Battles of the Dark Ages: British Battlefields AD 410 to 1065

COVER......Page 1
CONTENTS......Page 5
LIST OF  MAPS......Page 6
How Many Dark Age Battles Were There?......Page 13
Major kingdoms of Britain during the Dark Ages......Page 16
Major towns and roads in the Dark Ages......Page 25
The strategic triangle, 496-577......Page 49
Alternative reconstructions of the Battle of Deorham by Burne (right) and Smurthwaite (left)......Page 50
Degastan as imagined by Guy Halsall......Page 78
Alternative reconstructions of the Battle of Dunnichen......Page 100
Battle of Ellandun as imagined by Guy Halsall......Page 109
Sketchmap of battlefield of Ellandun (after Spicer, 2001)......Page 112
The Battle of Ashdown......Page 126
Locating the Battle......Page 150
The Battle of Maldon 991......Page 162
Battle of Assingdun 1016 (conjectural)......Page 185
PREFACE......Page 7
A note on Anglo-Saxon names......Page 9
The Dark Ages......Page 12
Dark Age Weapons and Armour......Page 17
Battle Tactics......Page 22
Did Dark Age Armies Fight on Horseback?......Page 26
The Fate of Defeated Opponents......Page 28
Battlefield Archaeology......Page 32
Visiting Dark Age Battlefields......Page 33
THE SAXON CONQUEST OF ENGLAND......Page 36
The Conquest of Kent......Page 38
The Alleluia Battle......Page 41
The Conquests of Aelle, Port and Cerdic......Page 43
The Road to Deorham......Page 46
What Happened at Badon?......Page 55
Dating Mount Badon......Page 59
Arthur's Twelve Victories......Page 65
The Strife at Camlann......Page 66
THE BATTLES FOR NORTHERN ENGLAND......Page 70
The Battle at Catraeth......Page 72
The Battle of Degsastan......Page 75
Massacre at Chester......Page 77
Good King Edwin......Page 79
The Heavenly Field......Page 82
Oswald's Tree......Page 86
Showdown at Winwaed......Page 88
Background......Page 92
The Name of the Battle......Page 94
The Road to Dunnichen......Page 96
The Battle......Page 97
After the Battle......Page 102
The Battlefield......Page 104
KING ECBERT AND THE VIKINGS......Page 106
The Battle of Ellandun......Page 107
The First Viking Raids......Page 114
The Viking Onslaught......Page 115
The End of the Kingdom of East Anglia......Page 120
THE BATTLES OF KING ALFRED......Page 123
Prelude at Englefield......Page 125
Stalemate after Ashdown......Page 133
From Disaster to Triumph: The Road to Ethandun......Page 134
Edington Today......Page 140
Background......Page 143
The Sources......Page 145
Background......Page 158
The Site of the Battle......Page 161
The Battle......Page 164
Maldon Today......Page 169
After the Battle......Page 170
CALAMITY UNDER AETHELRED......Page 172
The Battle of Ringmere......Page 177
Edmund Ironside......Page 180
The Battle of Assingdun......Page 184
The Site of Assingdun......Page 188
GAZETEER OF DARK AGE BATTLES 410--1065......Page 193
NOTES......Page 204
REFERENCES......Page 212
INDEX......Page 216