Battle of Ashingdon
Date 1016 Location Ashingdon Result Decisive Danish victory
Combatants
Denmark	England
Commanders
Canute the Great Thorkell the High Eiríkr Hákonarson	Edmund Ironside Eadric Streona

The Battle of Ashingdon was fought on October 18, 1016, at Assandun, which is now believed to be Ashingdon in SE Essex, England, though the location is still debated. It was a victory for the Danes, led by Canute the Great, who triumphed over the English army led by King Edmund II ('Ironside'). The battle was the climax and triumphant conclusion to the Danish reconquest of England. Image File history File linksMetadata Assandun-sign. ... Events George Tsul, ruler of Khazaria, is captured by a combined Byzantine- Rus force, which effectively ends Khazarias existence. ... Ashington is a village and civil parish in the Rochford district of Essex, England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Canute (or Cnut) I, or Canute the Great (Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Danish: Knud II den Store, Norwegian: Knut den mektige) (994/995 – November 12, 1035) was king of England, Denmark and Norway and governor or overlord of Schleswig and Pomerania. ... Thorkell the High (Old Norse Þorkell hávi) was a Jomsviking, a son of the Scanian chieftain Strutharald and the brother of Sigvald Jarl. ... Erics victory in the battle of Svolder was his most celebrated achievement. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Eadric or Edric Streona (died 1017) was an ealdorman of the Mercians. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... Events George Tsul, ruler of Khazaria, is captured by a combined Byzantine- Rus force, which effectively ends Khazarias existence. ... Ashington is a village and civil parish in the Rochford district of Essex, England. ... Essex is a county in the East of England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Canute (or Cnut) I, or Canute the Great (Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Danish: Knud II den Store, Norwegian: Knut den mektige) (994/995 – November 12, 1035) was king of England, Denmark and Norway and governor or overlord of Schleswig and Pomerania. ... Edmund II or Eadmund II (c. ...

Canute had besieged London with major support from the English nobility against the Saxon hierarchy; particularly the Southampton nobles. The siege was in response to Edmund's reconquest of recently Danish-occupied Wessex, as well as conducting various indecisive offensives against Canute's army. London had withstood the siege and Edmund repulsed the raid-minded Danes, but needed troops following a successful attack against the Danes in Mercia. London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Saxon may refer to: The Saxon people The Anglo-Saxon people Saxon language: Anglo-Saxon language (the ancestor language of English) Lower Saxon language (a variety of Low German) Old Saxon language (the ancestor language of Anglo-Saxon language) Upper Saxon dialect (a variety of High German) An inhabitant of... Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... Map of the British Isles circa 802 Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. ... The general location of Mercia, along with the other peoples of Britain around the year 600. ...

Leaving London, Edmund risked travelling into the countryside, dominated by enemies and at risk of being attacked by superior viking soldiers. Canute's intelligence became aware of Edmund's movements, and whilst marching through Essex, Edmund's army was intercepted by Canute. The surprise interception overwhelmed the English, causing some of them to desert, and the Danes poured on the English, decisively slaughtering much of the nobility. However, a minority of pro-English primary sources claim that the Danes were losing ground, and that Eadric (the traitor) was not a coward, but had previously made a deal with Canute to desert the other English forces. Nevertheless, the majority of sources believe it was a great, proper victory of Canute. Edmund survived. Essex is a county in the East of England. ...

Following his defeat King Edmund II was forced to sign a treaty with Canute in which all of England except for Wessex would be controlled by Canute, and when one of the kings should die, the other king would take all of England; his sons being the heir to the throne. After Edmund's death (possibly murder) on 30 November, Canute ruled the whole kingdom. November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ...

A few years later saw the construction of St. Andrews memorial church in 1020 on the hill of the site of the Battle in Ashingdon, which still stands to this day. The church was founded after Canute's succession to the throne in 1020. Events Hospice built in Jerusalem by Knights Hospitaller City of Saint-Germain-en-Laye founded Third Italian campaign of Henry II of Germany Canute the Great codifies the laws of England Births Harold II of England (approximate) Empress Agnes of Poitou, regent of the Holy Roman Empire (d. ...

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has a brief account of the battle. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals narrating the history of the English and their settlement in Britain. ...

When the king learned that the enemy army had gone inland, for the fifth time he collected all the English nation, and pursued them and overtook them in Essex at the hill which is called Ashingdon, and they stoutly joined battle there. Then Ealdorman Eadric did as he had often done before, he was the first to start the fight with the Magonsæte [i.e. of Herefordshire], and thus betrayed his liege lord and all the people of England. There Cnut had the victory and won for himself all the English people. There was Bishop Eadnoth killed, and Abbot Wulfsige, and Ealdorman Ælfric, and Godwine, the ealdorman of Lindsey, and Ulfcetel of East Anglia, and Æthelweard, son of Ealdorman Æthelwine, and all the nobility of England was there destroyed.[1]

The battle is also mentioned briefly in Knýtlinga saga which quotes a verse of skaldic poetry by Óttarr svarti, one of Canute's court poets. Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Eadric or Edric Streona (died 1017) was an ealdorman of the Mercians. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ... Knýtlinga saga (the saga of Canutes descendants) is one of the kings sagas. ... Skaldic poetry (Icelandic: dróttkvæði, court poetry) is Old Norse poetry composed by known skalds, as opposed to the anonymous Eddaic poetry. ... Óttarr svarti (The Black) was an 11th century Icelandic skald. ...

King Knut fought the third battle, a major one, against the sons of Æthelred at a place called Ashington, north of the Danes' Woods. In the words of Ottar: At Ashington, you worked well in the shield-war, warrior-king; brown was the, flesh of bodies served to the blood-bird: in the slaughter, you won, sire, with your sword enough of a name there, north of the Danes' Woods.[2]

The most detailed account of the battle is in Encomium Emmae. Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ... Queen Emma of Normandy receiving the Encomium Emmae, with her sons Harthacanute and Edward the Confessor in the background. ...