The Battle of Maldon 991 AD 

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2 heirs one of them gained the title "the martyr" "boy howdy i wonder which one will live"

It should be mentioned Aethelred the Unready is also a double entendre given that Aethelred kind of means the ready. Thus sort of being 'well advised the ill advised'.

Byrthnoth- Exercising medieval chivalry before it was cool.

Time to put everything on hold to watch blocks fight

"I have the high ground." "um, do you mind if I join you on the high ground?" "Sure, come on up." (Looks like someone hasn't read Sun Zu.)

Olaf stood up looking at his men, realizing that he was in a bad position. Then he called out to Æthelred and said “if u fight me here u gay!”

I live in Maldon, and often go to see the statue down in the Prom. Very happy to see this video! Thank you!

A heads up, Vikings: War of Clans is a fraud. It's nothing like the advertisement and is not worth playing. I appreciate they are supporting your channel

Olaf - Can you guys give up your superior position, pretty please? Byrhtnoth - Sure, what could possibly go wrong?

Bryntholf: “Did we win?” Saint Peter: “Well no, but actually yes.”

I love chivalry. There's something special about sworn enemies honoring each other

This was such a fantastic video to watch. Being from Maldon myself and researching this battle and time period hasn't given me anywhere near as much insight into this battle as this video did!

Appreciate the battle description. For me, to learn of such "small" events helps grasping the broader figure (and remember it probably). The great contextualization of the event that BazBattles is priceless IMHO. Thank you :-)

I love your editing so much! I started a new history channel and would really like to make higher quality videos. I’m really curious. What editing software do you use? Thanks!

"It is a gusty summer morning..." That wonderful voice! Already liked at that point.

One amusing tidbit about Aethelred and his epithet "the unready/ill-advised" is that it's a pun on his name, which means "Well Advised". He was basically called "Well advised, the ill advised".

Thanks for doing these lesser-known battles.

SAXON WIN SCENARIO: 1. Accept Pitched Battle 2. Ambush while half of Vikings have passed.

Interesting video, really understand more and more where GoT got its inspiration from.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a short play about the aftermath of this battle, "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth, Beorhthelm's Son". It's just 13 pages long (plus 3 pages of introduction).

Well he gave up his advantage real quick

I question the wisdom of Byrthnoth accepting Olaf's challenge to a pitched battle, especially since the Saxons were outnumbered, but the man was brave. I'll give him that.

Damn both these great men had honor

I LIVE HERE! THIS IS LITERALLY THE ONLY INTERSTING THING ABOUT MALDON

Weird how paying people to do something doesn't make them do that thing less.

61 years old he had been in battles for over 40 years one tough man

I really like the way you show the damage done to each infantry unit by shaving away portions of each individual...rectangle? Is that what it’s called? Idk. I like the way you show that though. Other historical battle channels should take note! Excellent work. Thank you for the content!

love your stuff. I always get some awesome imagery from your vids, good writing and narration!

Keep it up, very good work, research, video, music, narration - 10/10

To be fair to Byrhtnoth, if he didn’t fight the Vikings, they would have sailed away to raid another settlement. This was probably his greatest chance to crush them for good. He still lost though. Badly.

The original 10th century manuscript of the epic poem, The Battle of Maldon, was lost, along with many other unique ancient documents, in a fire in 1731. Curiously, it too was also missing the beginning and the end of the story.

Even so, Æthelred's reign lasted 35 years. Even without counting the years he hadn't come of age yet, that's still a decent 30 years of ruling. His nickname 'the Unready' was given to him in hindsight, 150 years later.

The best poem ever!

Sveyn Forkbeard/Sven Tveskägg was the the last pagan king of Denmark, although not the last to rule over England. Just love this history and your videos.

Thank you for another wonderful video!

Another good example of honor before tactics...

I remember first reading about this battle in a book called Longships as a kid. Great to revisit the battle again.

Byrthnoth was out of his mind

Love your videos as always and again a BTS would be amazing addition . Keep up the good work

What battle are you covering next because I am interested in charlemange campaign against the avars and the saxons

I know a lot of people dont like the fictional battles but if you could ever do a 40k video, that would be amazing

Absolutely love your videos, watching them is like being at the battle 👍

Bryhtnoth was too honorable. He should've let half the Vikings come across, then attack. This is war, they came asking for it.

Thanks for all your hard work, I really enioy your videos.

"So did you lose the Battle of Maldon, Byrthnoth?" *Achievement Unlocked: "Well no... but actually yes."*

Great job as always!

thanks for making these

Good job! Your videos are amazing!

Good job, like always.

Baz battles is baaaaaaaack! Thank the gods for your return sir. Continue the amazing work, we beg of you.

Loved how u pronounced every name authentically. So much effort. I salute you, good sir.

Also, if it’s of any interest to anyone…I know where about 120 swords and remnants of the battle are. The location of the battle was never known, but it might help pinpoint it.

I love that you are documenting some of these lesser but no less important battles of history. Thank you.

Æthelred le Malavisé (sorry i'm French ^^ )... A bad king can't rule for 38 years with constantly invasions of his land without being better than what the books said (all written centuries after his death and only through the prism of his end). Don't forget money was still enough to pay 2 strong tributes in few years, so he manage to keep royal income through dark times, and that he developed several codes of laws as well as the emergence of reeves. Many of his predecessors would have failed much earlier than him (38 years of reign). He deserves better than such a nickname.

“The Vikings, were here...” “This video is sponsored by Vikings” lol

Byrhtnoth could’ve did the pro-gamer move of Moses

I learned many interesting things watching this video. Especially that majority also means maturity.

Askeladd fought there ! RESPECT

For our hands shall be the harder our will shall be the wiser and our hearts shall be bolder as our strength must end

Lots of people calling a Byrhtnoth an idiot, and they’re sort of right but need to look at Maldon in its wider context. Most importantly you have to understand the Anglo-Saxon mindset in this situation. There is the term ‘ofermod’ (literally ‘over-mood’ in modern English), it’s an Anglo-Saxon term similar to arrogance but kind of positive in meaning. It’s essentially when a warrior is so sure in his abilities that he puts himself in dangerous situations to prove his prowess. Byrhtnoth’s choice to let the Vikings cross the landbridge is the clearest example of ofermod your going to find in all of recorded Germanic history. Look at it through his eyes, he’s old, very old for a warrior, he’s probably proved himself many a time already against rebels and the campaigns in the north uniting England when he was younger. Now, the Vikings have returned and are at his doorstep; he’s beat them off once and all his men know this, he has to show and prove that he’s still not scared of them now that he is an elderly man. Now he at first, does use the landbridge to his advantage, allowing the Viking host to bleed men trying to force their way across much faster than his force will defending it. He would likely have his men hold the landbridge for a while until the Vikings leave or, once they’re sufficiently battered, let them across and finish them off on the mainland with his best men as fresh reserves (including himself and his followers). However, the Vikings aren’t dumb and see this, so they directly challenge Byrhtnoth’s pride and surety in his skills as a warrior, not as a strategist, by asking for a fair fight. Suddenly, the Vikings aren’t attacking England but Byrhtnoth’s skill in a fight. Byrhtnoth could ignore the Viking’s demand and win, but his men will forever assume that he was scared by the Vikings, thus damaging his reputation as a warrior. So, he has to accept their demands if he wants to maintain his reputation as a warrior and a brave leader, therefore what happens happens. The epic poem written slightly later celebrates Byrhtnoth’s actions, as well as the fact that many of his men fought to the death even after Byrhtnoth had fallen and the battle lost. Byrhtnoth achieved glory, but at the price of a loss; to us that doesn’t seem worth it however, ask an Anglo-Saxon and he would have told you that any other way would be a dishonour to your name. If your interested in the idea of ofermod, Tolkien wrote an essay on it, as well as a response to the poem which is definitely worth looking up

Another intresting video. Looking forward for more Viking vs Britons content. 👍

Very good. I lived about 20km from Maldon, used to visit it as a child and took my own kids there. It’s pronounced Moldon my friend, an ‘O’ replacing the ‘A’ in its pronunciation. Keep up the good work.🇦🇺

Full support to you guys ,from here to infinity,keep them coming!

I suppose thanks to Aethelred we have Vinland Saga

7:35 *I love that effect* slowly emerging until he becomes clear as day, please use this more often it's beautiful

Can we have the metric system as well when you describe someone or give a distance? We are not so familiar with your feet... Good video though love it!

the vikings had a far more defensible position, and a significant mobility advantage in the shape of their longboats. had the battle dragged on for longer, the vikings would've had the ability to outflank and potentially ambush the saxons, as well as the ability to disengage and sail away, while the saxons had no way of decisively defeating them. either way, choosing to fight a decisive battle was a gamble worth taking.

Bryhtnoth - The walking definition of being honorable to a fault

Fun Fact: Byrhtnoth was 6'9 or 205cm tall

Strategically unsound move to let Olaf cross. However, extremely sportsmanlike. And I like that you pointed out that it was a gamble, that they might repel the invaders in 1 battle. What carnage. And their sacrifice delayed Olaf, so it was not a total loss.

An early Christmas gift thanks

Yeah. We got a big ole statue of brythnoth commererating the whole thing as well... Oh btw. Most people pronounce it as mole-don

Love the videos. Would you ever do a game of thrones video again ?

Love your videos but hate the wait for new ones.

When your family's nicknames go from "the Peaceful" to "the Martyr" to "the Unready" you know you've fucked up

I see the outcome differently-Brythnoth caused mass death to relentless raiders against his own people. In this rare case the body count of the enemy was the battle's success-regardless of what his own losses were. It's too bad that sheepish king paid money to the remaining raiders rather than fighting what was left with a fresh force.

The best comment I've seen on facebook...about this "I believe Keith Richards wrote a song about this from first hand accounts"

9:59 a couple seconds before you said this, i was looking at it and just shaking my head...."not too much creativity here."

moral lesson: do not fight like real men, use your own advantage, let your enemy make mistakes

Merry Christmas!

I seem to recall a Monty Python sketch about Maldon. Or something like that.

And that's why you don't give up an advantageous position. What a hooligan

Bryhtnoth got himself a Darwin award.

Oh poor Aethelred. He was a virgin trying to fight off a horde of Danish chads.

Yay! Another Bazbattles! Yay yay yay!

Thanks guys :)

Another battle I've never heard of. Glad to learn of it. Now I want to see if that causeway is still there.

Will you do a video on the battle of blackwater bay eny time soon

Awesome job once again Balthasar! Could you start a series on battles pertaining to the Irish kingdoms, the Dubgaill (Irish vikings), Finngaill, etc around this time? I think the Battle of Islandbridge (or Ath Cliath) was a major event.

"Play by your enemy's rules, you lose." - Ender Wiggin

To BazBattles, I'm really disappointed that you omitted two of the most interesting aspects of the battle: -->The poem records that Byrhtnoth's thanes reformed and made a valiant (albeit forlorn) charge into the Viking host unsupported, electing to die with their earl, rather than to leave his body to be plundered by their enemy. -->The poem also records that the catalyst for the mass route was that, in an effort to save himself, one of his men stole Byrhtnoth's horse, which led to many thinking that Byrhtnoth was fleeing the field. This, coupled with his death, caused the lines to break. These acts of heroics and cowardice were such interesting parts of the battle, I'm surprised that they were not addressed. That critique aside, your videos are always a pleasure to watch and I'm glad to see this battle covered. Merry Christmas to you and yours! All the best, Kyle of Canada

It says a lot about medieval history I think that Æthelred the Unready is actually the second person I've heard about who sources claim defecated in their baptismal font as an infant. The first was Byzantine Emperor Constantine V Copronymus ("Dung-named")

Gee, paying gold to invaders to make them leave led to more and more invasions...who could have guessed this would happen?

That is the christmas gift I need, a BazBattles upload.

Battle of the Nile, please!

6:19 "I believe in miracles, you sexy thegn"

I have walked the battlefield of Maldon as I live close by and this is nowhere near what it is like as the battle site has changed little during the centuries. The land bridge was much narrower as shown in this clip. In fact it has been widened over the years to take cars. The field where the battle took place is still much as it was in 991 AD. The contours of the land and the course of the river has changed little. The town of Maldon is further down the river so the area has not been built on. A person visiting the battlefield today can still get a good idea of the landscape and the deployment of the armies.

The battle of Maldon may have been a disaster, but it occasioned one of the greatest poems in all Anglo-Saxon literature, with poor Earl Byrhtnoth’s dying speech a tragic masterpiece and inspiration to succeeding generations. Ps the town of Maldon is also famous for producing very high quality SALT 🧂 btw.

If you’ve ever visited Maldon, there is no fresh morning air! It’s a pretty place populated by some of the worst people in the area…also the water coming from the chelmer is pure sewage.