Battlefields›Viking Raid on Iona 795
Early Medieval

Viking Raid on Iona 795

795
Argyll, Scotland
Also known as: Danish sack of Iona 795 · First Viking raid on Iona
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Argyll, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Iona monastery
Forces
unarmed monastic community
VS
Victor
Viking raiders
Forces
Norse Viking fleet
Outcome
Iona sacked; monks killed; monastery burned; repeated raids forced relocation of Columba relics
The Battle

History & Significance

Following Lindisfarne in 793, Iona was raided in 795 and again in 802 and 806. The 806 raid killed 68 monks. The repeated Viking attacks on the most sacred site of the Irish-Scottish church forced the Columban community to eventually relocate to Kells in Ireland. These raids destroyed the great Northumbrian-Columban monastic network.

Casualties & Losses

Monks killed; 68 slain in the 806 raid

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Viking Raid on Iona 795

Iona Nunnery
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
Iona, McLean's Cross
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
St Mary's Abbey, Iona, monastic settlement
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 miles
Iona,Cladh an Diseart,chapel
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.6 miles
Tormore Quarry, quarry, spoil heaps, trackways and pier, Fionnphort
Scheduled monument · ~0.9 miles
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