|
|
Welcome to JaredSewell.com
I am Jared Sewell, a 38 year old American-American with
ancestors from England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland
and Australia. I also have (as yet) unproven blood ties to the Cherokee
and Choctaw Nations. There are currently over 350 family names in my
genealogical history and well over 800 direct ancestors and
living relations documented. I have (thus far) traced my heritage back
over 1500 years to the 4th century AD and my earliest known
direct ancestor. Hengist, Prince of the Jutes, born about 425 to
435 AD and died in 488 AD.
Hengist, Mercenary, Prince, Adventurer
In 410 AD, after 400 years of rule, the Roman army and
its Government withdrew from Britannia. There are no records to show who
took over running the country, but it is fairly certain that many Romans
stayed, as they would have had generations of family born in Britannia.
It is possible that a few Roman officials remained as well keeping their
positions of authority unwilling to leave the country they had come to
love and call their own.
With the Roman armies gone, raiders from Ireland and the Picts from
Caledonia (Scotland) took advantage of this situation and began carrying
out regular attacks. One leader vowed to end these attacks and his name
has passed down through history - Vortigern.
In 449 AD Vortigern began hiring the fiercest fighters known, Saxon and
Jute mercenaries and he recruited the best, the Jute twin brothers named
Hengist and Horsa, renown for their battle prowess.
In return for their services, Vortigern promised Hengist and Horsa great
riches.
The two brothers and their men landed at Pegwell Bay, Kent, and stayed
in Vortigern's palace. Britannia had plenty of rich farmland which as a
legacy of the Roman occupation was well managed and productive, Hengist
saw this and wanted it for his people. His tribe, the Jutes, came from a
small area of Denmark which had become overcrowded, they were seeking a
new homeland when Vortigern hired them.
After they won the first battle against the Picts, Vortigern gave the
Jutes the Isle of Thanet to live on. Hengist told Vortigern that they
needed to send for more men to help protect Britannia, Vortigern agreed.
The additional men needed more land. The Jute warlord told Vortigern
they didn't need much, just a 'hide of land'. He agreed, thinking it
would do no harm to give the Jutes a tiny piece of land the size of a
bull hide. But Hengist was cunning and legend goes, that he sought the
largest bull, slew it, and cut it's hide round and round into a very
fine, thin strip of leather. This he stretched and laid out upon the
ground in a huge circle, enclosing a parcel of land large enough to
build a fortress on.
One of the new arrivals was Hengist's daughter Rowena. She has also been
referred to as Renwein, Ronwin, and Ronixen. She was of course young,
very blonde, very beautiful, very beguiling and very blue-eyed and
seduced Vortigern.
Vortigern wanted her and asked Hengist for her hand in marriage and the
Jute warlord made a deal and gave his blessing in exchange for the whole
of what is now Kent. Vortigern married Rowena and gave Kent to the
Jutes. This upset the other Princes of Britannia and also upset
Vortigen's three sons who were livid and ready to go to war against
their own father and his Jute friends.
In 455 AD Vortigern's eldest son, Vortimer, took up his sword against
his father and his Jute army commanded by Hengist. They fought four
fierce battles, Hengist and his men were defeated, his brother Horsa was
killed, Hengist retreated back to the Isle of Thanet with the remains of
his army and then left Britannia.
Hengist's daughter Rowena, stayed behind with the women and children,
she took it upon herself to rid her father Hengist and her husband
Vortigern of her stepson Vortimer. She brewed a fatal poison and bribed
Vortimer's servant to administer the poison. Vortimer died, she then
sent word to her father Hengist to return, which he did with shiploads
of men.
Now Vortigern saw Hengist as a threat to Britannia and began to raise an
army against him. Hengist feigned peaceful intent assuring Vortigern he
had only come back to fight Vortimer, as he was now dead he would depart
and go back to Denmark but leave some of his men to protect him against
his foes. Hengist further proposed that all the Princes of Britannia,
meet himself and his Jute warriors for a treaty of peace at the Cloister
of Ambrius, near Stonehenge.
This is the legendary feast known as the 'Night of the Long Knives'.
All weapons had been checked and given up before the feast began but
Hengist had ordered his men to hide daggers in their boots, Hengist gave
the signal, his men drew their long knives and stabbed the man next to
him. Only one survived, Eldol, he was spared his life for the price of
Essex, Sussex and Middlesex.
Vortigern was now a man on the run from the Saxons, Jutes and his own
countrymen. He retreated to Snowdonia were he had a stronghold. The
castle was placed under siege by the forces of Aureiilsu Ambrosia and
his brother Uther Pendragon (father of King Arthur) who had returned
from exile in Brittany to avenge their father Constan's death. Vortigern
had instigated his murder and siezed his throne many years before.
Rather than wait out a long drawn out siege they set fire to the tower
and Vortigern was burned alive.
After this not only did the Jutes have a strong hold on Britainnia but
so did the Saxons from Saxony and the Anglii from a part of what is now
Germany and the Franks came over from France as well. To this day, the
country is still referred to as England, or the 'Land of the Angles',
and we speak English, which was originally the language of the Angles
and of course the French refer to Britain as Angleterre. The Anglo Saxon
Chronicles say that Hengist died in AD 488 but does not explain how and
in what circumstances.
I just love my family and it's history. I am rich
in history and everyday's revelations make me richer. Do you know
from whence you came? If not I highly recommend that you find
out!!! |
