Æthelwold's Revolt
Æthelwold's Revolt | |||||||
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The British Isles in the early tenth century | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Followers of Æthelwold ætheling Supported by: Northumbria Kingdom of East Anglia |
Followers of Edward the Elder: | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Æthelwold ætheling † Eohric of East Anglia † | Edward the Elder |
Æthelwold's Revolt was an attempt by Æthelwold ætheling to seize the Anglo-Saxon throne from Edward the Elder after the death of Alfred the Great in 899. It ended when Æthelwold was killed in battle in 902 while fighting alongside his Danish allies.
Background
After
Southern revolt
Æthelwold's first move was to take his small force and seize
Viking support
Æthelwold arrived in the north soon after he fled from the confrontation at Wimborne. He appealed for support from the
In the autumn of 901, Æthelwold sailed with a fleet from his new allies into Essex.[1] By 902 he and the East Anglian Danes were attacking deep into Mercia, one of Edward's most important allies, as far as Cricklade, in Wiltshire.[1]
The Battle of the Holme
Edward retaliated by ravaging East Anglia and when he retreated the men of Kent disobeyed the order to retire, meeting the Danes in the East Midlands, at the Battle of the Holme on 13 December 902. The Danes defeated Edward's troops, but as a result of the battle both Æthelwold and Eohric, the Danish king of East Anglia, were killed. There were many losses on the Anglo-Saxon side, including the two Kentish ealdormen, Sigehelm and Sigewulf.[1][3]
Aftermath
In the view of Cyril Hart, King Edward made a strategic error in failing to engage the Danes with his whole army, leading to recriminations which threatened his authority, especially in Kent, and this may explain his later marriage to Ealdorman Sigehelm's daughter, Eadgifu.[4]
Notes
- ^ required)
- ^ England: Anglo-Saxon Consecrations: 871-1066 - Archontology.org
- ISBN 1-85285-044-2.
- ^ Hart, p. 515