Coordinates: 51°16′13″N 1°02′50″W / 51.2704°N 1.0473°W
| Battle of Basing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Viking invasion | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Anglo-Saxons | Danish Vikings | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Ethelred of Wessex | |||||||
The Battle of Basing was a battle on 22 January 871 at Old Basing in what is now the English county of Hampshire. It was one of a series of battles that took place following an invasion of the then kingdom of Wessex by an army of Danes. Both battle and campaign are described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.[1][2][3]
The Danes had established a camp at Reading, and the previous battles of Englefield, Reading and Ashdown had proved indecisive, with victories to both sides.[1][2]
Two weeks after the Saxon victory at Ashdown, the armies met again at Basing. The Saxon army, led by King Ethelred, was beaten by the Danes. But just like its predecessors, this battle was indecisive, and it was followed just over a month later by the Battle of Marton, where the Saxons prevailed. In April Ethelred died, to be succeeded by Alfred the Great, and much of King Alfred's 28-year reign was taken up with the Danish conflict.[1][3]
References
- ^ a b c Phillips, Daphne (1980). The Story of Reading. Countryside Books. pp. 14–15. ISBN 0-905392-07-8.
- ^ a b Ford, David Nash. "Viking invasion of Reading". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. http://www.berkshirehistory.com/articles/reading_vikings.html. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ^ a b "Historical Events for Year 871". HistoryOrb.com. http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/871. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
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