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Battle of Woden's Burg (592) 592

Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.

Key facts

Year592Wikidata P585 (point in time)
EraMedieval (500–1499)derived from year
LocationEnglandNatural Earth (modern borders)
ContinentEuropeNatural Earth
War / conflictAnglo-Saxon settlement of EnglandWikidata P361
Coordinates51.3556, -1.8372Wikidata P625

About the battle

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records a battle fought in the year 592 at Woden's Barrow (Old English "Wōdnesbeorġ"), the Neolithic long barrow now known as Adam's Grave, near Marlborough, Wiltshire. The year entry states: "Her micel wælfill wæs æt Woddes beorge, 7 Ceawlin wæs ut adrifen." (There was great slaughter at Woden's hill, and Ceawlin was driven out.)

Ceawlin was king of Anglo-Saxon Wessex. In most versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle the entry does not record the identity of the force opposing Ceawlin but one version, Manuscript E, says they were Britons. Yorke, however, says the opponent was Ceol, Ceawlin's nephew. Ceawlin is recorded as dying the following year and was succeeded by Ceol; his son Cuthwine went into exile.

The Chronicle records a second battle on the same site in the year 715. The area was of strategic importance since it lay near the intersection of the ancient Ridgeway with Wansdyke.

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Woden's Burg (592) (revision 1372639645), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.

Location

51.3556, -1.8372 · England

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Nearby battles

Other battles of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of England

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Further reading