BattlefieldsViking Attack on Sandwich 993
Early Medieval

Viking Attack on Sandwich 993

993
Kent, England
Also known as: Sandwich 993 Danish raid · Olaf Tryggvason and Swein at Sandwich
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Kent, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Sandwich townspeople
VS
Victor
Viking raiders (Olaf Tryggvason and Swein Forkbeard)
Outcome
Sandwich ravaged; fleet moved on to sack Ipswich and then face Byrhtnoth at Maldon
The Battle

History & Significance

In 993, a Norse fleet under Olaf Tryggvason and possibly Swein Forkbeard attacked Sandwich before moving up the east coast to Ipswich and then south into Essex where they met the English at the Battle of Maldon. The raid was part of the great wave of late-10th-century Danish assaults on England. Olaf later converted to Christianity and became King of Norway; his relationship with Aethelred evolved from raider to treaty partner.

Forces Involved

Norse fleet: c. 2,000–4,000. Sandwich: c. 300–800.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Kent

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near Kent