Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum

The Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum is an agreement between Alfred the Great, King of Wessex and Guthrum, the ruler of East Anglia. The date of the contract is not known, but it can be narrowed down to the period 878-890. The Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum is one of the few surviving documents from the reign of Alfred the Great. He is in a old English version in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge ( Manuscript 383 ) and in a Latin compilation of legal texts ( Quadripartitus ) from the time of Henry I. receive. The original was probably made in old english.

Contract

In the prologue, which is charged to the contract text above, it says that the treaty between Alfred and Guthrum and the Witan of Anglo-Saxons and everyone was closed in East Anglia.

The first point is the most famous.

" First, concerning our borders: The Thames up, and then the Lea up, and along Lea to its source, then in a straight line to Bedford, then up the Ouse to Watling Street after "

This paragraph of the contract is generally considered in the absence of other sources as representing the boundaries of the Danelags, but he actually treated only the boundary between Alfred's and Guthrums spheres of influence.

In the second paragraph the amount of the wergild is specified, which is to be paid in different cases.

" Then this: When a man is killed, we will quote all as equal, Englishmen and Danes, on eight half mark of gold, except the ceorl who inhabit leased land and their ( Danish ) freedman, they are also the same, both of 200 shillings. "

The third section contains requirements on the number of oaths required by a Thane, to defend themselves in case of an indictment for murder.

In the fourth section, it is required that a purchaser of slaves, horses or oxen must know a guarantor.

The fifth and last paragraph deals with the exchange of population across the border. It is established that neither slave nor free from Wessex to be included in the army of the Danes. The same should apply vice versa for Danes. However, if it still comes to the handling of the two populations, hostages are to be made in order to guarantee the good intentions.