Having breached the city wall, the two sides engaged in a chaotic and brutal street fight. The Tall Vikings prevailed in this small skirmish, which lasted until two o'clock in the afternoon. Most of the city's defenders were either dead or had surrendered, and only a few hundred people took refuge in the palace and refused to come out.
Half an hour later, Vig rode up to the palace on horseback and found Halfdan in a rage: "Bring me everything that can be set on fire, I want to burn these ungrateful guys alive."
To mark his identity, Halfdan wore a white robe over his chain mail with an image of a charred black oak tree. At first glance, he looked a little like a crusader knight of later times.
He ordered his warriors to pile up firewood near the palace and pour kerosene on it. Just as they were about to set fire to the palace, Ragnar arrived with a large number of guards and stopped them.
"Stop, find a prisoner to tell Aethelwulf that I have no intention of killing him or occupying Wessex."
"What did you say?" Halfdan was stunned, not understanding why his father was so angry. Seeing the third brother's sad look, Ivar impatiently pushed him away and did as Ragnar ordered.
The prisoner soon disappeared through the door. Faced with many puzzled faces, Ragnar sighed and patiently explained his behavior:
"With insufficient troops, we cannot occupy all of Mercia, let alone Wessex in the south. The soldiers are thinking about going home and enjoying life. This war must be ended."
...
After waiting for half an hour, Aethelwulf sent a messenger to the Vikings asking about their conditions.
Ragnar: "Aethelwulf may continue to rule Wessex if he renounces the throne and surrenders to me."
The parties then bargained for a long time, with Aethelwulf insisting on non-interference in religion and customs.
Ragnar's condition was that Wessex would cede the territory of Oxford, hand over customs control over Southampton, and strictly control the number of troops.
The argument continued until nightfall, and Ragnar got confused on the last question: "Now that Aethelwulf has voluntarily surrendered the crown, what title should he be given - Earl of Wessex (Jael)?"
At this point, Goodwin suggested following the Frankish example:
"Your Majesty, according to the feudal system of the Franks, the existing nobles are roughly equal to counts. Above the counts, you can establish a new title."
He took a burnt stick and scratched the Latin word on the ground - dux.
"The word "dux", which arose in the late Roman Empire, means a military commander responsible for the defense of the borders. Charlemagne, under influence, used the title "duke" as the title of the military commander of a border military district (Bavaria, Aquitaine), who had a higher status than the counts, greater independence and the right to collect taxes, mint coins and establish local laws, which corresponded to the current situation."
Ragnar thought deeply, and everyone fell silent. According to Whig, it was from this title that the English word "duke" was later derived.
In the end, Ragnar proposed a final plan: to appoint Aethelwulf Duke of Wessex, cede the northern border including Oxford, not raise more troops without permission, and hand over control of the customs house at Southampton.
Theowulf had contributed greatly to the country, and his wife was of Mercian royal bloodline, so he was created Duke of Mercia. The holdings included the western territory of Mercia plus the ceded territory of Oxford, a total area equal to half the original Mercia.
In addition, King Edmund of East Anglia voluntarily surrendered, but his forces were too weak to claim the title of Duke, and he was demoted to Earl of East Anglia.
…
Under the circumstances, Aethelwulf led his family out of the palace and knelt down to surrender to Ragnar.
Theowulf, on the other hand, was in a particularly good mood. He accepted the appointment with joy and even called Ragnar "Charles the Great of Britain", which caused Wyg to feel displeased in his heart:
"King Eric is known as the "Charles the Great of Northern Europe", and now you call Ragnar "Charles the Great of Britain". Where are there so many Charlemagnes in the world?"
After the oath ceremony, Ragnar looked at some of his eager subordinates and smiled softly: "Who's first?"
"Me! I'll go first,"
Ulf rushed forward. "At the Battle of Tamworth, I killed Crown Prince Burgred. Liverpool is too barren, and I ask for a change of fief."
Ragnar was about to agree, when he suddenly remembered the events of four years ago.
After the capture of York, seven nobles unanimously rejected Bjorn and others' request for a title. Bjorn left in anger, choosing to live in Iceland rather than settle in Britain.
"This is my son, whom I raised with such difficulty, and now he does not even want to return to his home."
Unconsciously, his gaze gradually cooled, and he gave Ulf a new territory - Kent, located in the south-eastern part of Britain. If the Franks invaded in force, he would blame this guy for stalling for time.
After letting Ulf go, Ragnar canonized three of his close associates.
Nils received Nottingham, Gunnar - Cambridge, and Orm - Sussex (located south of London).
In addition, to show respect for the English, he specifically elevated Goodwin and canonized him as Earl of Suffolk, with his territories located north-east of London.
As for Londinium (London) and the most prosperous area of Tamworth-Repton in Mercia,
they were under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family. After canonizing nobles such as dukes and earls, Ragnar did not stop there. Over the next two days, he successively canonized over 300 distinguished warriors as knights, a third of them in York, a third in Tamworth and a third in Londinium.
Because of his instinct as a ruler, Ragnar felt that his knights were much more reliable than the Anglo-Saxon nobility. Using a large number of knightly estates to guard three main areas helps to deter some of the guys with different intentions.
After his accession to the throne, the Viking army held a carnival that lasted for several days, and the top military leaders went to Winchester Palace for a feast.
During the feast, Halfdan and the others were amazed by the luxurious furnishings of the palace. When he encountered Aethelwulf's slight disdain, he became a little embarrassed and said mockingly: "You are rich, of course, but so what, you still lost to us."
Aethelwulf was not angry and answered easily: "In fact, this is nothing. The real wealth is West Francia, where the local products are rich and the financial resources are strong, exceeding the sum of seven Anglo-Saxon countries. If you... no, we attack West Francia, the gain will be even greater."
At this point, everyone was drunk and demanding an attack on West Francia. At the Battle of Lutterworth, they were surprised by the Frankish knights, and they were full of thoughts of killing them to take revenge.
The alcohol was getting to him, and Ragnar felt a little dizzy. He wanted to ask Vig for his opinion.
"Vig, Vig?"
It took Ragnar a long time to realize that the guy was busy in a camp outside the city and had no time to attend the feast.
Looking around, he saw that the nobles seemed confused. He could not find anyone to discuss the situation with, so he thought:
"Frank sent reinforcements on his own initiative. Maybe one day he will attack himself. Rather than be attacked by others, I would rather lead my troops into the attack first."
If the army is smaller than 3,000 men next year, we can simply start a small battle on the coast to get revenge on Charles the Bald for sending reinforcements. If we gather a large army, we can bring the fleet to the mouth of the Seine and sail upstream to Paris!