Abbo, Account of Wars with the Northmen (UE)

885. The Northmen came to Paris with 700 sailing ships, not counting those of smaller
size which are commonly called barques. At one stretch the Seine was lined with the
vessels for more than two leagues, so that one might ask in astonishment in what cavern
the river had been swallowed up, since it was not to be seen. The second day after the
fleet of the Northmen arrived under the walls of the city, Siegfried, who was then king
only in name but who was in command of the expedition, came to the dwelling of the
illustrious bishop. He bowed his head and said: “Gauzelin, have compassion on yourself
and on your flock. We beseech you to listen to us, in order that you may escape death.
Allow us only the freedom of the city. We will do no harm and we will see to it that
whatever belongs either to you or to Odo shall be strictly respected.” Count Odo, who
later became king, was then the defender of the city. The bishop replied to Siegfried,
“Paris has been entrusted to us by the Emperor Charles, who, after God, king and lord of the powerful, rules over almost all the world. He has put it in our care, not at all that the
kingdom may be ruined by our misconduct, but that he may keep it and be assured of its
peace. If, like us, you had been given the duty of defending these walls, and if you should
have done that which you ask us to do, what treatment do you think you would deserve?”
Siegfried replied. “I should deserve that my head be cut off and thrown to the dogs.
Nevertheless, if you do not listen to my demand, on the morrow our war machines will
destroy you with poisoned arrows. You will be the prey of famine and of pestilence and
these evils will renew themselves perpetually every year.” So saying, he departed and
gathered together his comrades.
In the morning the Northmen, boarding their ships, approached the tower and
attacked it [the tower blocked access to the city by the so-called “Great Bridge,” which
connected the right bank of the Seine with the island on which the city was built. The
tower stood on the present site of the Châtelet]. They shook it with their engines and
stormed it with arrows. The city resounded with clamor, the people were aroused, the
bridges trembled. All came together to defend the tower. There Odo, his brother Robert,
and the Count Ragenar distinguished themselves for bravery; likewise the courageous
Abbot Ebolus, the nephew of the bishop. A keen arrow wounded the prelate, while at his
side the young warrior Frederick was struck by a sword. Frederick died, but the old man,
thanks to God, survived. There perished many Franks; after receiving wounds they were
lavish of life. At last the enemy withdrew, carrying off their dead. The evening came. The
tower had been sorely tried, but its foundations were still solid, as were also the narrow
bays which surmounted them. The people spent the night repairing it with boards. By the
next day, on the old citadel had been erected a new tower of wood, a half higher than the former one. At sunrise the Danes caught their first glimpse of it. Once more the latter
engaged with the Christians in violent combat. On every side arrows sped and blood
flowed. With the arrows mingled the stones hurled by slings and war-machines; the air
was filled with them. The tower which had been built during the night groaned under the
strokes of the darts, the city shook with the struggle, the people ran hither and thither, the
bells jangled. The warriors rushed together to defend the tottering tower and to repel the
fierce assault. Among these warriors two, a count and an abbot [Ebolus], surpassed all the
rest in courage. The former was the redoubtable Odo who never experienced defeat and
who continually revived the spirits of the worn-out defenders. He ran along the ramparts
and hurled back the enemy. On those who were secreting themselves so as to undermine
the tower he poured oil, wax, and pitch, which, being mixed and heated, burned the
Danes and tore off their scalps. Some of them died; others threw themselves into the river
to escape the awful substance. . . .
Meanwhile Paris was suffering not only from the sword outside but also from a
pestilence within which brought death to many noble men. Within the walls there was not
ground in which to bury the dead. . . . Odo, the future king, was sent to Charles, emperor
of the Franks, to implore help for the stricken city. One day Odo suddenly appeared in
splendor in the midst of three bands of warriors. The sun made his armor glisten and
greeted him before it illuminated the country around. The Parisians saw their beloved
chief at a distance, but the enemy, hoping to prevent his gaining entrance to the tower,
crossed the Seine and took up their position on the bank. Nevertheless Odo, his horse at a
gallop, got past the Northmen and reached the tower, whose gates Ebolus opened to him.
The enemy pursued fiercely the comrades of the count who were trying to keep up with him and get refuge in the tower. [The Danes were defeated in the attack.]
Now came the Emperor Charles, surrounded by soldiers of all nations, even as the
sky is adorned with resplendent stars. A great throng, speaking many languages,
accompanied him. He established his camp at the foot of the heights of Montmartre, near
the tower. He allowed the Northmen to have the country of Sens to plunder; and in the
spring he gave them 700 pounds of silver on condition that by the month of March they
leave France for their own kingdom. Then Charles returned, destined to an early death.