BattlefieldsSiege of Leicester and Treaty 940
Early Medieval

Siege of Leicester and Treaty 940

940
Leicestershire, England
Also known as: Treaty of Leicester 940 · Edmund Besieges Olaf at Leicester
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Leicestershire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
None (treaty)
Forces
Dublin Norse army under Olaf Guthfrithson
VS
Victor
None (treaty)
Forces
West Saxon army under Edmund I
Outcome
Edmund besieges Olaf at Leicester; Treaty of Leicester grants Five Boroughs to Olaf; Watling Street becomes boundary
The Battle

History & Significance

Edmund besieged Olaf at Leicester in 940 but was persuaded to negotiate by Archbishops Oda and Wulfstan. The resulting Treaty of Leicester restored the old Danelaw boundary along Watling Street, giving Olaf the Five Boroughs of Derby, Leicester, Nottingham, Stamford, and Lincoln. This was the most dramatic reversal of the English reconquest. The Chronicle poem on the Five Boroughs later frames this period as English-settled Danes under Norse oppression.

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