This trouble came from the Angles, or rather from a group of Angle farmers who had left and returned.
Two years earlier, a Viking army had captured York, killed King Elwyd and the queen, and Northumbria had welcomed a new ruler. Upon hearing this terrible news, a large number of the inhabitants fled. Tyneburg is in the north, and almost a quarter of the farmers fled to Pictish territory.
Over time, these refugees received news from their home towns. It seemed that the new lord was not as cruel and bloodthirsty as expected. The taxes were not much different from those of the old lord, and he had also married the daughter of an Anglo-Saxon squire.
Homesick, most of the refugees did not want to continue to endure life under a foreign roof, so one by one they headed south.
Unfortunately, when this group of people returned to their home village, they found that their farmland had been occupied by fellow villagers and their houses had become barns for their neighbors to raise cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks, causing an unbearable stench, which led to a number of conflicts.
From mid-June, more and more Englishmen gathered in front of Tyneburg, asking Lord Whig to bring justice.
Morally, Whig should have ordered the remaining villagers to return the land and compensate for the losses.
However, from a utilitarian point of view, the remaining villagers had paid him taxes, while the refugees had provided nothing, so Whig had no obligation to protect the latter.
After a private conversation with Heligif, Vig called together the nobles and village chiefs in the area on June 30th and asked them to come up with a suitable solution.
"The number of refugees has been steadily increasing since the beginning of the summer. About a thousand people have gathered near Tyneburg, which has seriously affected my mood. In the end, this disaster is due to you. Come up with a solution quickly and don't make me do it myself."
Relying on the fact that she was Vig's mother-in-law, Iris took the initiative and said, "My lord, this is against the rules! They voluntarily abandoned their land and fled north, and they didn't pay taxes last year. According to tradition, these farmlands have become ownerless. Why should we return them to them?"
Since someone was willing to take the initiative, the others spoke up one after another. The reason given by Fat Squire Harry was the most convincing.
"My lord, these lands were not appropriated by us. Each household has a share. Some people got farmhouses, some got land, and some villagers shared furniture like pots and pans. This has become an established fact. You don't need to make everyone unhappy over a small group of people." "
Yes, since they went to Pictish land, they must be honest Picts. Why are they running back?"
"Drive them back!"
...
The noise gradually died down, and Vig said with a grim face: "Since you do not wish to return the land, I have thought of another way to organize these refugees so that they will open up new lands on the south bank of the Tyne."
Hearing that there was no need to return the land, the faces of the squires and village chiefs instantly brightened. Before they could praise the lord's wisdom, Vig suddenly left his seat, his tone tinged with undisguised murderous intent.
"However, during the two years of settlement, the refugees must be supported by the place from which they came. After you return to the village, you can discuss it at leisure. Those who share the land will pay more, and those who share the farmhouse will pay less, but you must gather enough food and livestock."
Vig went around to each man one by one, looking them straight in the eye: "Remember, you have taken advantage, do not think of letting me pay the price. If someone does not want to pay, then the matter will be difficult to manage."
There is no doubt that the squires, village chiefs and small landowners gained the most from this feast of dividing the property of the fugitives. It was estimated that a third of the farmland and livestock were occupied by them. The advantages went to them, and the troubles went to me. How could there be such injustice in the world?
Vig was very angry. He invited the group for a quick meal of fish soup and bread, and then sent them away.
Before leaving, Iris did not forget to invite Helijiv: "Come home when you have time. Horsa was thinking about you."
"I've been very busy lately. Let's talk about this later." Khelijiv said goodbye to her mother and returned to the study to find her husband. "Miham is counting the origins of the refugees. It is expected to be completed within two days. He asked me to come and ask you how much land each household will receive?" "
The old rule is thirty acres."
Vigu was too lazy to bother with this. After the registration work was completed, the refugees were transported to the southern shore by boat. In total, there were more than 900 refugees, about 200 households, divided equally between two villages. At his request, the three-field system should be applied to the newly reclaimed lands.
In fact, there are still large tracts of land on the northern shore waiting to be reclaimed. The reason why Whig was so busy sending people to the south bank was that he did not dare trust this
group of people in his heart. In case they rebelled under the pressure of some people, he had the river Tyne as a barrier and he could buy enough time to react. According to his plan, the north bank of the river Tyne was to receive as many Vikings as possible to guard his home. As for the Angles who returned from the north one by one, they were all settled on the south bank.
Over the next half month, the necessary living supplies were brought from various estates and villages. Although the refugees did not want it, they had to accept the reality and devote all their energy to building new houses and reclaiming the wastelands. There were still two months left before the sowing of winter wheat, and they had to hurry to complete the preparatory work.
Wig predicted that in the future, just as many refugees would return. As the population on the south bank of the Tyne grew larger and larger, he might consider building a floating bridge.
Over the next few days, he explored the area on both sides of the river, occasionally interacting with refugees, and accidentally learning the whereabouts of his sister Britta.
Six years ago, in 839 AD, my sister Helga's second husband had been persuaded by his friends to move to Britain and settle there. The couple had not heard from each other since. Wig could not contain his excitement and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you sure?"
Faced with the lord's oddities, the refugee's tone became a little worried: "Well, when I worked in Edinburgh, I heard many times employers complain about the Vikings on the northwest coast. One of them was a leader named Helgi, who had a wife named Britta."
Hearing this answer, Vig inquired about Helgi's news among the group of refugees and learned that the other side was mainly active on the northwest coast of Scotland. There were many small Viking settlements on the local islands. Recently, Helgi and other Viking leaders had formed the Alliance of the Isles, which was very powerful.
...
Having confirmed that his sister and brother-in-law were still alive, Vig was overjoyed and led 20 shield bearers to visit them. Incidentally, he also inquired about the situation of the Alliance of the Isles. One day, he could use the troops against the north and buy them as mercenaries.
Vig chose a light and sturdy oak boat and headed north along the coastline, occasionally meeting Viking fishermen at sea.
By combining the information they had obtained, Vig learned the exact location of his son-in-law Helga - the Isle of Skye, an island northwest of Scotland.