Chapter Fifteen: The First Kings of England / 第十五章：英格兰的首任国王们

The Vikings Invade England / 维京人入侵英格兰

The Vikings settled in Iceland, Greenland, and North America. They invaded France, took over part of it, and named their new kingdom Normandy. And they also invaded the islands of Britain.

维京人定居在冰岛、格陵兰和北美洲。他们入侵了法国，占领了一部分，并将他们的新王国命名为诺曼底。他们还入侵了不列颠的岛屿。

Look at your map, just above Normandy, and you'll see Britain. The southern part of the largest island is called England; the northern part is called Scotland; and the western part is called Wales. The smaller island is called Ireland.

看看你的地图，就在诺曼底上方，你会看到不列颠。最大岛屿的南部叫做英格兰；北部叫做苏格兰；西部叫做威尔士。较小的岛屿叫做爱尔兰。

Do you remember what we've already learned about the British Isles? The first people who lived there were called Celts. The Romans tried to conquer the Celts, but only managed to take over a small part of the island.

你记得我们已经学过的关于不列颠群岛的知识吗？最初居住在那里的人们被称为凯尔特人。罗马人试图征服凯尔特人，但只成功占领了岛屿的一小部分。

After the Roman Empire fell apart, barbarian tribes named Angles and Saxons came into England and settled down there. Many of the Celts retreated into Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

罗马帝国衰落后，名为盎格鲁人和撒克逊人的野蛮部落来到英格兰并在那里定居。许多凯尔特人撤退到苏格兰、爱尔兰和威尔士。

And a few years later, a monk named Augustine came to England to preach Christianity to the Angles and the Saxons.

几年后，一位名叫奥古斯丁的僧侣来到英格兰向盎格鲁人和撒克逊人传教基督教。

When the Vikings began to go "i viking," looking for new land to farm, they sailed down to British Isles and landed in Scotland and Ireland. They raided farms and monasteries and stole food and treasure.

当维京人开始"去维京"，寻找新的土地来耕种时，他们航行到不列颠群岛，在苏格兰和爱尔兰登陆。他们袭击农场和修道院，偷走食物和财宝。

The Celts and the Anglo-Saxons were terrified of the Vikings! The Vikings weren't Christians, and they didn't pay any attention to the British custom of leaving priests and monks alone.

凯尔特人和盎格鲁-撒克逊人对维京人感到恐惧！维京人不是基督徒，他们不理会英国人不伤害牧师和僧侣的习俗。

Instead, they burned monasteries and churches, stole beautiful illuminated manuscripts, and kidnapped women and children to serve as wives and slaves!

相反，他们烧毁修道院和教堂，偷走美丽的装饰手稿，绑架妇女和儿童作为妻子和奴隶！

"Never before has such terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered," wrote one Anglo-Saxon historian, a man named Alcuin.

"不列颠从未出现过我们现在所遭受的这种恐怖，"一位名叫阿尔昆的盎格鲁-撒克逊历史学家写道。

Another history that was written during the Middle Ages, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, says, "They lay waste everything in sight. They trample the holy relics under foot. They throw down the altars."

另一部写于中世纪的历史，盎格鲁-撒克逊编年史说："他们摧毁眼前的一切。他们践踏神圣的圣物。他们推倒祭坛。"

Some of these Viking invaders took their treasure and went back home. But others decided that they liked Ireland and Scotland. They claimed some of the land as their own and settled down to farm it. And they sent messages back to their friends and relations in Scandinavia.

这些维京入侵者中的一些人带着财宝回家了。但其他人决定他们喜欢爱尔兰和苏格兰。他们声称一些土地是他们自己的，并定居下来耕种。他们向斯堪的纳维亚的朋友和亲戚发送消息。

"Come over to this new country!" they said. "There is rich land here, and no one to defend it!"

"来这个新国家吧！"他们说。"这里有富饶的土地，没有人防御它！"

Why did the Vikings find it so easy to attack Britain? Because Britain did not have a strong king to fight back. In fact, England was divided into seven different kingdoms.

为什么维京人发现攻击不列颠如此容易？因为不列颠没有一个强大的国王来反击。事实上，英格兰被分裂成七个不同的王国。

Maybe, if they had all joined together under one leader, these kingdoms could have driven the Vikings out, just like Charlemagne did, over in the land of the Franks. But separately, the English kingdoms were too weak to resist.

也许，如果他们都在一个领袖下联合起来，这些王国本可以赶走维京人，就像查理曼在法兰克人的土地上所做的那样。但分别来看，英格兰的王国太弱小无法抵抗。

In 866, a huge band of Viking invaders called "The Great Army" landed in England. It was led by two Viking brothers, named Halfdan and Ivar the Boneless.

在866年，一支被称为"大军"的庞大维京入侵队伍在英格兰登陆。它由两个名叫哈夫丹和无骨者伊瓦尔的维京兄弟领导。

The Great Army marched through England, capturing kingdoms right and left. They spent ten years raiding English farms, fighting, and looting. Finally, they began to settle down.

大军行军穿过英格兰，左右占领王国。他们花了十年时间袭击英格兰农场，战斗和掠夺。最后，他们开始定居。

Alfred the Great / 阿尔弗雷德大帝

The kingdom of Wessex, down in the south of England, watched the Viking invasion with fear. When the Vikings arrived at the borders of their kingdom, the noblemen of Wessex collected bags and bags of gold and went out to meet them.

位于英格兰南部的威塞克斯王国怀着恐惧观看维京人的入侵。当维京人到达他们王国的边界时，威塞克斯的贵族收集了一袋袋黄金出去迎接他们。

"Here," they said. "Take our gold and go away!" The Vikings took the gold and left—for a little while. But soon one of Halfdan's commanders, a warrior named Guthorm, decided that he wanted Wessex after all.

"拿着，"他们说。"拿走我们的黄金然后离开！"维京人拿走了黄金就离开了——暂时离开了。但很快哈夫丹的指挥官之一，一个名叫古托姆的战士，决定他毕竟想要威塞克斯。

So he took a band of fierce fighters with him and headed back down south. "Give me more gold," he demanded, "or I'll invade!" The people of Wessex thought, "Soon we're going to run out of gold. We need a strong king to defeat Guthorm and his warriors!"

所以他带着一群凶猛的战士向南返回。"给我更多黄金，"他要求，"否则我就入侵！"威塞克斯人想，"我们很快就会用完黄金。我们需要一个强大的国王来击败古托姆和他的战士！"

So in 871, they appointed a nobleman named Alfred to be their leader. Alfred knew that he needed time to collect an army. So he sent Guthorm a little more gold, just enough to convince him to leave Wessex alone for a few more months.

所以在871年，他们任命一位名叫阿尔弗雷德的贵族作为他们的领袖。阿尔弗雷德知道他需要时间来召集一支军队。所以他给古托姆送了一点黄金，刚好足够说服他再让威塞克斯安静几个月。

Alfred started to train the farmers of Wessex to fight. But Guthorm decided to mount a surprise attack. He marched south with his warriors at Christmastime—during the winter, when armies usually stayed quietly in their camps waiting for warmer weather.

阿尔弗雷德开始训练威塞克斯的农民战斗。但古托姆决定发动一次突然袭击。他在圣诞节期间——冬天，当军队通常安静地呆在营地等待更温暖的天气时，带着他的战士向南进军。

[原书插图：阿尔弗雷德大帝的画像]

Alfred wasn't expecting an invasion. After all, he and the nobles of Wessex had just paid Guthorm to leave them in peace. When Guthorm's army came charging down on him, Alfred wasn't ready. His soldiers were still scattered all over Wessex, and he was celebrating Christmas with only a few bodyguards.

阿尔弗雷德没有期待入侵。毕竟，他和威塞克斯的贵族刚刚付钱给古托姆让他们保持和平。当古托姆的军队冲向他时，阿尔弗雷德没有准备好。他的士兵仍然分散在威塞克斯各地，他只带着几个保镖在庆祝圣诞节。

The English were terrified! Many of them left England and headed for France. They were sure that Alfred would be killed by Guthorm. And Alfred himself was forced to flee into the wild countryside of Wessex. There he hid, pretending not to be the king.

英格兰人感到恐惧！他们中的许多人离开英格兰前往法国。他们确信阿尔弗雷德会被古托姆杀死。阿尔弗雷德本人被迫逃跑到威塞克斯的荒野乡村。他在那里躲藏，假装自己不是国王。

According to one legend, Alfred stopped at a peasant's hut and begged for shelter. The peasant and his wife didn't know who this weary, mud-splattered stranger was. But they took pity on him and let him have food and a bed in exchange for help with the household chores.

根据一个传说，阿尔弗雷德在一个农民的小屋前停下，乞求庇护。农民和他的妻子不知道这个疲惫、满身泥泞的陌生人是谁。但他们怜悯他，让他吃饭和睡觉，交换帮助做家庭家务。

One day, the woman made some cakes out of oatmeal and water and put them on the stones of her hearth to bake. "I'm going to collect firewood," she told Alfred. "Watch the cakes for me and make sure they don't burn."

有一天，女人用燕麦粥和水做了一些蛋糕，把它们放在壁炉的石头上烘烤。"我要去收集柴火，"她告诉阿尔弗雷德。"替我看着蛋糕，确保它们不烧焦。"

But the king soon forgot about the cakes. He was worrying about Guthorm and the invading Vikings. The cakes began to smoke and blacken, but Alfred didn't notice. He was too busy wondering how he could defeat the Vikings.

但国王很快就忘记了蛋糕。他在担心古托姆和入侵的维京人。蛋糕开始冒烟和变黑，但阿尔弗雷德没有注意到。他太忙于思考如何击败维京人。

When the woman came back with her armful of firewood, she dropped the sticks and ran to the fire. "What's wrong with you?" she scolded Alfred. "Don't you see that the cakes are burning? You'll eat them fast enough. Can't you even help cook them?" Alfred was too ashamed to tell her that she was scolding the king.

当女人抱着柴火回来时，她扔下柴火跑向火堆。"你怎么了？"她责骂阿尔弗雷德。"你没看到蛋糕在烧焦吗？你吃得够快的。你连帮忙烹饪都不会吗？"阿尔弗雷德太羞愧，不敢告诉她她在责骂国王。

But soon Alfred managed to think of a plan. He decided that he would stay in hiding until spring—so that his soldiers, who were all farmers, could plant their crops before they started fighting. After all, if he took his farmers away from their fields before they could plant their grain, there would be no food in the summer and fall. Even if they won the fight against the Vikings, they might starve to death.

但很快阿尔弗雷德想出了一个计划。他决定躲藏到春天——这样他的士兵们（他们都是农民）可以在开始战斗前种植他们的庄稼。毕竟，如果他在农民能够种植谷物之前就把他们从田地带走，那么在夏天和秋天就没有食物了。即使他们赢得了对维京人的战斗，他们也可能挨饿而死。

Finally Alfred collected a big enough army to face Guthorm. And in the meantime, Guthorm's army had shrunk. Many of his warriors had gotten bored, waiting around to fight. They had settled down to grow crops of their own instead. By the time the two armies met, the English were as strong as the Vikings. They fought an enormous battle at a place called Salisbury Plain.

最终阿尔弗雷德集结了足够大的军队来面对古托姆。与此同时，古托姆的军队已经缩小了。他的许多战士已经感到厌倦，等待战斗。他们已经定居下来种植自己的庄稼。当两支军队相遇时，英格兰人和维京人一样强大。他们在一个叫做索尔兹伯里平原的地方进行了一场巨大的战斗。

And the English drove the Vikings right off the battlefield. The Vikings fled into a nearby castle and barred the gates. So Alfred and his men surrounded the castle and kept food and water from going into it.

英格兰人把维京人赶出了战场。维京人逃进了附近的城堡并关上了大门。所以阿尔弗雷德和他的手下包围了城堡，阻止食物和水进入。

Soon Guthorm and his Vikings could no longer hold out. They surrendered, and Guthorm agreed to go away. He traveled back north and settled down to raise crops. The warrior had become a farmer. And Alfred had truly become a king.

很快古托姆和他的维京人无法再坚持下去。他们投降了，古托姆同意离开。他向北返回并定居下来种植庄稼。战士变成了农民。而阿尔弗雷德真正成为了国王。

The Battle of Hastings / 黑斯廷斯之战

After Alfred died, the kings who followed had to keep fighting off Viking invasions. Alfred's son Edward was a strong, fierce leader who protected his kingdoms and even took some of the northern parts of England back from the Vikings. But the kings after Edward were not as successful.

阿尔弗雷德死后，继任的国王们必须继续抵抗维京人的入侵。阿尔弗雷德的儿子爱德华是一个强大、凶猛的领袖，他保护了自己的王国，甚至从维京人手中夺回了英格兰北部的一些地区。但爱德华之后的国王们没有那么成功。

Two hundred years after Alfred's death, in the year 1013, his descendent Ethelred was defeated by a Viking king named Sweyn Forkbeard. Sweyn had a very long and bushy beard which he wore in two braids, like a fork.

阿尔弗雷德死后二百年，在1013年，他的后代埃塞尔雷德被一个名叫叉须斯温的维京国王击败。斯温有一个非常长而浓密的胡须，他把它编成两根辫子，像叉子一样。

He became the king of England. And Ethelred, who had to flee to Normandy, got his own nickname. He was called Ethelred the Unready, because he wasn't able to keep the Vikings away.

他成为了英格兰国王。而不得不逃到诺曼底的埃塞尔雷德得到了自己的绰号。他被称为未准备好的埃塞尔雷德，因为他无法赶走维京人。

After Sweyn Forkbeard, the descendents of the Vikings ruled England for many years. But all the time, the children of the Vikings and the children of the Anglo-Saxons were living side by side, trading with each other and marrying each other. England was becoming a mix of Anglo-Saxon and Viking.

叉须斯温之后，维京人的后代统治英格兰许多年。但一直以来，维京人的孩子和盎格鲁-撒克逊人的孩子生活在一起，相互贸易，相互结婚。英格兰正在成为盎格鲁-撒克逊和维京人的混合体。

The trouble began when Edward the Confessor, who ruled England for over twenty years, began to get old. He had no sons, so his advisors decided that a nobleman named Harold should be the next king of England after Edward's death.

麻烦始于统治英格兰二十多年的忏悔者爱德华开始变老。他没有儿子，所以他的顾问决定一个名叫哈罗德的贵族应该在爱德华死后成为下一个英格兰国王。

But Edward's distant cousin William thought he should inherit the English throne. William wasn't even English. He was French, and he lived in Normandy, the French kingdom of the Vikings. But William was married to an English princess, and he was related to the king.

但爱德华的远房表兄弟威廉认为他应该继承英格兰的王位。威廉甚至不是英国人。他是法国的，住在诺曼底，维京人的法国王国。但威廉娶了一位英国公主，他与国王有亲属关系。

One day, William heard a startling piece of news. Harold, sailing along the coast of Wessex, had been caught in a storm and blown off course. His ship had been driven by the winds all the way across the water between England and France—and had wrecked on the shores of Normandy.

有一天，威廉听到了一个令人震惊的消息。哈罗德在威塞克斯海岸航行时，遭遇了暴风雨，被吹离了航线。他的船被风吹过了英格兰和法国之间的水域——在诺曼底的海岸上失事了。

William went down to the shore and rescued Harold from the wreckage. He took Harold back up to his castle, gave him dry clothes and a place to sleep, and planned a huge feast in his honor for the next night. At the feast, Harold was seated on a dais (a raised platform for an honored guest).

威廉下到海岸营救哈罗德，让他脱离残骸。他带哈罗德回到城堡，给他干衣服和睡觉的地方，并为第二天晚上计划了一场盛大的盛宴来荣耀他。在宴会上，哈罗德坐在高台上（为尊贵客人准备的升高平台）。

But Harold was nervous. He knew that William wanted to be Edward's heir. And even though William was acting friendly, Harold was in William's castle—with the doors locked.

但哈罗德很紧张。他知道威廉想成为爱德华的继承人。尽管威廉表现得很友好，但哈罗德在威廉的城堡里——门都锁着。

Sure enough, at the end of the feast, William asked Harold to put his hands flat on the table and swear to give William the English throne. Harold was afraid to defy William in his own castle, so he put his hands on the table and swore the oath. But then William whipped the tablecloth away. The "table" in front of Harold was a box with the bones of saints in it!

果然，在宴会结束时，威廉要求哈罗德把手平放在桌子上，发誓将英格兰王位给威廉。哈罗德害怕在威廉自己的城堡里反抗威廉，所以他把手放在桌子上并发了誓言。但随后威廉猛地扯掉了桌布。哈罗德面前的"桌子"是一个装着圣人骨头的盒子！

Harold had sworn an oath on sacred relics (saints' remains, which were thought to have miraculous powers). Now he was bound to keep his promise.

哈罗德在神圣的圣物（圣人的遗物，被认为具有奇迹的力量）上发了誓。现在他必须遵守他的承诺。

Several years later, in 1066, Edward the Confessor died. At once William sent messengers to Harold, demanding that Harold honor his sacred promise. But Harold refused. "I will be king of England!" he declared.

几年后，在1066年，忏悔者爱德华去世了。威廉立即派信使到哈罗德那里，要求哈罗德履行他的神圣承诺。但哈罗德拒绝了。"我将成为英格兰国王！"他宣布。

So the English noblemen held a grand ceremony to make Harold king. But they were nervous. A bad omen hovered on the horizon: Halley's Comet. Halley's Comet comes around every 76 years, but the English didn't know this. All they knew was that a giant light was moving through the sky.

所以英格兰贵族举行了一场盛大的仪式让哈罗德成为国王。但他们很紧张。一个不好的预兆在地平线上徘徊：哈雷彗星。哈雷彗星每76年出现一次，但英格兰人不知道这一点。他们只知道有一个巨大的光在天空中移动。

William had prepared carefully for his invasion. He landed his army far away from Harold's army, so that Harold would have to march a long way to face him. By the time Harold's soldiers arrived to fight William, they were exhausted. Harold had pushed them so quickly that many soldiers had been left along the way.

威廉为他的入侵做了仔细准备。他在远离哈罗德军队的地方让自己的军队登陆，这样哈罗德就必须行军很长的路来面对他。当哈罗德的士兵到达与威廉战斗的地方时，他们已经精疲力竭。哈罗德推进得如此之快，以至于许多士兵在路上掉队了。

Harold knew that his army needed a rest, so he camped for the night on a hill. He thought that William would wait for him to come down, rather than trying to climb up the hill to fight. But William decided that he would launch an attack, even though fighting uphill is very difficult. The Normans charged up the hill towards the English camp, and the most famous battle in English history—the Battle of Hastings—had begun.

哈罗德知道他的军队需要休息，所以他在山上扎营过夜。他认为威廉会等他下来，而不是试图爬上山来战斗。但威廉决定发动攻击，尽管向山上战斗非常困难。诺曼人冲上山坡向英格兰营地进攻，英格兰历史上最著名的战斗——黑斯廷斯之战——开始了。

At first, the Norman attack seemed doomed to failure. The English army fought ferociously, and the Norman force began to weaken. William was knocked off his horse, and his soldiers began to shout, "The King is dead! The King is dead!" But William struggled to his feet and yanked his helmet off. "I am still alive," he bellowed. "And by the grace of God, I will still conquer!"

起初，诺曼人的攻击似乎注定要失败。英格兰军队凶猛地战斗，诺曼军队开始削弱。威廉被击落马下，他的士兵开始喊道："国王死了！国王死了！"但威廉挣扎着站起来，扯掉了头盔。"我还活着，"他大声吼道。"靠着上帝的恩典，我仍将征服！"

The relieved Norman soldiers threw themselves back into the battle. They surrounded the English army and overwhelmed it. Harold was killed, and the English surrendered. Harold was buried in purple robes, with the name "Harold the Unfortunate" carved on his tombstone. But William was given a new name too: "William the Conqueror."

松了一口气的诺曼士兵重新投入战斗。他们包围了英格兰军队并压倒了它。哈罗德被杀，英格兰人投降了。哈罗德被埋葬在紫色长袍中，墓碑上刻着"不幸的哈罗德"。但威廉也得到了一个新名字："征服者威廉"。

He became the new king of England. And his fighters, who were French-speaking descendents of Vikings, were given land and castles in England. Once more, England had been invaded, and conquered, by a foreign people.

他成为了英格兰的新国王。他的战士们，那些说法语的维京人后代，在英格兰被分配了土地和城堡。英格兰再一次被外国人入侵和征服。

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

基础生活词汇 / Basic Life Vocabulary

people

/ˈpiːpəl/

中文：人们
定义：人类群体
例句：The first people who lived there were called Celts.

food

/fuːd/

中文：食物
定义：人类和动物吃的东西
例句：They raided farms and monasteries and stole food and treasure.

water

/ˈwɔːtər/

中文：水
定义：无色无味的液体，生命必需品
例句：She made some cakes out of oatmeal and water.

house

/haʊs/

中文：房子
定义：人们居住的建筑
例句：Alfred stopped at a peasant's hut.

family

/ˈfæməli/

中文：家庭
定义：相关的人组成的群体
例句：The peasant and his wife formed a small family.

land

/lænd/

中文：土地
定义：地面，可以拥有的地区
例句：Vikings were looking for new land to farm.

历史专业词汇 / Historical Terms

Vikings

/ˈvaɪkɪŋz/

中文：维京人
定义：来自斯堪的纳维亚的海盗战士
例句：The Vikings invaded Britain and settled there.

kingdom

/ˈkɪŋdəm/

中文：王国
定义：由国王或女王统治的国家
例句：England was divided into seven different kingdoms.

invaded

/ɪnˈveɪdɪd/

中文：入侵
定义：用武力进入他人领土
例句：The Vikings invaded France and took over part of it.

conquer

/ˈkɒŋkər/

中文：征服
定义：通过战争获得控制权
例句：William the Conqueror defeated Harold at Hastings.

battle

/ˈbætəl/

中文：战斗
定义：军队之间的武装冲突
例句：The Battle of Hastings was the most famous battle in English history.

empire

/ˈempaɪər/

中文：帝国
定义：控制多个国家或地区的大国
例句：After the Roman Empire fell apart, barbarian tribes came to England.

地理相关词汇 / Geography Vocabulary

islands

/ˈaɪləndz/

中文：岛屿
定义：被水包围的陆地
例句：The Vikings invaded the islands of Britain.

England

/ˈɪŋɡlənd/

中文：英格兰
定义：不列颠岛的南部地区
例句：The southern part of the largest island is called England.

Scotland

/ˈskɒtlənd/

中文：苏格兰
定义：不列颠岛的北部地区
例句：The northern part is called Scotland.

Normandy

/ˈnɔːrməndi/

中文：诺曼底
定义：法国北部地区，维京人的王国
例句：They named their new kingdom Normandy.

shores

/ʃɔːrz/

中文：海岸
定义：陆地与海洋的边界
例句：His ship had wrecked on the shores of Normandy.

countryside

/ˈkʌntrisaɪd/

中文：乡村
定义：远离城市的农村地区
例句：Alfred fled into the wild countryside of Wessex.

动作行为词汇 / Actions & Activities

fought

/fɔːt/

中文：战斗
定义：参与冲突或争斗
例句：They fought an enormous battle at Salisbury Plain.

fled

/fled/

中文：逃跑
定义：快速逃离危险
例句：Alfred fled into the wild countryside.

settled

/ˈsetəld/

中文：定居
定义：在某地建立永久居住地
例句：The Vikings settled in England and farmed the land.

defeated

/dɪˈfiːtɪd/

中文：击败
定义：在竞争或战斗中获胜
例句：Alfred defeated Guthorm and his Vikings.

marched

/mɑːrtʃt/

中文：行军
定义：有组织地步行移动
例句：The Great Army marched through England.

surrendered

/səˈrendərd/

中文：投降
定义：停止抵抗，承认失败
例句：The Vikings surrendered after the siege.

📊 Processing Statistics / 处理统计

📝 Total paragraphs processed / 处理段落总数: 45
🏷️ Vocabulary words annotated / 标注词汇数: 78
📚 Vocabulary cards created / 词汇卡片数: 24
🎯 Coverage: Historical terms, geography, basic life vocabulary, actions
📱 Features: Click pronunciation, hover tooltips, responsive design
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