St Brice's Day massacre facts for kids
The St. Brice's Day massacre was a terrible event in English history. It happened on November 13, 1002. King Æthelred the Unready ordered the killing of all Danes living in his kingdom. He believed they were a threat to his life and his rule. Skeletons found in Oxford might be some of the victims from this event.
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What Happened and Why?
The name "St. Brice's Day" comes from Saint Brice. He was a bishop in the 400s, and November 13 is his special day.
After some peaceful years, Danish raids on England started again in the 980s. These attacks became much more serious by the early 990s. After a battle in 991, King Æthelred paid "Danegeld" to the Danish king. This was a payment of money to stop the attacks.
In 1002, King Æthelred married Emma of Normandy. Her mother was a Dane. Some Danes had come to England as traders. Others had settled down, married English people, and started families.
However, Danish raids had continued from 997 to 1001. In 1002, King Æthelred was told that the Danish men in his land planned to kill him and his advisors. They supposedly wanted to take over his kingdom. Because of this fear, he ordered all Danes in England to be killed.
Historians believe many people died, but we don't know the exact number. Records show that Gunhilde, the sister of Sweyn Forkbeard, the King of Denmark, was killed. Her husband, Pallig Tokesen, a Danish leader in Devon, also died. He had been part of raids on the south coast.
The Oxford Killings
King Æthelred wrote about the killings in Oxford in a royal paper from 1004. He called it a "most just extermination" of Danes who had settled there. He also said that with God's help, he rebuilt St Frideswide's Church (now Christ Church Cathedral).
He wrote that a command was sent out to destroy all Danes. He said they were like weeds among the wheat. In Oxford, some Danes tried to escape death by breaking into a church. They wanted to hide there. But the people chasing them could not get them out. So, they set the church on fire. The church, its decorations, and its books were all burned. King Æthelred later rebuilt it.
Discoveries at Oxford
In 2008, during an excavation at St John's College, Oxford, archaeologists found the remains of 37 people. Most of them were young men, aged 16 to 25. Only two were too young to tell their sex.
In 2012, scientists from Oxford University studied the bones. They found that the remains were likely from Vikings. Some bones had old scars, showing that some victims had been in battles before. The lead archaeologist said the victims had no wounds from defending themselves. They were unarmed and were killed while trying to escape being burned alive in the church. They had wounds on their backs. The bodies showed many serious injuries from different weapons. This suggests they were attacked by more than one person from all sides.
Radiocarbon dating suggests the bodies were buried between 960 and 1020 AD. The charring on the bones matches the historical records of the church burning. DNA tests on one body showed a close match to a man found in Denmark. This suggests they were related, perhaps half-brothers or uncle and nephew.
Other Possible Sites
Near Weymouth, Dorset, a site called the Ridgeway Hill Viking burial pit was found. It dates from 970 to 1038 AD. It contained the remains of 54 Scandinavian men, all of whom had been beheaded. This mass execution might be connected to the Oxford massacre and King Æthelred's order.
What Historians Think
Historians generally see the massacre as a political act. They believe it helped cause Sweyn Forkbeard's invasion of England in 1003.
Historian Simon Keynes said it was a reaction from people who had suffered under Danish rule. Ryan Lavelle, who wrote about King Æthelred, thinks the massacre probably happened mostly in towns near the border, like Oxford. It might also have happened in larger towns with small Danish groups, like Bristol, Gloucester, and London. He noted that the Oxford charter showed no regret for the killings.
Audrey MacDonald stated that the massacre eventually led to Cnut becoming king in 1016. Historian Levi Roach said these killings caused suspicion and division at a very important time. He added that Æthelred's death was soon followed by the conquest of England by the Danish ruler Cnut.
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