The sight of Heahmund, the warrior Bishop of Sherborne, in the midst of battle against the great Heathen army has been romanticised by TV series Vikings. Heahmund is a dashing swordsmith, played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyer, cutting down every Dane before him as he fights for the Anglo-Saxon against the Scandinavian invaders.
Later, so impressed were the Vikings with this warrior, Heahmund is seen fighting for the Danish cause against the Anglo-Saxons – where he is eventually slain in the heat of battle.
Of course, there has been some artistic licence given to the life of Heahmund but the foundation of his story seems to ring true and Vikings creator Michael Hirst described Heahmumd as “one of the greatest warrior bishops in history.”
The real Bishop Heahmund was the ninth-century Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Sherborne. He did not fight for both sides, but he did die in battle against the invading Viking forces.
Heroic Heahmund fought alongside King Æthelred I of Wessex and the future King Alfred the Great before being slain on March 22, 871 at the Battle of Meretun – also known as the Battle of Merton – where he was leading the Anglo-Saxon forces.
West of Selwood
Warrior bishops occupied an unusual position, balancing their religious duties with their responsibilities as powerful feudal lords. As major landowners and vassals of the king, they were expected to raise armies and defend their vast diocesan territories. In doing so, many personally took to the battlefield, despite canon law generally forbidding clerics from shedding blood. Historian Richard Abels wrote in his biography of Alfred the Great that the region “west of Selwood”, which is around Frome in Somerset, was a huge diocese. During the ninth century, it stretched across Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, and they were all under the guidance of the Bishop of Sherborne. Bishop Ealhstan, whom Heahmund succeeded, was described as “undoubtedly the most politically powerful force in the south-west and one of the most influential magnates in all Wessex.”
When Ealhstan died in 845, Heahmund followed in his footsteps, ensuring Sherborne had another warrior bishop at its helm.
Heahmund’s story continued after he died in battle, and he was taken to an abbey near Keynsham, Somerset, for his final resting place. His legacy as a defender of the realm endured and Heahmund was venerated as a saint and martyr in both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions – there is a feast day in his honour on 22nd March. While Heahmund is resting in Keynsham, Sherborne Abbey is the burial site of two Wessex kings, King Æthelbald and King Æthelberht, who were elder brothers of King Alfred the Great, who died in 860 and 866 respective
by James Brinsford
