Battle of Reading
| date | January 4 or January 5, 871 |
|---|---|
| place | Reading , Berkshire , England |
| output | Victory of the Danes Flight of the Anglo-Saxons |
| consequences | more battles |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
the great pagan army |
|
| Commander | |
|
unknown |
|
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | unknown |
| losses | |
|
high |
high |
The Battle of Reading took place on January 4th or 5th, 871 near Reading , Berkshire , England . It was one in a series of battles after the Danish invasion of the kingdom. The Great Pagan Army was led by Bagsecg and Halfdan Ragnarsson .
The Danes had invaded Wessex earlier this year to take over the last great Anglo-Saxon kingdom ( Northumbria , Mercien and East Anglia had already been conquered by the Danes). After a battle at Englefield had already taken place, the King of Wessex, Ethelred of Wessex , and his brother Alfred attacked the fortified camp of the Danes who invaded Wessex, but lost the battle, although many Danes were killed, and suffered heavy losses withdraw.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle notes about the battle:
- “ About four nights after this, King Ethered and Alfred his brother led their main army to Reading, where they fought with the enemy; and there was much slaughter on either hand, Alderman Ethelwulf being among the slain; but the Danes kept possession of the field. ”
- (German: " Four nights later [counted from the battle of Englefield] King Ethered and his brother Alfred led their main force to Reading, where they fought the enemy; many men were killed on both sides, including Ealdorman Ethelwulf ; the Danes, however, were able to hold the area. ")
Four nights later (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) the West Saxons defeated the Danish army at the Battle of Ashdown , where they also killed Bagsac , one of the two Danish leaders.
Primary sources
- 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 for the years 817-878 ( English )
- Page to the castle of Reading with information about the battle ( English )
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in Project Gutenberg (English)
- Life of King Alfred at The Northvegr Foundation
Individual proof
- ↑ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Archived copy ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Entry for the year 871
Coordinates: 51 ° 27 '36 " N , 0 ° 57' 36" W.