Results for Battle of Degsastan
On this page:
 
British History:

battle of Degsastan

Degsastan, battle of, 603. This was apparently a severe defeat for Ædan, king of Dalriada, at the hands of Æthelfryth of Northumbria. The site of the battle is probably Dawston Rigg in Liddesdale.

 
 
Wikipedia: Battle of Degsastan


Battle of Degsastan
Date 603
Location Unknown
Result Bernician victory
Combatants
Bernicians Dál Riatans
Commanders
Æthelfrith of Bernicia Áedán mac Gabráin

The Battle of Degsastan was fought c. 603 between king Æthelfrith of Bernicia and the Gaels under Áedán mac Gabráin, king of Dál Riada. Æthelfrith carried the day, winning a decisive victory, although his brother Theodbald was killed. We know almost nothing else about the battle, not even where "Degsastan" was supposed to be. Some suspect it was Dawstane in Liddesdale.

According to Bede's account in his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (Book I, chapter 34), Æthelfrith had won many victories against the Britons and was expanding his power and territory, and this concerned Áedán, who led "an immense and mighty army" against Æthelfrith. Although Æthelfrith had the smaller army, Bede reports that almost all of Áedán's army was slain, and Áedán himself fled. After this defeat, according to Bede, the Irish kings in Britain would not make war against the English again, right up to Bede's own time (130 years later).

Áedán's army included the Bernician exile Hering, son of the former Bernician king Hussa; his participation is mentioned by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (manuscript E, year 603), and may indicate dynastic rivalry among the Bernicians. Áedán's army also included the Cenél nEógain prince Máel Umai mac Báetáin, who is said by Irish sources to have slain Eanfrith, brother of Æthelfrith.

Áedán survived as King of Dál Riata until 608 when he was succeeded by his youngest son Eochaid Buide. Æthelfrith died in battle in 616.


 
 

Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "Battle of Degsastan" at WikiAnswers.

 

Copyrights:

British History. A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Battle of Degsastan" Read more

Search for answers directly from your browser with the FREE Answers.com Toolbar!  
Click here to download now. 

Get Answers your way! Check out all our free tools and products.

On this page:   E-mail   print Print  Link  

 

Keep Reading

Mentioned In: