The Battle of Alclyt was a battle of the Viking invasions of England which occurred in 879 AD when the Danes of Northymbre defeated an invading Anglo-Saxon army led by the Northumbrian general Onna near present-day Bishop Auckland.
Background[]
In 878 AD, the ambitious King Ecgberht II of Northumbria intrigued against the Danish king Guthred, persuading King Wulfsige of Westmoringas to join him in a two-pronged assault on Danish-ruled Northymbre from Northumberland in the north and Cumberland in the west. However, the Danes defeated the Westmorlander army at the Battle of Hripum in the winter of 878. Meanwhile, the Saxon general Onna invaded Danish Northumbria, bypassing Dunholm (Durham) and crossing the River Wear at Neville's Cross. King Guthred moved his army to confront Onna's invading force, which, by the spring of 879 AD, marched to the outskirts of Alclyt (Bishop Auckland). The Danes caught up with the Saxon army near Alclyt, where the two armies met in battle, leading to a state of open war between the Danes and Northumbrian Saxons.
Battle[]
The two armies met in thick woodland, leading to confused combat when the Danes charged into battle with the Northumbrians. However, the Danes were able to outflank the Northumbrians after Guthred's experienced companions fought their way through the Saxon peasants and attacked the Saxon rear. The Danish cavalry was annihilated during the battle, but the Danes ultimately succeeded in surrounding and destroying the Saxon army, with Onna falling in battle. As a result of the destruction of Onna's army, King Ecgberht and his army embarked on ships at Bebbanburg and sailed south with the objective of invading Northymbre by sea.
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