Carmarthen, A.D. 932
King Hywel sat in his library, studying his copy of the Vita Ælfredi regis Angul Saxonum, which had arrived two days before from Llandaff, procured on request by Bishop Rhydderch from the scriptorium in Winchester. On the table lay the discarded accompanying letter from the bishop, also reporting on Owain’s splendid progress in Latin.
Vita Ælfredi regis Angul Saxonum, Hywel sat back in his chair to contemplate what he had read about Alfred’s burhs. The most intriguing point was his realisation that these fortified towns were not just a defensive stratagem but could be considered as an attacking ploy. The great king of Wessex had provided each burh with a garrison and had chosen it for its location so that the Danes could be trapped inside a carefully constructed web
