Battle of Badon 500
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 500 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | England | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Anglo-Saxon settlement of England | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Ambrosius Aurelianus, Anglo-Saxons, Celtic Britons, King Arthur | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 51.3800, -2.3600 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Badon, also known as the Battle of Mons Badonicus, was purportedly fought between Britons and Anglo-Saxons in Post-Roman Britain during the early 6th century. It was credited as a major victory for the Britons, stopping the westward encroachment of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms for a period.
The earliest known references to the battle, by the British cleric Gildas, was written c. 543–547. It is chiefly known today for the involvement of the man who would later be remembered as the legendary King Arthur. His name is not known, although the name under the form "Arthur" first appears in the 9th-century Historia Brittonum, where he is mentioned as having participated in the battle alongside the Brittonic kings as a war commander, though is not described as a king himself. Because of the limited number of sources, there is no certainty about the date, location, or details of the fighting apart from the result being a victory for the Britons.
Almost all scholars agree that this battle did take place. Gildas wrote within living memory of the battle (he claims to have been born in the same year it was fought). But being a moralist, he does not mention Arthur or the names of other British leaders who took part, nor does he provide the names of the Saxon leaders.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Badon (revision 1375345618), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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- Battle of Edington 878 · 11 km
- Battle of Deorham 577 · 12 km
- Siege of Bristol (1645) 1645 · 17 km
- Siege of Bristol (1326) 1326 · 18 km
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Other battles of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of England
- Battle of Guoloph 437
- Battle of Aylesford 455
- Battle of Wippedesfleot 466
- Battle of Mercredesburne 485
- Battle of Beran Byrig 556
- Battle of Deorham 577
- Battle of Woden's Burg (592) 592
- Battle of Chester 615
All 9 battles of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of England →
Browse more: battles in England · Europe · Medieval battles