Ellandun was the site of the Battle of Ellandun between Egbert of Wessex

Egbert of Wessex

Egbert was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent...

 and Beornwulf of Mercia

Beornwulf of Mercia

Beornwulf was King of Mercia from 823 to 825. His short reign saw the collapse of the Mercia's supremacy over the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy....

 in 825

825

Year 825 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Egbert of Wessex defeats Beornwulf of Mercia at Ellandun. Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Essex submit to Wessex and East Anglia acknowledges Egbert as overlord.* Emperor Louis the Pious of the Franks wars against the Wends...

. Sir Frank Stenton described it as "One of the most decisive battles of English history", effectively ending the Mercian supremacy

Mercian Supremacy

The Mercian Supremacy is a term commonly used to describe that period of English history between AD 600 and 900, in which the Kingdom of Mercia dominated the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy...

 over the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...

 Heptarchy

Heptarchy

The Heptarchy is a collective name applied to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of south, east, and central Great Britain during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, conventionally identified as seven: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex...

. Egbert emerged victorious and became the eighth Bretwalda

Bretwalda

Bretwalda is an Old English word, the first record of which comes from the late 9th century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. It is given to some of the rulers of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from the 5th century onwards who had achieved overlordship of some or all of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms...

 and the first Anglo-Saxon king to be styled "ruler over all England".

Background

The rivalry between Wessex and Mercia had been well established. For more than fifty years Wessex had suffered under weak kings, dominated by Mercia to such an extent that commentators describe Wessex as no more than an outlying province.

King Beornwulf came to power in Mercia by capitalising on the atypical weakness of his predecessor. Keen to re-establish Mercian superiority he called for allies and set about raising an army with which to confront Wessex and extract territorial gain from it. Beornwulf, although the aggressor in this campaign, had not attempted to attack in Egbert's absence. There may be two reasons for this. Firstly, that Beornwulf was aware of the superior military strength of Wessex and was unwilling to attack even in Egbert's absence. Secondly, that Beornwulf was waiting for reinforcements before he committed his forces to battle.

King Egbert of Wessex was building military power to reinforce his rule and expand his territory. Having campaigned in Cornwall, he returned home to his kingdom aware that Mercia was threatening his northern border.

Accounts of the Battle

The details of the battle are not well known. The Winchester Chronicles suggest that an official challenge had been agreed between the two leaders.

From the Anglo Saxon Chronicle

And in the same year Egbert, King of Wessex and Beornwulf, King of Mercia fought at Ellandune, and Egbert was victorious, and great slaughter was made there.

From Henry of Huntingdon

The Brook of Ellandune was red with gore; it was choked with the slain, and became foul with carnage.

From the Annales de Wintonia (Winchester Chronicles)

Beornwulf, king of the Mercians, deriding the ability of king Ecgbert, and believing that his experience was worth more than Ecgbert's, wanted to play him at the game of war. He invited and provoked the latter's army to battle in order to make him pay homage. Ecgbert consulted his noblemen, and the choice was made to drive off shame with the sword. It was more honourable to be slain than to submit their freedom to the yoke. The battle took place in the summer season at Ellandun, now in the manor of the Priory of Winchester. The kings came together to fight with unequal forces, both in number and quality. Against each hundred soldiers of Ecbert, who were pale and thin, Beornwulf had a thousand, ruddy and well fed, as behoves soldiers of St Mary. They clashed together valiantly, each man giving his best. The Mercians were put to the sword without mercy, but as much as they were conquered, so they excelled themselves with valour, and threw themselves back into the conflict regardless of the danger. They fell more copiously than hailstones, with more of them overcome from sweating than the battle. The ground was covered with the bodies of men and horses. Beornwulf himself, no longer king of Mercia but the Moribunds, lest he shared the fate of his soldiers, sought flight for himself, and he would not have wished to lose his spurs for three ha'pence.

Location

Ellandun is thought to be south of Swindon

Swindon

Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...

, Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

 but the exact site is not known. Wroughton

Wroughton

Wroughton is a large village in Wiltshire, England. It is part of the Borough of Swindon and is south of Swindon.-History:The earliest evidence of human presence in the area is from the Mesolithic period, although this is fairly limited...

 was suggested by Charles Oman

Charles Oman

Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman was a British military historian of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering...

, based on geographical information and contemporary boundaries. Lydiard Tregoze

Lydiard Tregoze

Lydiard Tregoze is a small village and civil parish on the western edge of Swindon in the County of Wiltshire, in the south west of England. It has in the past been spelt as Liddiard Tregooze and in other ways.-History:...

, just west of Swindon, has been suggested by A. H. Burne based on tales of fighting on Windmill Hill nearby. T. Spicer has suggested the battle took place on the grounds of what is now Lydiard Park, Swindon

Swindon

Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...

.