BattlefieldsDanish Occupation of Lincoln
Early Medieval

Danish Occupation of Lincoln

874
Lincolnshire, England
Also known as: Danish Five Boroughs — Lincoln · Vikings at Lindkyllne
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Lincolnshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Mercia / Northumbria border area
Forces
c. 700–1,200 Lincoln garrison.
VS
Victor
Danes (Great Heathen Army)
Forces
c. 2,500–3,500 Danish force
Outcome
Lincoln established as major Danish borough; Danelaw northern anchor
The Battle

History & Significance

Lincoln was one of the most important of the Danish Five Boroughs, serving as the northern anchor of the Danelaw in the East Midlands. The Danes found an already-impressive Roman city with massive walls and infrastructure. Lincoln's Scandinavian character was so strong that the Danelaw legal district here was sometimes called 'Lindsey' after the pre-Viking kingdom. Place-names around Lincoln show dense Scandinavian settlement. The town only returned to English control under Edward the Elder around 920.

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