Situated under the slope of Salisbury Plain and roughly four miles from Westbury, The Battle of Edington eventually led to the Treaty of Wedmore in 878 . British troops under Arthur Wellesley (Wellington), Bannockburn, battle of Battle of Edington - Location of The Battle Location of The Battle 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 Eandune. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Guthrum was left overextended, and Alfred and his ealdormenbroke up the Danish supply lines and lines of communication. Wessex had always been the focal point for Viking raids and invasions. The fact that his army could not defend the fortified Chippenham, even in "an age as yet untrained in siege warfare" casts great doubt on its ability to defeat the Danes in an open field, unaided by fortifications. The Oxford Companion to British History. UK Inventory of War Memorials. [30][34] In 968, another charter reported that King Edgar had granted land at Edyndon to Romsey Abbey. As with every major battle, the events preceding and following Ethandun were as important as the battle itself. After the disaster at Chippenham in January 878, Alfred was reduced for some months to guerrilla warfare from the marshes around Athelney. To his horror, Hvitserk noticed that Ivar's eyes are now completely blue as this was a sign that he was more capable of breaking the bones of his legs. Soon after his coronation, Ivar and Hvitserk, having deposed Prince Oleg in Kiev with the help of his brother Prince Dir, returned to Kattegat, but they were mocked and spat upon for their treachery. Even if Alfred had caught up with the Danish force, it is unlikely that he could have accomplished anything. [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. Battle of Edington, (612 May 878). The main reason for the Anglo-Saxon victory was probably mainly due to the size of the Wessex army, and the lack of unity and organisation between the different forces making up the Danish army. The chronicle was compiled during the reign of Alfred the Great and is thus a contemporary record. They captured Chippenham and forced Alfred to retreat "with a small force" into the wilderness. UNVEILED BY THE 7TH MARQUESS OF BATH 5TH NOVEMBER 2000. In January 878, under their leader Guthrum, the Danes struck back with a surprise attack against Alfred at his winter fortress at Chippenham. [41][42], Three weeks after the battle, Guthrum was baptised at Aller in Somerset with Alfred as his sponsor. [18] The next day, Alfred's host moved to Iley Oak,[22] and then the day after that to Eandun. Let us know. His army settled there, and he is not mentioned after 876, when "[the Danes] were engaged in ploughing and making a living for themselves". The Great Heathen Army, which was formed to avenge the death of Ragnar Lothbrok, had smashed the Saxon . "The Pale Horseman" It depicts the confrontation between the Vikings led by Ivar and King Harald and the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex. 849: A charter referring to the district to the south-west of Birmingham mentions the boundary of a folk called the Tomsaetan, the dwellers by the Tame, or Tame settlers. RED = Alfred's forces. Many of the men in the counties around (Somerset, Wiltshire, and Hampshire) who had not already fled rallied to him there. [25] It is believed that Asser's Life was originally written in 893; however, no contemporary manuscript survives. At the start of the year, the Vikings, led by Guthrum (one of many self-proclaimed Danish kings) broke previous terms of peace between him and Alfred and launched a surprise attack on Chippenham, where Alfred was staying over the winter. After the defeat of Guthrum at the Battle of Edington, Alfred's reforms to military obligations in Wessex made it increasingly difficult for the Vikings to raid successfully. It was where Alfred the Great managed to defeat the Viking army and reclaim his kingdom. Before its destruction, this version had been transcribed and annotated; it is this transcription on which modern translations are based. Find the perfect Battle Of Edington stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. The first we read of Alfred after the disaster at Chippenham is around Easter, when he built a fortress at Athelney. Recently, however, the charitable organisation Wirral Archaeology argued the case for it having . Vimeiro, battle of This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Viking Invasion of British Isles across 26 in-depth pages. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output . [9] His army settled there, and he is not mentioned after 876, when "[the Danes] were engaged in ploughing and making a living for themselves". In 885 Asser reports that the Viking army that had settled in East Anglia had broken in a most insolent manner the peace they had established with Alfred, although Guthrum is not mentioned. Previously, the Vikings had come to raid and settle around the coast; this force came to conquer. By the 10th century, the Anglo-Saxon model of kingship seems to have been universally adopted by the Anglo-Danish leadership. This post on the Battle of Ethandun is adapted from, and provides additional materials for, my book, King Alfred: A Man on the Move, available from Amazon and book shops. Some scholars have suggested that Asser's life of King Alfred was a forgery. The evidence to support the Eandune of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the Ethandun of Asser's Life, being Edington, Wiltshire, is derived from a trail of information from various ancient manuscripts. As the Saxon forces gradually gained ground, King Harald gave a signal and Norse warriors atop a makeshift tower poured oil on Saxon soldiers and burned them. Those soldiers were maimed and injured, forcing Alfred to order his second and third lines to help the injured. Edington is accepted by most modern scholars as the site of the battle of Ethandun in which Alfred defeated the Danes under Guthram in 878. A few years later, King Harald had launched an invasion of Wessex from the Norse stronghold of York with a smaller force, but was utterly defeated by King Alfred at the Battle of Marton with the help of his allies, Lagertha, Bjorn, Ubbe, and Torvi. This was even truer after the Twelfth Night attack. Telling him that what happens next was what his life has led up to. Its supposed site in Carnoustie, Angus can be seen in early Ordnance Survey maps. Previously, the Vikings had come to raid and settle around the coast; this force came to conquer. Refusing to accept defeat, Ragnar proceeds to fight. Novel Battle of Ellendun: King Egbert of Wessex defeats Mercia and establishes the kingdom of Wessex as the supreme Kingdom in England. The Tudor historian Polydore Vergil appears to have misread the ancient texts for the battle site as he places it at Abyndoniam (Abingdon) instead of Edington. The Vikings were defeated in 878 AD by King Alfred the Great at the Battle of Edington. At the other end of the country, in the Kingdom of Northumbria, during 793 the holy island of Lindisfarne was raided..mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, "This year dire forwarnings came over the land of the Northhumbrians, and miserably terrified the people; these were excessive whirlwinds, and lightnings; and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air. BBC Radio 4 Archive Programme In Our Time: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Edington&oldid=1117190568, This page was last edited on 20 October 2022, at 11:27. Ivar then took his last breath as both his and Alfred's army ceased hostilities. A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia. We discover more about King Alfred the Great and how he set the foundations for the nation that would become England. Battle of Edington was an event which occurred in The Saxon Stories novel series, and The Last Kingdom television series. The primary reason for Alfred's victory was probably the relative size of the two armies. [6] What made this army different from those before it was the intent of the leaders. Primary sources locate the battle at "Eandun". These forces began "a new stage, that of conquest and residence". However, they were ambushed by a sizeable Saxon force and were almost annihilated before Hvitserk arrived with his own party of men. The battle was fought in 878, when the Wessex army, under. Result The alternative sites were generally name based, although with the large interest in everything Alfredian in the 19th century, any site that had an Alfred connection could be guaranteed large amounts of tourists, so this was also a driving force to find a link. According to the Life: "Fighting ferociously, forming a dense shield-wall against the whole army of the Pagans, and striving long and bravelyat last he [Alfred] gained the victory. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle attempts to convey the impression that Alfred held the initiative; it is "a bland chronicle which laconically charts the movements of the Danish victors while at the same time disingenuously striving to convey the impression that Alfred was in control", although it fails. In the spring of 878 at the Battle of Edington the tide of English history turned. [Rom. Tinhead is the former name of the eastern half of present-day Edington, towards Coulston along the . [15] This they did, spending the rest of 877 (by the Gregorian calendar) in Gloucester (in the kingdom of Mercia). Only the victory of Alfred the Great at Edington saved Anglo-Saxon independence. Battle of Edington 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, resulting in the Treaty of Wedmore later the same year. Alfred moved his army until he confronted the Danes at what is believed to be Edington Wiltshire although the exact location is still disputed. But four months is around 120 days. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In May of 878 Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington, and a treaty was agreed whereby the Vikings were able to remain in control of much of northern and eastern England. [53], Also in 879, according to Asser, another Viking army sailed up the River Thames and wintered at Fulham in Middlesex. Although these articles may currently differ in style from others on the site, they allow us to provide wider coverage of topics sought by our readers, through a diverse range of trusted voices. In the same year another battle is fought at Fferyllwg, 'between the Wye and the Severn', and this time it is the Welsh who carry the day. The year is 878 AD, the embattled English king Alfred the Great has mounted a heroic defence at the battle of Edington, and blunted the Viking invasion. Guthrum or Guthrum the Unlucky (later known as thelstan of East Anglia) was a main character and former antagonist in both The Saxon Stories novel series, and The Last Kingdom television series. The Viking Invasions of England. Vol 4 Ep 25 - BATTLE - The Battle of Edington ( 878 ) 878 - The inevitable showdown between the Danish Vikings whose intensity against the Anglo-Saxons reached breaking point. The Battle of Edington (May 878) was a battle which took place near Edington in the county of Wiltshire in the south-west of England . This started in 875 when Guthrum's army "eluded the West Saxon levies and got into Wareham". This name continues to be used. Primary sources locate the battle at " Eandun ". While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Although most early historians had sited the battle as in the Edington area, the significant interest in the subject encouraged many antiquarians to dig up Alfredian sites and also to propose alternatives for the location of the battle. The Battle of Edington resulted in a total victory for Alfred's forces despite taking many casualties. Only the victory of Alfred the Great at Edington saved Anglo-Saxon independence. "Episode 1.8" The Oxford Companion to British History. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. pp. Tennessee had the highest population of Edington families in 1840. 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