Aethelfrith of Shaftesbury (842-878) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman from Dorset who led a failed rebellion against King Alfred the Great in 878, culminating in his defeat and death at the Battle of Sceaftesburg.
Biography[]
Aethelfrith was born in Dorset, England in 842, coming from a family of Anglo-Saxon minor nobles. Aethelfrith led a rebellion against Alfred the Great in Dorset in 878, gathering 300 peasants to his cause. King Alfred the Great set out to crush the uprising before moving against his Viking opponents, and he engaged Aethelfrith's army at the Battle of Sceaftesburg. Aethelfrith and his bodyguard unit were surrounded and slaughtered by the West Saxon forces, and Aethelfrith's death led to the collapse of his uprising.
Gallery[]
Aethelfrith in battle