BattlefieldsViking Raid on St Davids 988
Early Medieval

Viking Raid on St Davids 988

988
Pembrokeshire, Wales
Also known as: Norse sack of Menevia 988
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Pembrokeshire, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Deheubarth and St Davids church
Forces
Deheubarth: c. 100–200
VS
Victor
Vikings
Forces
Vikings: c. 300–600
Outcome
St Davids sacked; Bishop Morgeneu killed; cathedral treasures looted
The Battle

History & Significance

In 988 a Viking raid on St Davids killed Bishop Morgeneu, making him the first bishop of St Davids to be killed by the Norse. This is one of the most precisely dated of the many Viking attacks on St Davids. The cathedral was sacked at least five times between 820 and 1091. The killing of the bishop demonstrates the extreme vulnerability of Welsh coastal religious centres to Norse raiding from Dublin. St Davids was sacked again in 999 and 1012.

Casualties & Losses

Bishop Morgeneu killed

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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