Battle of Chippenham 878
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 878 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | England | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Viking activity in the British Isles | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Great Heathen Army, Kingdom of Wessex | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 51.4585, -2.1158 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Chippenham was a January 878 battle between a Viking army led by Guthrum, and an Anglo-Saxon army led by Alfred the Great. The Vikings forced Alfred to flee Chippenham and managed temporarily to gain control over most of Wessex.
The battle was part of a coordinated strike on Wessex led by Guthrum, breaking an earlier truce between the two sides. Alfred, spending the winter at Chippenham, was without his army and was forced to flee to Athelney.
Following the Anglo Saxon victory at Cynwit by Odda, Ealdorman of Devon, Alfred managed to muster his forces and reclaim Wessex following the Battle of Edington in May 878. Guthrum would not attack Wessex again, agreeing to the Treaty of Wedmore. Alfred would then reorganise the army of Wessex to ensure there was always a standing force ready to meet a threat.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Chippenham (revision 1373475979), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Edington 878 · 9 km
- Battle of Roundway Down 1643 · 12 km
- Battle of Deorham 577 · 18 km
- Battle of Badon 500 · 19 km
- Battle of Lansdowne 1643 · 20 km
- Battle of Woden's Burg (715) 715 · 22 km
Other battles of the Viking activity in the British Isles
- Battle of York (867) 867
- Battle of Ashdown 871
- Battle of Basing 871
- Battle of Englefield 871
- Battle of Reading (871) 871
- Battle of Cynwit 878
- Battle of Edington 878
- Battle of Buttington 893
- Battle of Tettenhall 910
- Battle of Tempsford 917
All 20 battles of the Viking activity in the British Isles →
Browse more: battles in England · Europe · Medieval battles