Battle of Chippenham 878
Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).
Key facts
| Date (year) | 878 | Wikidata P585 point in time |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 9th century | derived |
| Period | Early medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Viking | derived |
| Country | England | derived |
| War / conflict | Viking activity in the British Isles | Wikidata |
| Participants | Great Heathen Army, Kingdom of Wessex | Wikidata |
About the battle
The Battle of Chippenham was a January 878 battle between a Viking army led by Guthrum, and an Anglo-Saxon army led by Alfred the Great. The Vikings forced Alfred to flee Chippenham and managed temporarily to gain control over most of Wessex.
The battle was part of a coordinated strike on Wessex led by Guthrum, breaking an earlier truce between the two sides. Alfred, spending the winter at Chippenham, was without his army and was forced to flee to Athelney.
Following the Anglo Saxon victory at Cynwit by Odda, Ealdorman of Devon, Alfred managed to muster his forces and reclaim Wessex following the Battle of Edington in May 878. Guthrum would not attack Wessex again, agreeing to the Treaty of Wedmore. Alfred would then reorganise the army of Wessex to ensure there was always a standing force ready to meet a threat.
Visiting the battlefield
Location
- Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 51.4585, -2.1158
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Chippenham (revision 1373475979), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).