In Search of the Dark Ages. Visit the editable draft version to have the changes added once this … Play Sound This article is locked. The Battle of Edington In the 9th Century, Britain was no stranger to sudden, devastating Viking raids. These forces began "a new stage, that of conquest and residence". featuring historical research, writing, and media at st. mary's university. [54] Over the next few years this particular Danish faction had several encounters with Alfred's forces. Following the battle, Uhtred orders Leofric's (Uhtred's friend) grave marked as an Ealdorman and a pyre for Iseult, Guthrum is converted to Christianity, while Ragnar and Brida have been imprisoned. Not long afterward, a great army of Vikings invaded, swiftly moving through Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia. Your email address will not be published. [26] Some scholars have suggested that Asser's life of King Alfred was a forgery. [7] By 870, the Northmen had conquered the kingdoms of Northumbria and East Anglia, and in 871 they attacked Wessex. [18] The next day, Alfred's host moved to Iley Oak,[22] and then the day after that to Eðandun. A significant Iron Age hillfort near Edington is called, "Alfred the Great and The Battle of Edington", "Viking Tide: Alfred the Great during the Danish Invasions", A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 8: Warminster, Westbury and Whorwellsdown Hundreds (1965), Asser's Life of King Alfred: Asserius De Rebus Gestis Ælfredi. Revolt of Eoferwic (878). According to legend, the great Viking chieftain Ragnar Hairy-trousers (Ragnarr Loðbrók in Old Norse) raids the lands of France and England for many years, until he is finally caught by the troops of Ælla, king of Northumbria. Battle of Edington. The Google books stats seem to show the same when looking at sources from 1980 to present day. The battle, fought south of Waterloo, Belgium, ended 23 years of recurrent warfare between France and the other powers of Europe. Battle of Edington (878 AD) At the Battle of Edington an army of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex under Alfred the Great defeated the Great Heathen Army led by Guthrum on a date between 6 and 12 May AD 878, soon resulting in the Treaty of Wedmore later the same year. These raids also inspired other tribes, such as the Sauk, to attack nearby white settlements as well. Alfred's position before the battle 118-120, Wood. The decisive victory of the Wessex levies forced Guthrum to sue for peace and give hostages. The Winnebago fought in the first battle of the War of 1812, the Battle of Tippecanoe, during which they suffered many casualties. When: 1066 Where: Fought on Senlac Hill, Seven miles from Hastings, England [5] In 835, "heathen men" ravaged Sheppey. Burkitt suggests that on philological grounds, Brixton Deverill may be a contender for the site. One image shows the gruelling fatigue of battle as it sets in on the face of 23-year-old squadron leader Brian Lane DFC as he fought off German forces over the south coast. [31][32] Edington, Wiltshire, is known to have been part of Alfred's family estate. Guthrum (d890) was the Danish king who fought against King Alfred the Great of Wessex. The first we read of Alfred after the disaster at Chippenham is around Easter, when he built a fortress at ", After the sacking of Lindisfarne, Viking raids around the coasts were somewhat sporadic until the 830s, when the attacks became more sustained. [51][56], In 886, the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum defined the boundaries of their two kingdoms. "The Pale Horseman" [40][41] Arguments for the alternative sites were generally name-based, although with the large interest in everything Alfredian in the 19th century, any site that had an Alfredian connection could be guaranteed large numbers of tourists, so this was also a driving force to find a link. However, Alfred managed to contain this threat by reforming his military and setting up a system of fortified cities, known as burhs. Battle of Antietam: The Battle of Antietam was a battle of the American Civil War. King Alfred the Great defeated Guthrum and the Vikings in this battle. The Battle of Monte Cassino (also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino) was a costly series of four assaults by the Allies against the Winter Line in Italy held by Axis forces during the Italian Campaign of World War II. So he retreated to the south, preparing himself and his forces for another battle, and then defeated Guthrum and his host. It was fought over 1130 years ago, an was the culmination of a land grab by viking immigrants and the proto English - who had mainly Celtic DNA. The Anglo-Saxon army defeated the Vikings. Æthelstan - Wikipedia After his victory over the Danes at the Battle of Edington (878) and the departure of another Viking army from Fulham in 880, Alfred the Great set about building a system of fortified towns or forts, known as burhs, in response to the Viking threat. The details, unfortunately, are lost forever. On 22 March 871, the Battle of Marton (or Meretum) was fought at a place recorded as Marton, possibly in Wiltshire or Dorset, England. [35] The Domesday book has an entry for Romsey Abbey holding land at Edendone in the county of Wiltshire at the time of Edward the Confessor (before 1066) and also in 1086, and this is known to be at Edington, Wiltshire. Alfred fought back, however, and eventually won victory over them at the Battle of Edington in 878. Alfred the Great (849-899), King of Wessex, laid the foundation for a united Christian Anglo-Saxon kingdom. But, using what little is known about the battle and what we know about the Vikings' way of life, together with some imagination, perhaps the battle can be described like this: Alfred the Great fought his way from near-certain defeat early in his reign, emerging from hiding in the marshes of Somerets to save Wessex from Viking rule. [18][19] In the seventh week after Easter, or between 4 and 7 May,[20] Alfred called a levy at Ecgbryhtesstan (Egbert's Stone). The Battle of Edington was fought in May 878, when an army of West Saxons under King Alfred the Great defeated the Great Heathen Army under the Viking king Guthrum.The victory at Edington forced Guthrum to abandon Wessex, and Alfred resumed control of the entire kingdom, ensuring that the last Anglo-Saxon kingdom survived the Viking onslaught. She is credited with bravely saving her brother in battle, and she went on to fight at the Little Bighorn. In the 9th century, the Danes had been steadily invading England, pushing and prodding the Anglo-Saxon residents. Even if Alfred had caught up with the Danish force, it is unlikely that he could have accomplished anything. https://the-last-kingdom.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_Edington?oldid=20425. In December 1943, as part of the Allied advance through Italy during the Second World War, Canadian forces fought one of their toughest battles of the war in a bid to capture the town of Ortona. In terms of the formation of what became England, this battle has the greatest significance. He grew up in Wessex, the major Saxon kingdom in southwestern England. The battle was fought in 878, when the Wessex army, under King Alfred, defeated the "Great Heathen Army" under the Viking king Guthrum. The Danes attacked Chippenham "in midwinter after Twelfth Night",[13] probably during the night of 6–7 January 878. Of the nine battles mentioned by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle during that year, only one was a West Saxon victory. Fought in 1471 as part of the Wars of the Roses, the battle of Tewkesbury saw a resurgent Edward IV triumph over forces loyal to the Lancastrian Henry … ... Narrator: Soon after - at the Battle of Edington - Alfred was as good as his word. See all results "Battle of Ethandune" -wikipedia, 544 hits, "Battle of Ethandun" -wikipedia 413 hits "Battle of Edington" -wikipedia 3770 hits.-- UK Inventory of War Memorials. But, using what little is known about the battle and what we know about the Vikings' way of life, together with some imagination, perhaps the battle can be described like this: Of the momentous events of the following day we have only two accounts and they are so short that they may be quoted in full. Location Results. After Father Beocca throws him a spear, Uhtred successfully kills Skorpa. Alfred had spent the winter of 877 fortified in a Somerset marshlandwhile he gathered his forces. [52] The following year the army went to East Anglia, where it settled. [55] Guthrum reigned as king in East Anglia until his death in 890, and although this period was not always peaceful he was not considered a threat. The first Viking raid on Anglo-Saxon England is thought to have been between AD 786 and 802 at Portland in the Kingdom of Wessex, when three Norse ships arrived and killed King Beorhtric's reeve. Edington, battle of, 878. [37][38] In the 19th century there was a resurgence in interest of medieval history and King Alfred was seen as a major hero. [29][30], The reasoning to support the Eðandun of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the Ethandun of Asser's Life being Edington in Wiltshire is derived from a trail of information from ancient manuscripts. The primary sources for the location of the battle are Asser's Life of King Alfred, which names the place as "Ethandun" and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which has Eðandun. [6] What made this army different from those before it was the intent of the leaders. By the 10th century, the Anglo-Saxon model of kingship seems to have been universally adopted by the Anglo-Danish leadership. The chronicle was compiled during the reign of Alfred the Great and is thus a contemporary record. Edington, Wessex(Edington, Wiltshire, England) Novel Witness, the name Hastings for the battle fought on the Sanlake brook. A great famine soon followed these tokens; and a little after that, in the same year, on the 6th before the Ides of January, the ravaging of heathen men lamentably destroyed God's church at Lindisfarne through rapine and slaughter. Battle of Hastings. [53], Also in 879, according to Asser, another Viking army sailed up the River Thames and wintered at Fulham in Middlesex. Alfred the Great fought his way from near-certain defeat early in his reign, emerging from hiding in the marshes of Somerets to save Wessex from Viking rule. Aethelflaed was the eldest daughter of Alfred the Great, and the … There was little that Alfred could do about the Danish menace between 875 and the end of 877, beyond repeatedly paying the invaders off. In 878, the Vikings faced a decisive defeat at the Battle of Edington, ultimately surrendering to Alfred the Great. But things took on a new, ominous form in 865, when the Vikings became far more audacious and created a vast invading force, known as the Great Heathen Army. [18] The primary difference between this agreement and the treaties at Wareham and Exeter was that Alfred had decisively defeated the Danes at Edington, rather than just stopping them, and therefore it seemed more likely that they would keep to the terms of the treaty. It is plausible that the Battle of Ethandun was fought in the vicinity. King Alfred decides to follow Uhtred's advise and lead his men into one defining battle. Battle of Edington. Halfdan went back to Northumbria and fought the Picts and the Strathclyde Welsh to secure his northern kingdom. [14] The Danes promptly slipped off to Exeter, even deeper into Alfred's kingdom, where they concluded in the autumn of 877 a "firm peace" with Alfred,[13] under terms that entailed their leaving his kingdom and not returning. 5 Responses to The Last Kingdom, Episode 8: The Battle of Edington. The Battle of Edington was fought between the Saxons, led by Alfred the Great, and the Vikings, led by Guthrum. "Just in this battle, 145 Polish pilots fought alongside British airmen, resisting the Nazi German offensive and giving hope to many in Europe," Rzegocki said. Ahead of battle, Alfred, who used to fear his men did not see him as a warrior, strays from his godly sermons to deliver a passionate speech and rally his men. 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