Battlefields›Assassination of Æthelred I of Northumbria at Corbridge, 796

Early Medieval

Assassination of Æthelred I of Northumbria at Corbridge, 796

796

England

Era

Early Medieval

Battle Type

ambush

Location

England

Status

Unregistered

The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated

Æthelred I of Northumbria

Victor

Northumbrian noble conspirators (ealdormen Ealdred and Wada)

Outcome

Æthelred I murdered at Corbridge on 18 April 796; Osbald became king but abdicated within 27 days, deepening Northumbrian dynastic instability.

The Battle

History & Significance

Assassination of Æthelred I of Northumbria at Corbridge, 796 was an early medieval ambush, fought in England in 796. Northumbrian noble conspirators (ealdormen Ealdred and Wada) prevailed over Æthelred I of Northumbria. Æthelred I murdered at Corbridge on 18 April 796; Osbald became king but abdicated within 27 days, deepening Northumbrian dynastic instability.

Confirmed battlefield location

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Assassination of Æthelred I of Northumbria at Corbridge, 796 lies on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

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Monuments

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Roman Britain

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Domesday

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Civil War

The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.

Geology

The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.

LiDAR

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Local Names

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Historical Maps

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Literature

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Legal

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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Assassination of Æthelred I of Northumbria at Corbridge, 796

Vicar's pele tower

Scheduled monument · ~0.2 mi

Vicar's pele tower is a late medieval defensive structure located in Northumberland, England. The tower dates from the fourteenth or fifteenth century and represents the class of fortified dwellings constructed throughout the Anglo-Scottish border region during the period of cross-border conflict…

RHaworth / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Corbridge Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~0.3 mi

Corbridge Bridge is a Roman bridge crossing the River Tyne at Corbridge in Northumberland, dating to the second century AD. The bridge formed part of the Roman road network serving the important fort at Corbridge (Corstopitum), which occupied a strategic position on the Stanegate frontier during…

Dennis Lovett / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Walker's Pottery

Scheduled monument · ~0.4 mi

Walker's Pottery is a pottery production site located in Northumberland, England, dating to the Romano-British period. The site represents evidence of ceramic manufacture during the Roman occupation of Britain, with archaeological deposits and kiln remains indicating local pottery production. The…

Benjamin Shaw / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Corbridge (Corstopitum) Roman station

Scheduled monument · ~0.6 mi

Corbridge (Corstopitum) is a Roman auxiliary fort and settlement situated on the Tyne valley in Northumberland, strategically positioned on the Stanegate road that linked the military installations of Roman Britain. Established in the late first century AD as part of the northern frontier defence…

Mike Quinn / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Dilston Castle

Scheduled monument · ~1.2 mi

Dilston Castle is a late medieval fortified tower house located near Corbridge in Northumberland, dating from the fifteenth century. The structure comprises a substantial stone keep with associated domestic ranges, built by the Radcliffe family as a stronghold in the North East. The castle was no…

Peter Brooks / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Dilston Chapel

Scheduled monument · ~1.2 mi

Dilston Chapel is a Roman Catholic chapel built in the late 17th century, constructed around 1628 and substantially rebuilt after 1753 following the aftermath of the 1715 Jacobite Rising. Located near Corbridge in Northumberland, the chapel serves as a rare surviving example of Catholic worship s…

Phil Thirkell / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Three temporary camps at Farnley Grange

Scheduled monument · ~1 miles

Halton medieval settlement

Scheduled monument · ~2.1 miles

Other Early Medieval Battles

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Battle of Crayford (457)

Anglian Assault on Roman York (c.450-500 AD)

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In the same landscape

Battles near Assassination of Æthelred I of Northumbria at Corbridge, 796

Battle of Corbridge (918)

918

~0.1 miles away

Skirmish at Corbridge

1464

~0.1 miles away

Corbridge Fort Sacked 196 AD

196

~0.2 miles away

Battle of Corbridge (first)

914

~0.7 miles away

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