634 Report of national museum, 1891. 



The monk of St. Grail tells us how early Charlemagne had recog- 

 nized the bad intentions of the Northmen,' and, foreseeing evil, he or- 

 dered in the spring of 800 A. d., ships to be built upon all rivers com- 

 ing from France and Germany and ships everywhere, and at all places 

 where landings of the i)irates might be expected he ordered guards to 

 be stationed.^ The most vulnerable point was the coast of his Slavic 

 tributary i^eople and allies. Thus, in 808 A. d., Gotrik, a Danish king, 

 surprised the Abodrites (the inhabitants of the present Mecklenburg), 

 laid the people under contributions, and exacted a money tribute even 

 of the Frisians.^ In 810 A. D., the Northmen assailed the coast of Frisia 

 with two hundred vessels.^ 



In 802 A. D., a. capitulet ordered all free men living along the shore to 

 hasten to shi]) upon the sounding of alarm.^ In 810 a. d., Charles mus- 

 tered at Boulogne the fleet which lu^ had created, and reconstructed 

 the old Roman pharos." 



In 828 A. D., Harold caused the Saxon counts upon the Eider a new 

 loss.' In 845, simultaneous with an attack upon Paris, Eurik, King of 

 the Northmen, with six hundred ships, entered the river Elbe and ran- 

 sacked Hamburg." In 852, Godfrey, son of Harold the Dane, with two 

 hundred and ftfty-two ships, harassed the territory bordering the 

 mouth of river Scheldt.^ In 8G0, during the roign of Ethelred, a large 

 fleet of Northmen came to land, and the crews stormed Winchester.'" 

 In 857, the Northmen invaded the city of Paris c.nd set fire to it. They 

 are said to liave had a fleet of seven hundred large ships, besides 

 smaller ones, and landed 40,000 men.'' In 861, the Danes, under their 

 king, Welland, set out with a fleet of more than two hundred ships. "* 

 In 8G5, the Northmen entered the river Seine with five hundred ships.'^ 



of Denmark, sailed with 60 sliips (Olaf Trygvason Saga, c. 15). At tlie begiiuiiug of 

 tile battle with the Jomslmrg vikings, Earls Harahl and Eric had 150 ships; of the 

 Jomsburg vikings Earl Sigvald had 20 ships and Bne and his brother Signrd had 20; 

 Vagn Aakerson had 20 ships (Olaf Tiygvasou Saga, c. 43). King Trygvason sailed 

 against the Danish king with 71 ships (Olaf Trygvason Saga, c. 110). The Joms- 

 vikings attended the arvel of King Svein Tjnguskegg at Zealand with 170 ships 

 (Jomsvikings Saga, c. 37). In 840 Harold Blatonn went to Norway with a fleet of 

 700 ships (Olaf Trygvason Saga, c. 24). 



'Monachi Sangalli Geste Caroli II, c. 14, 757; Mon. G. II. T. ii. 



2Einhard, Vita Caroli M. ed. Pertz, c. 17; Einh. Annal. ad A. 800, 157; T. I. Mon. 

 G. H. 



3Saxo Gram. Hist. Dan. viii, 167 (ed. Stephanii). 



•«Einhard Annal a. h. a. ; M. G. H. T. I., 197; Sa-xo Gr.nii. i, v.. 



■""Capitnlaria Reg. Franc, ed. Baluz, Paris, 1780, i, 377. 



'Einh. Annal. a. h. a., 199. 



^Einhard Annal. A., 828. 



» Annal. Trescens. ad A. 845; Vita Anskarii, 700. 



aEginh. Annal. a., 852. 



'"English Chronicles. 



"Egi'ih. Ann. Barthold, (Gcschichte d. Dcutsclien St'emacht), places this event in 

 885-6. 



i-Ibid., a. 861. 



13 Ibid., a. 865. 



