…that routed the Danes at Edington.
The route that Alfred would have taken to get from Athelney is contested, largely because the locations of his en-route encampments, at Egbert’s Stone and Iglea, are disputed.
Fortunately for Wessex they did not use the time available effectively.
Previously, the Vikings had come to raid and settle around the coast; this force came to conquer. 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.
By 878, after a decade of war between the pagan Great Heathen Army of Vikings and the Christian Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England, Wessex was the only remaining Anglo-Saxon kingdom in Britannia. King Alfred’s Tower. Meanwhile, the Danish raider Skorpa of the White Horse, dismayed at the loss of ground, led a raid on the Anglo-Saxon camp, slaughtering the camp followers, including Queen Iseult of Cornwall, Uhtred's lover.
Although the identification of Ethandun is most helpful, it still does not allow us to determine the precise location of the battle in that area. He later founded a monastery on the island as a thank-offering for his victory. Egbert’s Stone, Part 2. The throne passed to the king's younger brother (Æthelwold's uncle) Alfred the Great, who carried on the war against the Vikings and won a crucial victory at the Battle of Edington in 878.
Reinvading Wessex, they captured Wareham and, in 877, occupied Exeter.
Of the nine battles mentioned by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle during that year, only one was a West Saxon victory; but in this year Alfred succeeded his brother Ethelred, who died after the Battle of Merton.
With his small warband, a fraction of his army at Chippenham, Alfred could not hope to retake the town from the Danes, who had in previous battles (for example at Reading in 871) proved themselves adept at defending fortified positions. I examine this in my book and find that this is not likely. This page was last modified on 25 December 2015, at 15:33. History of Rochester: King Alfred and the Vikings.
In January 878, during the Christmas festival, Guthrum and his army of cavalry raiders surprised Alfred at his royal estate at Chippenham, nearly ending Alfred there and then. At the other end of the country, in the Kingdom of Northumbria, during AD 793 the Holy Island of Lindisfarne was raided. [14][15][17] There, on an unknown date between 6 and 12 May,[18] they fought the Danes. The Battle of Reading 871AD. It was under Alfred that the Viking threat was contained. Questions or concerns? [21], The location of the battle generally accepted by most present-day historians of the period is at Edington, near Westbury in Wiltshire. Previously, the Vikings had come to raid and settle around the coast; this force came to conquer. These articles have not yet undergone the rigorous in-house editing or fact-checking and styling process to which most Britannica articles are customarily subjected. Part 1: Maidstone.
The Battle of Edington in 878 is taken by many to be the great founding Battle of England. Other available Preschools to explore and learn! The Upper Deverills, King Alfred and Surrey: Exploring a ‘hotspot.”. Was this once the most important place in Wessex? There is also the matter of maintaining provisions for troops and animals at an elevated position away from water. The Battle of Edington in 878 is taken by many to be the great founding Battle of England. The converted Guthrum took the baptismal name of Athelstan. Battle: After the victory, when the Danes had taken refuge in the fortress, the West Saxons removed all food that the Danes might be able to capture in a sortie, and waited. Once a sufficient force of levies had been raised, they marched to Edington, where Alfred engaged Guthrum's warriors in one final, definitive battle. Melvyn Bragg discusses King Alfred, the defeat of the Vikings at Battle of Edington and Alfred's project to create a culture of Englishness.
BBC Radio 4 Archive Programme - In Our Time: https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Edington&oldid=168855, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, About Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, 'Woeful Danes', Michinhampton, Gloucestershire. Faq
THIS STONE, PRESENTED BY F. SWANTON AND SONS, NORTH FARM, WEST OVERTON, IS A SARSEN STONE SIMILAR TO THOSE AT KINGSTON DEVERILL, THE AREA WHERE KING ALFRED RALLIED SAXON LEVIES FROM HAMPSHIRE, WILTSHIRE AND SOMERSET TO MARCH AGAINST GUTHRUM'S VIKING ARMY BASED AT CHIPPENHAM. Wars and military campaigns are guided by strategy, whereas battles take place on a level of planning and execution known as operational mobility.View Historic Battles », A historical figure is a famous person in history, such as Alexander the Great, Admiral Yi Sun-Shin, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Christopher Columbus, or Napoleon Bonaparte.View Historic People », Describes the history of humanity as determined by the study of archaeological and written records. [9] They then gave hostages and oaths to leave the country to Alfred, who paid them off. [3] After the sacking of Lindisfarne the raids around the coasts were somewhat sporadic till the 830s, when the attacks became more sustained. It seems generally accepted that Ethandun is today’s Edington in Wiltshire. His army settled there and he is not mentioned after 876, when "[the Danes] were engaged in ploughing and making a living for themselves". RESOURCESThis article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Battle of Edington (878 AD)", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Part 3. What motivated his project to fashion Englishness? Now, if Alfred wanted to announce his presence to Guthrum and co. in Chippenham (if the Danes were using it as an HQ), what better than to show his strength by lining up the Fyrd on the ridge with all his banner s waving and/or lit beacons?
[25][26] Edington, Wiltshire, is known to have been part of Alfred's family estate. My favoured location is the village itself (it seems that there was a royal estate here, and I can’t imagine that the Vikings wouldn’t have taken this) but because there is no proof I explored other options. (2), West Saxon monarchs
Just as you approach Edington coming from Bratton there is a lay-by on the right, with a footpath leading north. There he built a fort that he used as a base for guerrilla warfare, while building up his forces. Every episode of In Our Time is available to download. The battle features in several historical novels and dramas: TO COMMEMORATE THE BATTLE OF ETHANDUN FOUGHT IN THIS VICINITY MAY 878 AD WHEN KING ALFRED THE GREAT DEFEATED THE VIKING ARMY, GIVING BIRTH TO THE ENGLISH NATIONHOOD. Guthrum and his men had applied the usual Danish strategy of occupying a fortified town and waiting for a peace “treaty,” involving money in return for a promise to leave the kingdom immediately; Alfred shadowed the army, trying to prevent more damage than had already occurred. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Of the nine battles mentioned by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle during that year, only one was a West Saxon victory; but in this year Alfred succeeded his brother Ethelred, who died after the Battle of Merton.[7]. [47], Also in 879, according to Asser, another Viking army sailed up the River Thames and wintered at Fulham. In January 878, under their leader Guthrum, the Danes struck back with a surprise attack against Alfred at his winter fortress at Chippenham. If Alfred had lost at Ethandun, his loss of Wessex might have become permanent.
In addition to the customary hostages and leaving Wessex for good, the Vikings promised that Guthrum would be baptized as a Christian. Although Alfred did lose a major battle against the Danes only four years ago, he overcame them in 878 when he won the Battle of Edington.
[15] In addition, in 875 Guthrum had lost the support of other Danish lords, including Ivar and Ubbe.
A ferocious battle ensued as the two shield walls crashed against one another, fighting all day.
Viking army appears to have had its base), once the climb up to Bratton Camp had been achieved, they would have had easy access to, inent white horses. Let us know.
Alfred’s Wessex controlled the south and west, Viking Danelaw the north and east. On some days the Ministry of Defence allows public access to Imber and some other parts of Salisbury Plain where access is restricted.
By 896 the Vikings gave up with some going to East Anglia and others going to Northumbria.
The arrival of the West Saxon soldiers at Egbert's Stone. Before its destruction this version had been transcribed and annotated; it is this transcription on which modern translations are based. (2), Monarchs of England before 1066
Winner: Athelstan Loser: Alliance of Danes and Scots
Most myths are set in a timeless past before recorded time or beginning of the critical history.View Historic Legends », Includes competitive games which, through casual or organized participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants.View Sports World ».
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However, the system of military reforms and the Burghal Hidage introduced by Edward the Elder enabled Alfred's successors to retake control of the lands occupied in the North of England by the Danes.[53][54]. The Memorial stone plaque reads: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, A.D. 793: "This year came dreadful fore-warnings over the land of the Northumbrians, terrifying the people most woefully: these were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds, and fiery dragons flying across the firmament. Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss King Alfred and the defeat of the Vikings at Battle of Edington.
Mercia had collapsed by 874, and the Army's cohesion went with it. [5] It was said to have been under the leadership of the brothers Ivar the Boneless, Ubba, and Halfdan Ragnarsson. After Alfred's death in 899, Æthelwold disputed the throne with Alfred's son, Edward the Elder. Part 1: The meeting point of Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset.
Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Required fields are marked *. You can view my short video on the Battle of Ethandun below: There is much more about the travels of King Alfred in my book, including maps and references. "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: An Electronic Edition (Vol 1) literary edition", "A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 8: Warminster, Westbury and Whorwellsdown Hundreds", "The Electronic Sawyer an online version of the revised edition of Sawyer's Anglo-Saxon Charters section one [S 1-1602]". The Danes settled into their new kingdoms, the Danelaw, and a general peace existed for over ten years. The arrival of a Danish "great army" in East Anglia in 865 marked the start of a new phase of Viking attacks on Britain. In 865/866 it escalated further on the arrival of what the Saxons called the Great Heathen Army. All Rights Reserved. On the barrow at Lanhill near Chippenham, with remarks on the site of and the events connected with the battles of Cynuit and Ethandun.
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