BattlefieldsBattle of Hereford 760
Early Medieval

Battle of Hereford 760

760
Herefordshire, England
Also known as: Aethelbald of Mercia vs Welsh 760
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Herefordshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Mercia
Forces
Mercia: c. 1,500–3,000 per side; border conflict.
VS
Victor
Wales (Gwent and Powys)
Forces
Welsh (Gwent/Powys)
Outcome
Welsh victory near Hereford; Mercian frontier force repelled
The Battle

History & Significance

The Welsh annals record a battle near Hereford in 760 in which the Welsh defeated a Mercian force. This took place in the generation before Offa built his famous dyke. The repeated Welsh successes in border fighting in this period suggest the border was genuinely contested and not simply held by Mercia. Offa Dyke, begun c.784, was as much a result of Welsh military pressure as of Mercian strength.

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