ST. ALPHAGE
City of Canterbury. The earliest attacks on the latter were in 839 and in 851; on both occasions the Cathedral was unharmed, though the Saxon Chronicle says that on the former date there was great slaughter. It is suggested that on these occasions the enemy was bribed by Archbishop Ceolnoth to desist. Dean Hook refers to the enormous amount of money minted during his occupancy of the See, and the little he left behind him, caused by the drain upon his resources due to what might be called "Blackmail"; but it seems more likely that the city and the Cathedral owed its immunity to the strength of the city walls and the valour of its defenders.
In the year 854, the Danes for the first time wintered in the Isle of Sheppey. In 865 they made their head-quarters in the Isle of Thanet, but on the promise of money they executed a peace with the men of Kent; under the guise of which their army stole out in the night and overran all East Kent. The same kind of cunning was used by later hordes of these pagans, who invaded East Anglia, Mercia, and the north. In 870 they attacked Canterbury again, and Gervase says that the Cathedral suffered rather severely. In 871, Wessex was attacked; and the following year they occupied London for the winter. In 885, Rochester was besieged; but the men of the city, with the help of the army of Alfred the Great, who came to their assistance, defeated them and drove them to their ships. Later Alfred's fleet met sixteen of these Danish pirate ships at Stourmouth on the Wantsum, and sank them, but on their return to their base, they themselves were beset by a larger fleet of the pirates and the Danes secured the victory.
In 930, the Isle of Thanet was again overrun; in 994, Kent suffered burning, plundering and murder; in 999, Rochester was attacked for the second time, but the men of Canterbury were called to their assistance, marched against them and after a fierce battle the heathen were driven into West Kent, which was overrun.
In 1002, a tribute of £24,000 was paid in the way of "blackmail"; and in 1007, £30,000 was demanded and paid. In 1009, Thurkill's army came to Sandwich, and marched to Canterbury, which they would have stormed, but at this time they rather desired peace; and so for the payment of £3,000 a peace with East Kent was secured. In the autumn they returned to Kent and went into winter quarters on the Thames.
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