The Danish fleet that would fight at Maldon in 991 first operated off Thanet and east Kent before moving to Ipswich and then Essex. The fleet of 93 ships under Olaf Tryggvason ravaged the coast of east Kent. The Kentish authorities attempted to negotiate but could not halt the raids. The fleet's progress up the Essex coast, culminating at the Blackwater estuary, is traced in the Chronicle and Byrhtnoth's decision to fight at Maldon was a deliberate attempt to halt this progression.
Danish fleet: c. 3,000–5,000 (93–94 ships). East Kent defenders: c. 500–1,500.
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