BattlefieldsAlfred Blocks the River Lea 895
Early Medieval

Alfred Blocks the River Lea 895

895
Hertfordshire, England
Also known as: Alfred Lea River Blockade 895 · Blocking Danish Fleet on the Lea
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Hertfordshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Danes
VS
Victor
Wessex (Alfred)
Outcome
Alfred dammed and diverted the Lea to trap Danish ships; Danes abandoned their fleet and retreated overland
The Battle

History & Significance

Alfred personal campaign on the River Lea in 895 was an act of strategic engineering. The Chronicle records that while overseeing the harvest, Alfred noticed that the river could be made impassable to the Danish ships by building forts on both banks and diverting the water. The Danes, seeing their ships trapped, abandoned them and marched overland to the Severn, where they wintered at Bridgnorth. The captured ships were either sailed to London or broken up. This was Alfred last major field campaign.

Forces Involved

West Saxon royal army under Alfred personally

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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