Battle of Englefield
| date | December 31, 870 |
|---|---|
| place | Englefield, Berkshire , England |
| exit | Victory of the Anglo-Saxons Escape of the Danes |
| consequences | more battles |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Danish Vikings |
|
| Commander | |
|
Ealdorman Æthelwulf |
Jarl Sidrac †, Jarl (unknown) |
| Troop strength | |
| inferior | consider |
| losses | |
|
high |
very high |
The Battle of Englefield between Anglo-Saxons and Danish Vikings took place on December 31, 870, about 25 km west of Reading , Berkshire , England .
prehistory
The Danes were the end of the year 870 from East Anglia coming in Wessex occurred to the last great Anglo-Saxon Kingdom - Northumbria , Mercia and East Anglia had already been conquered by the Danes - take. At Reading they built a wall between the Thames and the Kennet River and fortified their camp.
Course of the battle
Ealdorman Æthelwulf, the brother King Alfred the Great , had mobilized his forces within three days and began at Englefield one of two Danish Jarlen out marauding Streif party from. Despite the Danish majority, the Anglo-Saxons attacked with confidence in God . Both sides suffered heavy casualties and casualties. Jarl Sidrac fell in the long and valiant battle. The surviving Danes fled to Reading and holed up there. Four days later the fighting resumed at the Battle of Reading .
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle notes about the battle:
“This year the army came to Reading in Wessex; and in the course of three nights after rode two earls up, who were met by Alderman Ethelwulf at Englefield; where he fought with them, and obtained the victory. There one of them was slain, whose name was Sidrac. "
“That year the army came to Reading, Wessex; and during the three following nights rode about two earls who met Ealdorman Æthelwulf at Englefield. There he fought against them and achieved victory. One of them was slain, his name was Sidrac. "
annotation
The different year information in the sources is based on the fact that the Gregorian calendar reform moved the last day of the year from December 24th to December 31st ( New Year's Eve ) in 1582 . Before the reform, therefore, the battle took place on December 31, 871.
swell
- Symeon of Durham , Historia regum Anglorum et Dacorum
- Asser , Vita Ælfredi regis Angul Saxonum, The life of the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred
- anonymous, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Web links
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in Project Gutenberg (English)
- Life of King Alfred at The Northvegr Foundation