BattlefieldsViking Sack of London and Canterbury (851)
Early Medieval

Viking Sack of London and Canterbury (851)

851
Greater London, England
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Greater London, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Mercians
Forces
Mercian force c. 2,000-3,000.
VS
Victor
Vikings
Forces
Viking fleet c. 350 ships (c. 10,000-15,000 men)
Outcome
London and Canterbury sacked; Mercian king Beorhtwulf defeated
The Battle

History & Significance

In 851 a fleet of 350 Viking ships — the largest recorded to this point — stormed London and Canterbury and defeated Mercian king Beorhtwulf. This massive raid demonstrated a new scale of Viking ambition: not hit-and-run piracy but systematic urban plunder. The sack of London, then a major trading city, had profound economic consequences for Mercia.

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