Guthrum II facts for kids
Guthrum II was a person who some historians believe was a King of East Anglia in the early 900s. It's important not to confuse him with an earlier, more famous king also named Guthrum, who fought against Alfred the Great. The existence of Guthrum II is still debated by historians today.
Who Was Guthrum II?
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The only Viking ruler of the kingdom of East Anglia whose rule is certain was the first Guthrum. He was also known by his Christian name, Æthelstan. He died in 890 after ruling East Anglia for about ten years.
For a long time, the coins made in East Anglia were a great way to learn about the kings who ruled there. After King Æthelberht II of East Anglia was killed in 794, only two kings—Edmund (also known as Saint Edmund the Martyr) and Guthrum—are clearly mentioned in old written records. All other kings from that time are known only because their names appeared on coins.
However, this changed after the first Guthrum died. Later East Anglian coins stopped naming the king who ordered them to be made. Instead, they just had the name of King Edmund. From then on, information about kings comes only from very few written records.
Historians believe that Eohric was king of East Anglia at some point. We don't know exactly when his rule began. He was killed in 902 during a battle called the Holme. He was fighting alongside Æthelwold of Wessex against the armies of King Edward the Elder. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an old historical record, says that the East Anglians made peace with Edward in 906. They also gave in to Edward's rule in late 917. But the Chronicle does not name their leaders on either occasion.
The Laws That Caused Confusion
The idea of a "Guthrum II" comes from a set of rules known as the Laws of Edward and Guthrum. In the 1800s, a translator named Benjamin Thorpe thought that King Guthrum II led the East Anglians when they made peace with King Edward the Elder in 906. Thorpe based this on his own earlier work, where he had printed these "Laws." He believed they were a record of the agreement made in 906.
Thorpe also mentioned a medieval historian named John of Wallingford. Thorpe thought Wallingford supported the idea of a second Guthrum. He believed Wallingford wrote that the first King Guthrum, who died in 890, had left England for Denmark and then returned during Edward's rule.
However, when Joseph Stevenson translated Wallingford's work later, his version was different. According to Stevenson, Wallingford's writings about Guthrum returning were likely a mistake. Stevenson noted that these statements should be viewed with caution.
Over time, historians started to question whether the Laws of Edward and Guthrum were really from the time of Edward the Elder. In 1921, Frederick Attenborough discussed these laws and mentioned the work of a German historian, Felix Liebermann. Liebermann thought the beginning of the laws was not real and believed they were actually from the time of King Æthelstan.
Even more recent studies date these laws to an even later period. The late Patrick Wormald wrote that for a long time, everyone believed the laws were exactly what they claimed to be. But since 1941, when Dorothy Whitelock studied the text, this is no longer the case. Instead of being a record from 906 or Æthelstan's time, the Laws are now thought to have been written around the year 1000. Many historians believe they were written by Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York (who died in 1023). Because these "Laws" are now dated much later, the idea of a "Guthrum II" who made peace with Edward in 906 is not widely accepted.
