Archbishop Ælfheah of Canterbury was killed by Thorkell the Tall’s liquored up Vikings on this day, April 19, in 1012.

Thorkell’s men had captured the Archbishop, who was a central figure in the negotiations around Geld (tribute) payments. The captors saw an opportunity to fill their pockets with silver through demanding a ransom for their hostage.

Things didn’t go their way though – the Vikings were dealing with a stubborn and pious man. After 7 months of captivity, the Archbishop still refused to allow a ransom to be paid for his freedom on the grounds that he didn’t want to further impoverish his countrymen.

The captors reached the end of their patience and killed him during a drunken feast fuelled by southern wine on April 19 1012 at Greenwich. Archbishop Ælfheah’s death appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:

“… the raiding-army became much stirred up against the bishop, because he did not want to offer them any money, and forbade that anything might be granted in return for him. Also they were very drunk, because there was wine brought from the south. Then they seized the bishop, led him to their “hustings” on the Saturday in the octave of Easter, and then pelted him there with bones and the heads of cattle; and one of them struck him on the head with the butt of an axe, so that with the blow he sank down and his holy blood fell on the earth, and sent forth his holy soul to God’s kingdom.”

Some sources mention that the final, killing blow with the back of an axe was delivered as an act of kindness by a Christian convert by the name of Thrum. Another contemporary report tells that Thorkell the Tall attempted to save the Archbishop from being killed by offering the mob everything he owned except for his ship, in exchange for the Archbishops life. The offer was clearly ignored by the angry, drunken warriors who had reached the end of their patience.