Battle of Edington
The Battle of Edington was a pivotal conflict fought between King Alfred the Great's forces and a Viking army led by Guthrum in the late 9th century. Occurring in the context of the Viking invasions of England, the battle took place after Guthrum's forces had established a winter stronghold in Chippenham. Despite initially being perceived as outnumbered, Alfred's army effectively utilized a traditional Saxon tactic of forming a shield wall, which proved difficult for the Danes to penetrate. After a prolonged day of fighting, the Vikings were ultimately defeated and retreated to their base, where Alfred laid siege for fourteen days. This victory was significant, leading to Guthrum's agreement to convert to Christianity and withdraw his forces to East Anglia, thereby solidifying Wessex's dominance among the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms for the next century. The Battle of Edington is often regarded as a turning point in the struggle against Viking incursions in England.
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Battle of Edington
Type of action: Ground battle in Danish Viking invasion of England
Date: Between May 6 and 12, 878
Location: Edington (Ethandune), although Edington, Somerset, has also been suggested
Combatants: English (Saxons) vs. Danish Vikings
Principal commanders:English, Alfred the Great (849-899); Danish, Guthrum (d. 890)
Result: English victory
What little we know about this significant battle comes from the now partly discredited Life of King Alfred by Asser, Alfred the Great’s biographer. He relates how Alfred’s army, together with forces from Hampshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, marched at dawn from Iley in Wiltshire and engaged the entire Viking army. This was a detachment of the Danish summer army under Guthrum, which had wintered at Chippenham, and though Asser’s inference is that it outnumbered Alfred’s troops, the sides were probably fairly evenly matched. In typical Saxon fashion, Alfred’s infantry formed a compact shield wall, which the Danes were unable to break. After a long day’s fighting along a hill ridge, the Danes were forced to flee. Alfred pursued them to their stronghold (presumably Chippenham, though some sources suggest Downend), where he laid siege for fourteen days until the Danes submitted.
Significance
This was a decisive victory against the Danes. Thereafter, Guthrum agreed to Christian baptism and to a retreat from Wessex to East Anglia, where the Danes were granted territory. Wessex was now supreme among the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and remained so for the next one hundred years.
Bibliography
Alfred the Great. Fiction feature. MGM, 1969.
Keynes, Simon, and Michael Lapidge. Alfred the Great: Asser’s Life of King Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1983.
Smyth, Alfred P. King Alfred the Great. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Whitlock, Ralph. The Warrior Kings of Saxon England. London: Moonraker Press, 1977.