Chapter 4: The Battle of Macclesfield
Forgive me, for my throat is hoarse and the night grows colder. How fitting then, for the tragedy that I tell you now. It has been many years since the murder of Chester, but the scream of blood does not cool with time.
As you heard, St. Guthlac and his hermitage gave credence to Offa’s claims over East Anglia, the oldest of the realms, yet small and vulnerable. The king saw a quick and easy prize, whilst Chester saw the summation of his task and departed once again to his home.
There he tried to make peace with the wounded pride of his former Marshal, now commander. With skill and the kindness oft ascribed to him, Chester won him over.
The court was also blessed with a new daughter for his son, named Christina in the style of the Lombards from whence her mother came. She was promised to another child, the Earl of Surrey, whom lived far to the south beyond the Thames.
More unexpectedly, Chester’s own wife fell pregnant too. The household was overjoyed, especially given the lord’s older years. The pregnancy gave the woman some trouble, but love and kindness smoothest over many ills in this life.
In another twist of fate, Offa came to Chester cap in hand, begging for forgiveness for his past sins. Chester of course was amenable, being the purest of men. Offa’s invitation of hospitality held another, more pressing concern however. The king was stricken, dying of a life of indulgence and wickedness since his warring days.
The pair did reconcile over the course of several months in each other’s company, especially with Offa’s illness and Gerberga’s pregnancy. Both had the finest of care imaginable of course but in truth, both struggled with each passing mourn. Worse was to come however, for Offa began to tax the people of his kingdom to a greater extent, paranoid of leaving his heir with an empty treasury. This did not come without consequence, and with his most excellent Chancellor placed within his own court, the realm grew fiercer and fiercer in ire towards the king.
Finally, the horse snapped his lease and the dogs of war were released. The greatest uprising was in Chester itself, most upsettingly to her lord. The people were not, of course, rebelling against him, but a cruel overlord. However, Chester was a good man and trusted Offa one last time. He of course agreed to join his king in this fight, taking up arms against his own subjects, whom loved him dearly.
His wife could not accompany him, given her condition, so Offa promised to care for her within his court whilst Chester rode on ahead to confront the rebels. Offa was to follow after, but his injury, or perhaps carelessness, delayed his forces and those of the other earls. Chester thus fought the greater enemy force alone.
The Battle of Macclesfield was a bloodbath on both sides. Brother and father fought against one another, and the cries of anguish came not just from injury but from recognition. These were not a wicked people, but simply desperate men, wishing to feed their families and keep their pride of living.
The tragedy was complete, sorrowfully, inevitably. The great Chester the Kind met his end with a spear to the back, choking his last words of love for his son through bleeding lungs. The Earl’s army rushed to their fallen leader, lifting him off and away from the battlefield. They were routed. Much had been lost that day in Macclesfield. Today, the clay still strikes red when cut.
The realm past to the son, Wigferth. Enraged, distraught, the young man and his entire guard swore upon their swords and his father’s cooling corpse that there would be a reckoning for the crime committed that day. Offa, and all his line, would suffer for the death of Chester, for the blood shed upon the battleground. Mercia would suffer and burn for this day. He headed towards his father’s great house in Chester, for it would always be his and never Wigferth’s. The whole city was tainted by the loss of something inexpressible. The new Earl sought a new land for himself and his family, away from such heartbreak, away from the evil of Offa and his ilk.
As well we know, they did find such a place, though at still greater cost.
