BattlefieldsViking Raid and Overwintering on Thanet (851 and 855 AD)
Early Medieval

Viking Raid and Overwintering on Thanet (851 and 855 AD)

851
Kent, England
Also known as: Danes overwinter Thanet 851 · Viking base on Thanet
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Kent, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
English (Kent)
Forces
English Kentish forces c. 1,000-2,000.
VS
Victor
Vikings
Forces
Viking force c. 2,000-3,000
Outcome
Vikings used Thanet as winter base for raids into Kent and Thames estuary
The Battle

History & Significance

The Isle of Thanet became a favoured Viking base for overwintering — a pattern established in 851 and repeated in 855. From Thanet, raiding parties struck Canterbury, the Thames estuary towns and the Kentish countryside with impunity. The use of offshore islands as secure bases was a characteristic Viking tactical innovation that the English were slow to counter.

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