Battle of Wilton 871
Who Fought
West Saxons under Alfred the Great versus the Great Heathen Army (Danes)
History & Significance
Year 871 (DCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.
January 4 – Battle of Reading: A West Saxon force, under the command of King Æthelred I and his brother Alfred, is defeated by the Danes at Reading. Among the many dead on both sides is Æthelwulf. The Saxon troops are forced to retreat, allowing the Vikings to continue their advance into Wessex.
January 8 – Battle of Ashdown: The West Saxons, led by Æthelred I and Alfred, gather at the Berkshire Downs. The Danes under the command of Halfdan and Bagsecg occupy the high ground, but are successfully attacked by Alfred's men. During the battle Alfred breaches the shield wall formation.
January 22 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxon army, under the command of Æthelred I, is defeated at Basing. The Danes, led by Halfdan, are victorious; Æthelred is forced to flee and regroup, leaving behind precious winter supplies.
March 22 – Battle of Meretum: The West Saxons, led by Æthelred I and Alfred, are defeated by the Danes. Among the many dead is Heahmund, bishop of Salisbury.
May – Battle of Wilton: Alfred the Great is defeated by the Danes at Wilton (along the southern side of the River Wylye), leaving him in retreat for several years.
February 2 – Franco-Lombard forces, aided by a Croatian fleet (of Sclaveni), led by Emperor Louis II, capture Bari, capital of the Emirate of Bari in Southern Italy.
April 23 – Alfred succeeds as king of Wessex after Æthelred's death. He makes peace with the Danes, and pays them Danegeld, each ruling parts of England.
Alfred makes Winchester his residence. The Danish armies colonize areas of north, central and eastern England, which become known as the Danelaw.
The Danes sail down the River Thames, to raid the Mercian port of Lundenwic (in the London area). Here, over the winter, they divide their spoils.
King Rhodri Mawr ("the Great") of Gwynedd annexes Seisyllwg, uniting most of Wales under his rule (approximate date).
Tønsberg, the oldest surviving town in the Nordic countries, is founded.
September – Battle of Basra: Zanj rebels in Mesopotamia sack and capture Basra (see Zanj Rebellion).
The Cairo Genizah, a collection of Jewish manuscript fragments, is written (approximate date).
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Madhara'i, Tulunid vizier (d. 957)
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of Wilton 871 lies on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.
The Battle of Wilton in May 871 saw the newly ascendant Alfred the Great suffer a defeat at the hands of the Danes along the southern bank of the River Wylye, forcing him into a retreat that would last for several years and compelling him ultimately to seek peace with the Great Heathen Army through the payment of Danegeld.
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