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396 brought a great access of power to the Anglo-Danish element in the kingdom, and transferred the centre of the realm from the Keltic districts beyond the Forth to the English-speaking province of Lothian. And this in its turn was of great importance to England; for it turned the ambitions of the Scotch kings more definitely southwards, and led them to covet the Tees for their frontier instead of the Tweed.

Siward died in 1055, the year following the fight at Dunsinane. As he had lost his eldest son in that battle and as his younger son Waltheof was still a child, a difficulty arose as to the succession to the Northumbrian earldom. The natural course would have been to select some member of the house of Bamborough for the office, or at any rate some Anglo-Dane possessing territorial influence north of the Humber. Harold, however, considered the appointment an opportunity too good to be lost for extending the influence of his own family. He therefore advised Edward to appoint his brother Tostig to the earldom, in spite of the obvious risk of placing a West Saxon over the Northerners. Edward acquiesced in this plan, partly because he had a real liking for Tostig, and partly because he hoped to pit the brothers against each other and so free himself to some extent from Harold's tutelage. Beyond the Humber Tostig's elevation was accepted at first with sullen indifference, but further south it led at once to trouble, being much resented by Earl Aelfgar, who regarded it as a menace to the Mercian house. Aelfgar's opposition went so far that Harold was able to represent his conduct as treasonable, and in the upshot obtained the consent of a witan to his outlawry. Thereupon Aelfgar, as Harold had done in similar circumstances, withdrew to Ireland, where he soon recruited a fleet manned by adventurous Irish and Danes, and then, eager for revenge, offered his services to the Welsh for an attack on those who had driven him out of England.

The ally to whom Earl Aelfgar turned was Gruffydd (Griffith) ap Llywelyn, prince of North Wales, a remarkable man, who had ascended the throne of Gwynedd in 1039 and gradually extended his sway over Deheubarth and the rest of the Welsh principalities. His power had long been a menace to the men of Herefordshire: in 1052 he had led a raid against Earl Ralf and defeated his forces near Leominster. Having just compassed the death of a dangerous South Welsh rival, Gruffydd was now ready to attack again and was delighted to join forces with Aelfgar. The pair accordingly marched upon Hereford in the autumn of 1055, and having driven off Ralf's levies, who were mounted, we are told, in the French fashion, sacked the borough, and burnt the newly-built minster, at the same time killing several of the canons. The alarm caused in the Severn valley by this exploit was so great that Earl Harold himself had to hurry to the west with assistance. He was unable, however, to punish the invaders, and had to patch up a peace at Billingsley in Archenfield, by which Aelfgar regained his position as Earl of East Anglia.