Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Battle of Cynwit

The Battle of Cynwit, also known as the Battle of Cynuit, occurred in 878 during the Viking invasions of England, pitting a West Saxon garrison led by Ealdorman Odda of Devon against a Viking force under the command of Ubba, brother of the renowned leaders Ivar and Halfdan.^[1] Besieged at the fortified hilltop site of Cynwit in Devon or possibly Somerset, the defenders sallied forth in a surprise attack, routing the attackers, slaying Ubba, and capturing the Vikings' symbolic raven banner after inflicting heavy casualties estimated at around 800 to 1200 slain.^[2]^[1] This engagement formed part of the broader Great Heathen Army's campaigns against Wessex, where the Vikings had recently seized Chippenham and forced King Alfred into hiding at Athelney, yet the unforeseen Saxon success at Cynwit disrupted reinforcements intended for the main Danish host under Guthrum and demonstrated the resilience of local levies.^[2] The victory, chronicled in near-contemporary accounts like the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Asser's Life of King Alfred, provided crucial morale boost amid widespread devastation, preceding Alfred's decisive counteroffensive at Edington later that year.^[1]^[2] While the precise location remains debated—proposed sites include Countisbury Hill in Devon and Cannington Hill in Somerset—the battle exemplifies effective defensive tactics against superior numbers through bold initiative.^[3] Primary sources differ slightly on details, such as Asser's report of Odda's prior death at the Viking landing site versus the Chronicle's attribution of leadership to him at the fort, reflecting potential variations in oral transmission or regional perspectives.^[2]^[1]

Historical Context

Viking Invasions and Wessex in 878

The Great Heathen Army, a coalition of Danish Vikings led by figures including Ivar the Boneless and his brothers, arrived in England in 865, landing in East Anglia with an estimated force numbering in the thousands.^[4] This invasion marked a shift from sporadic raiding to systematic conquest, as the army overwintered in East Anglia before advancing northward to Northumbria in 866, where they captured York and defeated the rival kings Osberht and Ælle, installing a puppet ruler.^[5] By 869–870, the Vikings had turned to East Anglia, killing King Edmund and establishing control, while in 871 they invaded Mercia, forcing its subjugation through a combination of battles and partitions.^[6] A reinforcement known as the Summer Army arrived that year, further pressuring Mercia, which was divided by 874 with Viking settlement in its eastern territories under leaders like Ceolwulf II.^[7] By 877, Guthrum, a prominent Viking commander who had settled in East Anglia, directed a portion of his forces toward Wessex, the sole remaining independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom under King Alfred.^[8] This incursion culminated in a surprise winter assault on Chippenham around January 6, 878—following Twelfth Night—catching Alfred's forces dispersed for the season and allowing the Vikings to overrun much of Wessex's heartland.^[9] Alfred escaped with a small retinue to the marshes of Athelney in Somerset, from where he organized guerrilla resistance, rallying local fyrd militias amid fractured defenses and widespread submissions to Viking authority.^[10] Concurrently, Ubba, identified in contemporary records as the brother of Ivar and Halfdan, diverted from East Anglia with a fleet of 23 ships, landing in Devon and besieging local fortifications, adding to the multi-front pressure on Wessex.^[11] These operations strained Alfred's resources, as Wessex faced coordinated threats that threatened total conquest, compelling adaptive strategies like burh fortifications and rapid mobilization to preserve Anglo-Saxon sovereignty.^[12] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the primary contemporaneous account, records these events as a nadir for Wessex, underscoring the Vikings' tactical exploitation of seasonal vulnerabilities.^[11]

King Alfred's Campaigns and Challenges

King Alfred ascended to the throne of Wessex in 871 following the death of his brother Æthelred amid relentless Viking incursions by the Great Heathen Army. From 871 to 877, Alfred's forces achieved tactical successes, such as the victory at the Battle of Ashdown in 871 and a naval engagement against seven Viking ships in 875, but the kingdom endured chronic pressure, including payments of danegeld in 872 and 877 to temporarily halt invasions. These campaigns highlighted the Saxons' defensive constraints against Viking longships, which enabled rapid coastal strikes and inland penetrations, forcing Wessex into a reactive posture reliant on fyrd levies and fortified positions rather than offensive pursuits.^[8] The year 878 marked Wessex's nadir, when a Viking force under Guthrum launched a surprise assault on Chippenham around Twelfth Night, overrunning much of the kingdom and compelling many thegns to flee overseas or submit. Alfred, with a diminished retinue, retreated to the island stronghold of Athelney in the Somerset marshes, conducting guerrilla operations from woodland fastnesses and moorland refuges while mustering limited local support.^[13] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records Alfred's scant faithful fighters and the widespread Saxon capitulation, underscoring systemic vulnerabilities like internal disloyalty and the inability to concentrate forces against dispersed threats. This fragmentation necessitated semi-independent action by regional ealdormen, as Alfred's central authority was strained by his confinement to Somerset and the demands of rebuilding an army from western shires.^[14] Ealdorman Odda of Devon, for instance, mobilized local levies without direct royal oversight, exemplifying how Viking maritime superiority—allowing separate raiding parties to strike Devon concurrently with the main army's inland hold—compelled decentralized resistance. Alfred's eventual rallying of fyrds from Somerset, Wiltshire, and Hampshire for the Edington campaign stemmed from this crisis, but interim engagements like Cynwit arose from such autonomous stands born of necessity. The period's empirical record in the Chronicle and Asser reveals no coordinated royal intervention at Cynwit, affirming the causal role of logistical constraints in empowering local initiative.^[14]

Prelude

Viking Forces and Leadership

The Viking contingent at Cynwit was led by Ubba (also spelled Hubba or Ubbi), a Danish warlord who, according to later Norse sagas and medieval traditions, was one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok, though contemporary accounts like Asser's Life of King Alfred identify him primarily as a commander of the Great Heathen Army without explicit paternal lineage.^[15] Ubba's force operated semi-independently from Guthrum's main army in East Anglia and Wessex, having previously overwintered in Dyfed (modern Wales) before sailing to support the broader conquest efforts.^[16] This raiding party numbered around 1,200 warriors, conveyed in a fleet of 23 longships that enabled swift coastal landings along the Devonshire shore.^[1] Each vessel typically carried 40 to 60 men, including rowers who doubled as fighters, reflecting standard 9th-century Scandinavian ship capacities optimized for speed and versatility rather than mass troop transport.^[17] The composition was predominantly Danish Vikings—seasoned raiders motivated by opportunities for plunder, land seizure, and expansion amid Wessex's vulnerability following the midwinter Danish occupation of Chippenham, which had scattered King Alfred's forces.^[1] Under Ubba's command, the force emphasized decentralized leadership typical of Viking expeditions, with chieftains overseeing ship crews that coalesced into larger units for land operations; this structure facilitated rapid maneuvers but relied on cohesion in shield-wall formations for pitched battles.^[16] Their approach prioritized amphibious surprise to exploit divided Saxon defenses, though overextension inland exposed them to local counter-mobilization without the full support of allied contingents like Guthrum's.^[18]

Saxon Garrison and Fortification

The West Saxon defenders at Cynwit were commanded by Odda, ealdorman of Devon, who mobilized the local fyrd—a levy of freemen and thegns obligated to military service in defense of their shire.^[1] This force, whose precise numbers remain undocumented in contemporary accounts, sought refuge in the hillfort known as Cynwit following the Viking landing in Devon during the winter of 878.^[2] Odda's leadership represented decentralized resistance coordinated under King Alfred's broader authority, as ealdormen held responsibility for regional defense amid the kingdom's fragmented response to the Great Heathen Army's incursions.^[1] The fortification of Cynwit, described by Asser as a arx or stronghold, exploited the site's elevated position atop a hill, which offered commanding views and inherent defensibility through steep natural slopes and surrounding barriers such as valleys or cliffs, depending on the precise locale.^[2] These topographical advantages—common to Iron Age hillforts repurposed in the early medieval period—limited access points and facilitated prolonged resistance, compelling attackers to assault from below while exposing them to projectiles and sallies.^[16] The Saxons' commitment to holding the position, rather than dispersing, stemmed from logistical constraints in mobilizing larger armies during Alfred's concurrent guerrilla operations from Athelney, emphasizing attrition over open-field engagement to preserve manpower against superior Viking mobility.^[2]

The Battle

Initial Siege

In 878, a Viking force led by Ubba, brother of Ivar and Halfdan, sailed to the Devon coast and advanced on the hillfort at Cynwit, where a West Saxon garrison under ealdorman Odda was positioned.^[16] The invaders, numbering in the hundreds and arriving via multiple ships, quickly encircled the stronghold, initiating a blockade aimed at compelling surrender through deprivation of supplies.^[16] ^[19] Confident in their numerical advantage, the Vikings exerted direct pressure on the defenses, attempting assaults to overrun the position rather than employing elaborate engineering such as sapping or protective screens, tactics uncommon in their operations against earth-and-timber fortifications.^[19] ^[20] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the Devonshire forces' resistance against this onslaught, with the initial clash seeing the Vikings gain temporary footing on the battlefield.^[16] The Saxon defenders endured the encirclement due to stored provisions and the commanding terrain of the hill, which hindered effective storming without significant losses.^[21] ^[20] Contemporary accounts by Asser note the West Saxons holding the fortress amid the Viking pressure, underscoring the garrison's tenacity before any decisive action.^[16]

Saxon Counterattack and Rout

The Saxon forces under Ealdorman Odda of Devon, having taken refuge in the fortified hilltop position at Cynwit, observed that the besieging Vikings had neglected to adequately protect their encampment with ditches or stockades, presenting an opportunity for a sudden sortie.^[2] Seizing the initiative, the Saxons launched a pre-dawn assault on the Viking camp, catching the attackers off guard and disrupting their lines before they could fully mobilize.^[2] This element of surprise stemmed from the Vikings' overconfidence following weeks of siege, which had led to lax security and dispersal of their forces around the perimeter, exposing them to a coordinated rush from the heights.^[19] The ensuing melee devolved into fierce hand-to-hand combat, with Saxon warriors pressing their advantage in tight formations against the disorganized Danes, resulting in heavy casualties among the invaders from dawn until dusk.^[2] Approximately twelve hundred Vikings perished in the rout, their cohesion shattered by the rapid collapse of the camp defenses and the momentum of the Saxon charge, which prevented effective counter-formation.^[1] Among the slain was the Viking leader Ubba, struck down amid the chaos of the close-quarters fighting, a loss that further demoralized the remnants.^[2]^[1] The surviving Vikings, stripped of weapons and armor in their haste, fled in panic toward their beached ships, pursued by the Saxons who capitalized on the disorder to inflict additional losses during the withdrawal.^[2] This pursuit exploited the terrain's coastal proximity, channeling the routed force into a confined escape route where their overextension during the siege—a tactical error of spreading thin to maintain the blockade—compounded their vulnerability to envelopment and slaughter.^[19] The decisive nature of the counterattack thus transformed a defensive standoff into a comprehensive Viking defeat, attributable to the Saxons' tactical audacity against an adversary lulled by apparent superiority.^[2]

Aftermath

Casualties and Viking Defeat

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that the Viking force, which had landed in Devon with 23 ships, suffered heavy losses at Cynwit, with 840 pagans slain, including their leader, the brother of Ivar and Halfdan (later identified as Ubba).^[1] This figure encompasses "eight hundred men with him, and forty of his army," suggesting the majority of the besieging force was destroyed in the Saxon counterattack. Saxon casualties went unrecorded in primary accounts, consistent with the defensive position of the garrison, which likely minimized their exposure during the initial rout from the fortress.^[1] The Viking defeat was immediate and tactical: survivors scattered and fled toward their ships, abandoning the siege without opportunity for reorganization. No pursuit by the Saxons is noted, attributable to the rugged terrain and the garrison's limited numbers, preventing exploitation of the victory. While the Chronicle's casualty tally has prompted scholarly skepticism regarding potential inflation for morale-boosting purposes, the scale—far smaller than the subsequent Battle of Edington—underscores a localized but crushing blow to Ubba's contingent, effectively neutralizing the threat in Devon without claims of total annihilation.^[20]

Capture of the Raven Banner

The raven banner, Hrafnsmerki in Old Norse, depicted a black raven on a silk field and served as the Vikings' primary standard at Cynwit, symbolizing Odinic patronage and used to rally troops during the 878 engagement. Asser, in his Life of King Alfred, records its capture by Saxon forces amid the rout of Ubba's army following the fortress garrison's sally. The chronicler notes the banner's silk construction allowed it to billow dramatically in the wind, creating an illusion of animation that intimidated foes, though this effect stemmed from aerodynamic properties of the lightweight fabric rather than any inherent vitality.^[14] As a practical military emblem, the banner facilitated unit cohesion and command signaling for the Vikings, its seizure during the chaos of flight disrupting their formation and hastening collapse. For the Saxons under Ealdorman Odda, possession of this trophy provided verifiable evidence of triumph over a formidable host, bolstering immediate morale by concretely demonstrating the rout's success against a culturally potent adversary symbol. Asser's account, drawing from eyewitness proximity as Alfred's biographer, underscores the banner's role in psychological warfare, yet emphasizes its material capture as a decisive tactical gain without endorsing supernatural interpretations.^[14]

Strategic and Symbolic Significance

Immediate Military Effects

The decisive Saxon counterattack at Cynwit resulted in the near-total destruction of Ubba Ragnarsson's Viking contingent, with contemporary sources reporting the death of Ubba himself alongside approximately 1,200 warriors, including over 800 slain in the rout. This elimination of a separate Viking landing force—estimated at 23 ships' worth of men who had arrived by sea to ravage Devon—directly curtailed their capacity for coordinated inland incursions into southwestern Wessex, thereby halting immediate threats to local settlements and fortifications in Devon and Somerset during early 878.^[22] The loss disrupted Viking operational momentum in the region, as Ubba's command was positioned to potentially link with or support Guthrum's main army entrenched in Wiltshire, averting a possible two-front pressure on King Alfred's fragmented forces. Ealdorman Odda's success freed Devonshire levies from defensive obligations, enabling a temporary stabilization of the southwest flank and indirect facilitation of Alfred's regrouping at Athelney, though no direct march of Odda's men to join Alfred is recorded prior to the Battle of Edington.^[23] Causally, while the victory imposed tactical setbacks on Viking raiding patterns and leadership cohesion—exemplified by the capture of their raven banner as a symbol of fractured command—it represented a localized disruption rather than a strategic termination of the 878 invasion, as Guthrum's host remained intact and active until confronted at Edington later that year.

Role in Broader Anglo-Saxon Resistance

The victory at Cynwit in early 878, achieved by Ealdorman Odda of Devon independently of King Alfred's direct command, exemplified the decentralized nature of Anglo-Saxon resistance during the Viking Great Heathen Army's campaigns. While Alfred consolidated forces at Athelney in the Somerset marshes amid widespread desertions following defeats like Chippenham, Odda's forces repelled and routed Ubba's contingent of approximately 1,200 warriors, preventing their potential reinforcement of Guthrum's main army. This localized action diverted Viking resources and manpower, easing pressure on Alfred's nascent recovery efforts and enabling him to focus on mobilizing fyrd levies from multiple shires.^[16] Such regional initiatives by ealdormen underscored a broader strategy of attrition warfare, where fortified strongholds and opportunistic sallies by provincial leaders wore down overextended invaders, rather than relying solely on royal leadership. Historical records indicate that Cynwit's success, including the slaying of Ubba and over 800 Viking casualties, spurred recruitment and restored morale across Wessex in the weeks leading to the Battle of Edington in May 878, where Alfred capitalized on unified forces to achieve a decisive triumph. This distributed resistance model, evidenced by concurrent holds in Devon and Somerset, contributed to Wessex's survival by denying Vikings uncontested dominance in peripheral territories, thereby sustaining the kingdom's logistical base for counteroffensives.^[16] Critics, however, contend that Cynwit's impact was circumscribed, as it eliminated only a secondary Viking host while Guthrum's forces regrouped and intensified threats elsewhere, necessitating Alfred's subsequent field victory to force negotiations. Nonetheless, the battle's timing and scale refuted narratives overemphasizing Alfred's isolated guerrilla phase, highlighting empirical patterns of coordinated yet autonomous Anglo-Saxon efforts that collectively eroded Viking cohesion through sustained, multi-front engagements.^[24]

Location Debates

Primary Source Descriptions

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals compiled from the late 9th to early 10th centuries, records the Viking incursion into Devon in 878, where a force under Ubba assaulted "Cynwit," described simply as a locale fortified enough for local defenders to hold against the invaders until reinforcements arrived. The entry provides no further topographic details, identifying Cynwit solely by name and associating it with Devonshire territory, emphasizing its role as a defensible position rather than its precise geography. Asser's Life of King Alfred, composed around 893, offers a more vivid depiction, referring to the site as "arx Cynuit" (the stronghold of Cynuit), a fortress situated on a commanding hill proximate to the sea, with access limited primarily from the eastern approach. This portrayal underscores a naturally defensible headland or promontory, aligning with the Chronicle's implication of a fortifiable site but adding environmental specifics absent in the annalistic record, such as elevation and maritime proximity, which suggest a coastal or estuarine vantage.^[25] Both sources concur on Cynwit's status as a fortified refuge in western Wessex, capable of withstanding initial siege, yet neither furnishes coordinates, measurements, or unambiguous landmarks, leaving interpretive latitude regarding its exact placement along Devon's rugged shoreline. The Latin "arx" in Asser evokes a Roman-style citadel or Iron Age hillfort repurposed, consistent with prehistoric earthworks in the region, though the texts prioritize narrative utility over cartographic precision.

Proposed Sites and Evidence

Wind Hill, known also as Countisbury Castle or Countisbury Camp, stands as the foremost proposed location for the Battle of Cynwit, comprising an Iron Age univallate promontory fort overlooking Lynmouth Bay in North Devon at coordinates approximately 51°14′N 3°58′W. The site's terrain features sheer cliffs dropping over 150 meters to the sea on the north and west, coupled with the deep gorge of the Lyn River to the south, rendering it defensible except via the eastern approach where a single rampart, up to 3 meters high, provided fortification. This configuration matches topographical requirements for a headland stronghold accessible by sea, aligning with Viking raiding patterns from Welsh bases, as the fort lies roughly 20 kilometers east of Porlock Bay, a plausible landing zone.^[16]^[26] Archaeological surveys confirm Iron Age origins with earthworks intact, but no Viking-era artifacts, weapons, or mass burials directly tied to 878 have been excavated, relying instead on landscape suitability for empirical verification of siege viability—elevated at 250 meters with clear lines of sight for signaling or assault. Scholarly discussions through the 2020s, including local heritage analyses, uphold this site via causal assessment of natural barriers enabling a small force to withstand and counterattack a larger besieging army, absent new digs to test material hypotheses.^[27]^[21] Cannington Camp, an Iron Age hillfort in Somerset at about 51°08′N 3°04′W near the Parrett estuary, serves as a key alternative, offering multivallate defenses on a 90-meter promontory with estuary access for naval forces. Proximity to inland routes from Devon suits broader campaign logistics, yet its less precipitous cliffs and estuarine rather than open-sea positioning diverge from headland-centric terrain ideals. Limited excavations reveal post-Roman reoccupation and skeletal evidence of trauma in nearby cemeteries, potentially indicating conflict, though undated and not specifically Viking-Saxon.^[28] Wind Hill's evaluation prioritizes defensible elevation and coastal proximity over Cannington Camp's, as empirical terrain mapping favors sites permitting rout via narrow access points; no site yields conclusive 9th-century battle detritus, underscoring reliance on geomorphic realism for candidate ranking.^[16]

Sources and Scholarly Views

Medieval Accounts

The principal medieval accounts of the Battle of Cynwit appear in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which records for the year 878 that a Viking force overran Devon, besieged the stronghold at Cynwit, and suffered a catastrophic defeat when the defenders sallied out, slaying over 800 of their number from an estimated host of 1,200.^[27] Asser's Vita Ælfredi, composed around 893 and drawing on West Saxon annals, corroborates this sequence, describing the Vikings' landing in Devon, their siege of Cynwit, and the ensuing rout where the pagans were "miserably slaughtered" after attempting to storm the fort.^[29] Both sources, originating from Alfredian Wessex circles, reflect a Saxon viewpoint that prioritizes the triumph of Christian defenders over heathen invaders, potentially inflating casualty estimates to underscore divine favor and heroic resolve.^[16] The Annals of St Neots, a later compilation incorporating earlier materials, aligns with these by explicitly naming Ubba—the Viking chieftain—as slain at Cynwit alongside most of his army, providing a key detail absent from the Chronicle but consistent with the reported scale of losses.^[29] This attribution cross-verifies the leadership decapitation implied in Asser, though the annals' 10th- or 12th-century redaction introduces risks of retrospective elaboration drawn from hagiographic traditions like Abbo of Fleury's Passio Sancti Eadmundi.^[30] Absence of Viking sagas or runic inscriptions mentioning Cynwit leaves no adversarial perspective, rendering the record inherently partial and susceptible to unchalleged exaggeration of Saxon prowess, as seen in the uniform emphasis on total Viking annihilation without acknowledgment of West Saxon costs.^[16] Yet the accounts' alignment on fundamentals—the siege, sally, and decisive repulse—suggests a verifiable kernel of event, with discrepancies limited to unquantifiable elements like exact numbers, which serve rhetorical rather than evidentiary purposes in these propagandistic annals.^[31]

Modern Analyses and Uncertainties

Modern historians regard the Battle of Cynwit as a significant but secondary Anglo-Saxon victory in the context of the Viking invasions of 878, emphasizing its role in demonstrating West Saxon resilience amid Alfred's precarious position in Athelney. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle's account of approximately 1,200 Vikings besieging the fortress, with over 800 slain in the counterattack, indicates a substantial engagement that depleted a key raiding force, preventing it from reinforcing Guthrum's main army before Edington.^[16] Scholars such as Michael Wood highlight how Ealdorman Odda's initiative exemplified decentralized Anglo-Saxon military tenacity, contrasting with the more coordinated Viking strategy, and provided a morale boost that complemented Alfred's subsequent triumph.^[23] Debates persist over the Viking leader Ubba's identity, with his portrayal as a son of the semi-legendary Ragnar Lothbrok rooted in later medieval sagas rather than contemporary records; while Ubba appears in reliable annals like the Chronicle, Ragnar's historicity remains dubious, suggesting embellishment to link the invasion to mythic Norse vengeance narratives.^[32] This association has led some analysts to question whether Ubba's defeat was overhyped in later traditions, potentially inflating the battle's symbolic weight beyond its tactical impact of neutralizing a peripheral Viking contingent. Empirical assessments, however, affirm the reported scale through Chronicle tallies, which align with Viking burial practices and the capture of their raven banner, underscoring a genuine rout rather than propagandistic exaggeration.^[16] Uncertainties endure due to the absence of definitive archaeological evidence, such as mass graves or artifacts tied to the 878 clash, leaving site proposals—favoring elevated terrains like Countisbury Hill for defensive advantages—reliant on toponymic and topographic inference rather than excavation yields.^[16] No major discoveries in the 2020s have resolved these gaps, reinforcing scholarly caution against overinterpreting the event as a standalone turning point; instead, causal analysis positions it as a contributing factor to Wessex's survival, highlighting how localized Anglo-Saxon fortifications and rapid mobilization countered Viking siege tactics effectively, though Edington's scale and diplomatic aftermath proved more transformative.^[23] This view tempers narratives minimizing the battle's morale effects, as the destruction of a raven-standard-bearing host realistically eroded Viking aura of invincibility prior to broader resistance consolidation.^[16]

References

[1]
Avalon Project - The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle : Ninth Century
A.D. 878. This year about mid-winter, after twelfth-night, the Danish army stole out to Chippenham, and rode over the land of the West-Saxons; where they ...Missing: text translation
[2]
Medieval Sourcebook: Asser's Life of King Alfred
And in the same year Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, fought a battle at seaagainst pagan boats; and he took two of them, having killed all who were inthem.
[3]
(PDF) The Death of Ubba and the Strategic Significance of Aley ...
This paper challenges the traditionally accepted location of the Battle of Cynwit and the death of the Viking leader Ubba. While Countisbury Hill has long ...
[4]
The Viking Great Army - Archaeology Magazine - March/April 2018
The Viking Great Army's arrival in 865 was recounted in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: “A great heathen ... East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex. They ...
[5]
What happened when the Vikings came to England?
... 865, a 'great heathen horde' of Vikings landed in East Anglia. By 871, the Vikings had defeated the armies of Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia, killing ...
[6]
The Great Heathen Army - Historic UK
The Great Heathen Army. In 865, a sizeable Viking force – estimated to be around some 3,000 men – landed on the Isle of Thanet in Kent with the intention ...Missing: arrival conquests
[7]
The Great Heathen Army of Vikings That Invaded England
Apr 12, 2021 · The Great Heathen Army was a coalition of Viking warriors that invaded England in AD 865, which according to lore was in response to the death of the legendary ...
[8]
Viking Tide: Alfred the Great during the Danish Invasions
Alfred received word that a huge Danish army under the Viking leader Guthrum was sweeping into Wessex, apparently bent on conquest. Danish Attack Catches Alfred ...
[9]
King Alfred and the Cakes - Historic UK
On January 6th 878 the Vikings under their king Guthrum launched a surprise attack on Alfred's base at Chippenham. Alfred was forced to flee with just a ...
[10]
Battle of Edington - World History Encyclopedia
Apr 9, 2025 · In the months leading up to the battle, the Vikings had overrun much of England, and with Guthrum's invasion of Wessex in January 878, the last ...<|separator|>
[11]
Early-Medieval-England.net : Timeline: 856-899 - Anglo-Saxons.net
869/70. "Great Heathen Army" rides across Mercia to Thetford in East Anglia, winters there. November 20, 869. King Edmund of East Anglia killed by the Vikings
[12]
(PDF) Alfred the Great versus the Viking Great Army - ResearchGate
Feb 12, 2020 · This article considers the reputation and career of Alfred the Great, supposed first king of England, alongside the activities of the Viking ...
[13]
Alfred 'The Great' (r. 871-899) | The Royal Family
... Somerset and part of Hampshire to pursue guerrilla warfare against the Danes. In May 878, Alfred's army defeated the Danes at the battle of Edington.
[14]
Asser's Life of King Alfred - Project Gutenberg
Asser's Life of King Alfred translated from the text of Stevenson's edition by Albert S. Cook, Professor of the English Language and Literature in Yale ...
[15]
https://vikingr.org/old-norse-texts/assers-life-of-king-alfred
[16]
Battle of Arx Cynwit (Countisbury) 878 CE / Early Histories
Anglo-Saxon Ealdorman Odda led a successful defence against Viking forces, reportedly slaying their leader [supposedly Ubba] and seizing his raven banner. This ...
[17]
(PDF) 'Feeding the micel here in England c. 865-878' - Academia.edu
Also the arrival of a Viking force of 840 in 23 ships in Devon in 878 after the great army had captured Chippenham, effectively placing Alfred between two ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[18]
Appledore Devon - Old Somerset
Nov 12, 2018 · Well, the fleet led by Ubba (or whoever) in 878 consisted of 23 ships. The one that rowed up to Appledore in Kent in 892 had 250 ships and ...
[19]
The Battle of Cynuit (1) - Old Somerset - WordPress.com
Jul 2, 2015 · The leader of the Saxons, said to be Odda, ealdorman of Devon, needed little imagination to work out their likely fate. The best tactic ...
[20]
The Battle of Cynwit: What you need to know about the famous clash ...
Dec 16, 2022 · A Viking force, said to be led by the legendary warrior Ubba, took on the cream of the West Saxon army. Despite the West Saxons being encircled, they managed ...
[21]
The Raven and The Dragon: A New Perspective on the Battle of ...
Aug 3, 2025 · The Battle of Cynwit involved a Viking siege of a hillfort, Odda's surprise attack, and the defeat of the Vikings, including Ubba, with 840 ...
[22]
[PDF] The Anglo Saxon Chronicle
Sep 23, 2024 · Page 1. The. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. A REVISED TRANSLATION. EDITED BY. DOROTHY WHITELOCK. •. LITT p , P B A. Elrington and Bosworth Professor of ...
[23]
Michael Wood on Athelstan's 'Great War' to Unite Anglo-Saxon ...
Jan 2, 2018 · The Battle of Cynwit in 878 in North Devon is really interesting because Alfred is in deep trouble in Athelney and the main Viking army is ...Missing: scholarly | Show results with:scholarly
[24]
The Battle of Cynuit near Combwich in Somerset. Key to King ...
Feb 11, 2016 · The key to Alfred's campaign and ultimate victory over the Danes at Edington (Ethandune) was the earlier battle of Cynuit (or Cynwit) near Combwich.<|control11|><|separator|>
[25]
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/63384/63384-h/63384-h.htm#link2HCH0023
[26]
Exmoor National Park HER - Heritage Gateway - Results
Description. Countisbury Castle, Wind Hill. The site was visited on 4th September 1841. The rampart on the east is c.50 feet high, ...
[27]
Abstract for The Battle of Cynwit 878 AD - Combe Martin
Our main article discusses the Battle of Arx Cynwit (878 CE), a significant yet often overlooked conflict in Devonshire, England.
[28]
Historic England Research Records - Heritage Gateway - Results
... defenses may be represented by scarps below. The main ... Cannington Park (Cynwit Castle). Listed in gazetteer as a univallate hillfort covering 3.1ha.
[29]
Asser's life of King Alfred : together with the Annals of Saint Neots ...
Apr 3, 2020 · Asser's life of King Alfred : together with the Annals of Saint Neots erroneously ascribed to Asser. cxxx, 386 p. : 20 cm.
[30]
Ubba - Old Somerset
A local legend spring up, hundreds of years ago, that it was on the western coast of Devon, at Appledore, that a fleet led by the Danish chief Hubba landed in ...
[31]
Finding Cynuit - Medievalists.net
Apr 16, 2011 · Early in 878 an army of supporters of King Alfred of Wessex found themselves trapped in a fort by a Viking army.
[32]
The Fates of the Sons of Ragnar - A Clerk of Oxford
Apr 29, 2018 · The historical origins of Ragnar himself are very uncertain, but Ivar and Ubbe and some of the other sons were certainly real people (not ...