BattlefieldsNorse Attack on St Davids 878
Early Medieval

Norse Attack on St Davids 878

878
Pembrokeshire, Wales
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Pembrokeshire, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
St Davids monastic community
Forces
St Davids monastic community and local Welsh defenders
VS
Victor
Dublin Norse raiders
Forces
Dublin Norse raiders
Outcome
St Davids plundered; bishop survived; monastic community disrupted
The Battle

History & Significance

St Davids cathedral was attacked and partially plundered in 878, the same year Rhodri Mawr was killed fighting the Mercians. The Norse exploited the political chaos following Rhodri death to strike at the most prestigious religious site in Wales. The raid was part of a sustained Norse campaign against the Pembrokeshire and south-west Welsh coast that would recur throughout the ninth and tenth centuries.

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