BattlefieldsViking Raid on Lyme Bay Coast 998
Early Medieval

Viking Raid on Lyme Bay Coast 998

998
Dorset, England
Also known as: Danes raid Dorset Devon coast 998 · Norse Lyme Bay operations 998
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Dorset, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Dorset and Devon coastal communities
Forces
Dorset & Devon militia (c. 1,000–2,000).
VS
Victor
Norse fleet
Forces
Norse fleet: c. 20–30 ships (c. 2,000–3,000)
Outcome
Fleet worked Lyme Bay coastline systematically plundering settlements and intercepting shipping
The Battle

History & Significance

Norse domination of Lyme Bay in 998 as a campaign theatre showed how a Viking fleet could effectively blockade and plunder an entire stretch of coastline while the English lacked the naval forces to challenge them.

Questions & Answers

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