BattlefieldsHalfdan Ravages Northumbria and Partitions Land 875
Early Medieval

Halfdan Ravages Northumbria and Partitions Land 875

875
County Durham, England
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
County Durham, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Northumbrian population
Forces
dispersed Northumbrian population.
VS
Victor
Great Heathen Army
Forces
c. 2,500–3,500 Halfdan's Great Army division
Outcome
Northumbria systematically ravaged; land partitioned and allocated to Danish warriors for farming; first large Scandinavian agricultural settlement in England established
The Battle

History & Significance

Halfdan Ragnarsson led the northern division of the Great Army back to Northumbria and ravaged across the Tyne and Wear regions and harried the Picts. The Chronicle records him as the first Danish king to share out Northumbria and set his men to ploughing. This partition created the Norse-English mixed culture that would characterise Northumbria for a century.

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