The Battle of Benfleet was an 894 battle between the
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...
and the
Anglo-Saxons
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
commanded by
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder (17 July 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death in 924. He was the elder son of Alfred the Great and his wife Ealhswith. When Edward succeeded to the throne, he had to defeat a challenge from his cousin ...
and
Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians
Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians (or Ealdorman Æthelred of Mercia; died 911) became ruler of English Mercia shortly after the death or disappearance of its last king, Ceolwulf II in 879. Æthelred's rule was confined to the western half, as ea ...
, the son and son-in-law of
Alfred the Great respectively. The battle was part of a campaign started by the Vikings in 892 to raid and potentially occupy lands in England, having been defeated by the armies of France. As part of this campaign the invaders were supported by those Vikings who had settled in England following an earlier invasion launched in 865. The battle was a victory for the Anglo-Saxons who successfully captured a number of women and children, as well as capturing or destroying the Viking ships.
After their defeat the Vikings continued to raid England until they disbanded in 895 after being forced to abandon a series of camps. The rest of Alfred's reign was peaceful, and he was succeeded by Edward as King of
Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
in 899. In time Edward would become the ruler of
Mercia
la, Merciorum regnum
, conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia
, common_name=Mercia
, status=Kingdom
, status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879) Client state of Wessex ()
, life_span=527–918
, era= Heptarchy
, event_start=
, date_start=
, ...
, uniting the two kingdoms.
Background
Situation in England
![England 878](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/England_878.svg)
Following the victory of
Alfred the Great over
Guthrum
Guthrum ( ang, Guðrum, c. 835 – c. 890) was King of East Anglia in the late 9th century. Originally a native of what is now Denmark, he was one of the leaders of the "Great Summer Army" that arrived in Reading during April 871 to join forces ...
at the
battle of Eddington in 878, Guthrum became King of
East Anglia and his army settled in that area. This marked the end of the campaigns of the
Great Heathen Army
The Great Heathen Army,; da, Store Hedenske Hær also known as the Viking Great Army,Hadley. "The Winter Camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872–3, Torksey, Lincolnshire", ''Antiquaries Journal''. 96, pp. 23–67 was a coalition of Scandin ...
of
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...
who had first attacked England in 865. Added to the land of East Anglia were those of
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
and south-east
Mercia
la, Merciorum regnum
, conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia
, common_name=Mercia
, status=Kingdom
, status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879) Client state of Wessex ()
, life_span=527–918
, era= Heptarchy
, event_start=
, date_start=
, ...
, forming Guthrum's kingdom, while
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
had been broken up, with the richest part forming the Viking
kingdom of York
Scandinavian York ( non, Jórvík) Viking Yorkshire or Norwegian York is a term used by historians for the south of Northumbria (modern-day Yorkshire) during the period of the late 9th century and first half of the 10th century, when it was do ...
under
Halfdan
Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings who ...
, while the northern part survived under a local ruler, Eadwulf, ruling from
Bamburgh
Bamburgh ( ) is a village and civil parish on the coast of Northumberland, England. It had a population of 454 in 2001, decreasing to 414 at the 2011 census.
The village is notable for the nearby Bamburgh Castle, a castle which was the seat of ...
. Mercia had also been broken up with the area west of Watling Street ruled by
Aethelred, Alfred's son-in-law, and the area east of this but west of Guthrum's realm was controlled by a series of towns under Viking rule acting as independent states, and became known as the
Five Boroughs. The area under Viking control became known as the
Danelaw
The Danelaw (, also known as the Danelagh; ang, Dena lagu; da, Danelagen) was the part of England in which the laws of the Danes held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. The Danelaw contrasts with the West Saxon law and the Mercian ...
, signifying the Danish influence of the Vikings upon the local laws. Alfred then reorganized the defence of his kingdom, creating fortified towns known as ''
burh
A burh () or burg was an Old English fortification or fortified settlement. In the 9th century, raids and invasions by Vikings prompted Alfred the Great to develop a network of burhs and roads to use against such attackers. Some were new constr ...
s'' to defend major sites and lines of communication. He also reorganised the ''
fyrd
A fyrd () was a type of early Anglo-Saxon army that was mobilised from freemen or paid men to defend their Shire's lords estate, or from selected representatives to join a royal expedition. Service in the fyrd was usually of short duration and ...
'', the ''ad hoc'' levy of men for military service, into a mobile standing force. Together these changes allowed Alfred's armies to simultaneously defend against attacks from multiple directions, as would occur in the period 892–895.
Campaign
Following the peace between Alfred and Guthrum,
Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
was mostly free of Viking raids from the north. The potential for a renewal of war between Wessex and the Vikings was increased when Guthrum died in the 880s and was further enhanced when the Vikings in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
suffered crushing defeats against the French armies. The Vikings left France in 892 loading their families, animals and equipment into 250 boats, landing in the area of the Rother river in south-east England. These Vikings rapidly overran Alfred's fortified town of
Eorpeburnan before moving to
Appledore Appledore may refer to:
Places England
* Appledore, Kent
** Appledore (Kent) railway station
* Appledore, Mid Devon, near Tiverton
* Appledore, Torridge, North Devon, near Bideford U.S.A.
* Appledore Island, off the coast of Maine In fiction
* App ...
in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
where they built a small fortified town. At this point a second Viking fleet, led by
Haestan and consisting of 800 men, sailed up the Thames and landed at
Milton Regis
Milton Regis is a village in the district of Swale in Kent, England. Former names include Milton-next-Sittingbourne, Milton Royal, Middleton, Midletun and Middletune.
It has a population of about 5,000. Today it is a suburb of Sittingbourne, alth ...
, near the
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. ''Sheppey'' is derive ...
. Unable to face both armies at once, Alfred negotiated a peace agreement with Haestan whereby both the Viking's sons were baptised and he agreed to leave Wessex in return for a sizeable payment. After this, Haestan withdrew to
Benfleet in Essex.
While Alfred's negotiations with Haestan were ongoing the Vikings out of Appledore in the spring of 893 began raiding across Wessex until they were intercepted by
Edward, Alfred's son, and routed at the
battle of Farnham
The Battle of Farnham was an armed conflict between the Anglo-Saxons, under the command of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder (17 July 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death in 924. He was the elder ...
. These Vikings then retreated to, and fortified
Thorney island. Edward initially besieged the island but with supplies short and his men nearing the end of their term of service he was forced to withdraw. Alfred had intended to relieve Edward's army when he heard a fleet of 100 ships out of Danelaw was besieging Exeter and another fleet of 40 ships was raiding the Devon coast. Alfred was forced to turn to face the Vikings at Exeter while Edward was joined by Aethelred and a contingent of Londoners and returned to Thorney, finding the Vikings still there. After taking hostages Edward allowed the Vikings to retreat to Benfleet, to join those under the command of Haestan.
Battle
In 894, Edward and Aethelred followed the Vikings to Benfleet where Haestan was absent on a raiding expedition. The Saxons broke into the camp and managed to capture a number of women and children, including Haestan's wife and two sons. Haestan's family were sent to Alfred, who returned them to Haestan as part of the subsequent negotiations. Most of the Viking ships were also captured, with many being sent to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
or
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
. The rest were broken up or burnt. The surviving Vikings were joined by Haestan at
Shoebury, where they made a new camp. The battle of Benfleet was one of the most complete victories gained over the Vikings on English soil up to that point.
Evidence of the battle was found during the construction of
Benfleet railway station during the 19th century when human bones and charred timbers were discovered. It is possible that the Anglo-Saxon dead were buried near
Benfleet church.
Aftermath
At Shoebury, the Vikings received reinforcements from within the Danelaw, and then relocated across England to
Buttington
Buttington (Welsh: ''Tal-y-bont'') is a village in Powys, Wales, less than 3 km from Welshpool and about 300 m from the River Severn, in the community of Trewern. The Montgomery Canal passes through the village. The village stands on a sligh ...
. This was near the Welsh border and Haestan sought the help of the Welsh princes, but they instead chose to honour an existing alliance with Alfred, recognising him as their overlord. Aethelred and the
Ealdormen
Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...
of
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
and
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
raised a great levy, and were joined by men from North Wales. This force besieged the Vikings and won a victory after the defenders were forced to attempt a breakout due to starvation. After this defeat the surviving Vikings fled back to Shoebury. The Anglo-Saxon army pursued them and forced them to leave Wessex and head for the deserted ruins of
Chester. They were compelled by hunger and disease to abandon this position and moved into North Wales, where they pillaged for provisions. After nine months the Vikings left Wales and travelled through the Viking-held territories of Northumbria and East Anglia to reach
Mersea Island
Mersea Island is an island in Essex, England, in the Blackwater and Colne estuaries to the south-east of Colchester. Its name comes from the Old English word ''meresig'', meaning "island of the pool" and thus is tautological. The island is s ...
in Essex. Leaving the island after a short time they sailed up the Lea river and established a camp near London. Alfred forced them out of this camp in 895 and the Vikings rode across England to establish a new camp at
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079.
Histor ...
. While Bridgnorth was besieged a diplomatic mission was sent to the Vikings of Northumbria and East Anglia to eliminate their support for the invaders. Once this had been accomplished, the Vikings at Bridgnorth disbanded.
Until Alfred's death in 899, relations between the Anglo-Saxons and their neighbours were largely peaceful. Upon his death Alfred was succeeded by Edward as King of Wessex, and Aethelred was succeeded by
Aethelflaed, his wife, as ruler of the Mercians upon his death in 911. Edward took personal control of Mercia following Aethelflaed's death in 918, uniting the two kingdoms.
References
Sources
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{{Viking Invasion of England
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