The Battle of Maldon

In August 991, an English army was defeated in battle by a Viking force at Maldon on the Essex coast. The battle was commemorated by an epic poem, which was probably intended as a stinging rebuke to the corruption and ineffectiveness of King Ethelred ‘the Unready’, a king whose rule would be infamous. Central to the drama of the poem is Earl Byrhtnoth, commander of the English army, and his defeat would mark a turning point in English history. In this talk, Tim will be using the poem as a vehicle to explore the context of the battle, as well as the bitter struggle itself and the ramifications of the defeat for Anglo-Scandinavian England.

Cover Image Attribution: Peter Nicolai Arbo, The Battle of Stamford Bridge (1870)