshire, it developed around an important crossing point of the River Thames.
History[edit | edit source]
In the late 9th century, Wælingford was a walled town and a strategic location on the Thames. Many Anglo-Saxon ships were anchored there during the Battle of Ashdown[1] and were later used for an attempted attack at the Dane encampment at Readingum.[2]
After King Æthelred I of Wessex and Alfred went south,[3] Halfdan Ragnarsson ordered Geirmund Hel-hide and his company to take Wælingford so they could control the Thames and the Icknield Way.[2] Though Geirmund and others thought it was essentially a way Halfdan had envisioned to be rid of Geirmund, they had no other choice. They came up with a plan to use the Saxons' fears and misconceptions about Norse mythology against themselves, binding dead Saxons to crosses and setting them on fire while threatening them to leave the city before dawn.[3]
The next day, the gates had been left open and the town, deserted. Geirmund and the Hel-hides gathered any gold and silver left behind and divided equally among themselves before sending Birna Gormsdottir back to Readingum to inform Halfdan and Guthrum. The Danes then began their occupation of Wælingford, which lasted for months.[3][4][5]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 12
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 14
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 15
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 16
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 17
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