BattlefieldsBattle of Heavenfield
Early Medieval

Battle of Heavenfield

634
Northumberland, England
Also known as: Battle of Hefenfelth
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Northumberland, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Cadwallon of Gwynedd
Forces
Cadwallon of Gwynedd; Cadwallon killed
VS
Victor
Oswald of Northumbria
Forces
c.2,000-4,000 Northumbrians (Oswald)
Outcome
Cadwallon slain; Northumbria reunited under Oswald
The Battle

History & Significance

Near Hadrian's Wall north of Hexham, Oswald defeated and killed Cadwallon, the Welsh king who had ravaged Northumbria after Hatfield Chase. Before the battle Oswald erected a wooden cross and prayed, making it one of the first explicitly Christian acts of war in English history. Bede treated Heavenfield as a miracle and a turning point for Northumbrian Christianity.

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