Battle of Englefield 871
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 871 | 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 | Danelaw, Kingdom of Wessex, Æthelwulf | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 51.4440, -1.1000 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Englefield was a West Saxon victory against a Danish Viking army on about 31 December 870 at Englefield, near Reading in Berkshire. It was the first of a series of battles that took place following an invasion of Wessex by the Danish army in December 870.
By 870, the Vikings had conquered two of the four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Northumbria and East Anglia. At the end of 870 they launched an attempt to conquer Wessex and marched from East Anglia to Reading, arriving on about 28 December. Three days later they sent out a large party under two earls to forage and reconnoitre, and it was met at Englefield by an army of local levies under the command of Æthelwulf, Ealdorman of Berkshire. After one of the earls was killed and a large part of the Danish army was overthrown, the Viking force broke and ran.
The victory was short-lived. Four days later, the main West Saxon army, led by King Ethelred and his brother, the future King Alfred the Great, attacked the main Danish encampment at Reading and were bloodily repulsed in the Battle of Reading. Among the many dead of both sides was Æthelwulf. Further battles followed, including the Battle of Ashdown, a West Saxon victory, and the Battle of Meretun, when the Danes prevailed.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Englefield (revision 1370439994), 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
- Siege of Reading 1642 · 9 km
- Battle of Reading (1688) 1688 · 9 km
- Battle of Reading (871) 871 · 10 km
- Battle of Ashdown 871 · 14 km
- Second Battle of Newbury 1644 · 17 km
- First Battle of Newbury 1643 · 18 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 Reading (871) 871
- Battle of Chippenham 878
- 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