BattlefieldsNorse Raid on Whitby Monastery 867
Early Medieval

Norse Raid on Whitby Monastery 867

867
North Yorkshire, England
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
North Yorkshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Whitby monastery
Forces
Whitby monastic garrison c. 50–100.
VS
Victor
Norse raiders
Forces
Norse raiders c. 200–400
Outcome
Whitby monastery raided; monastic life effectively ended; monastery not re-established until the Norman period
The Battle

History & Significance

The Danish seizure of York in 866-867 was accompanied by raids along the Yorkshire coast. Whitby (Streoneshalh), the monastery associated with the Synod of 664 and the great abbess Hilda, was attacked by Norse raiders entering via the Esk estuary. The monastery had already declined but Viking raids of the late 860s effectively ended monastic life there for over a century.

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