The Battle of Tettenhall was fought in 910 between the allied Anglo-Saxon armies of Mercia and Wessex (and their Welsh allies from Deheubarth) and the Danelaw Viking army of East Engle. The Viking leader Cnut Longsword and his wife Brida had lured Lord Aethelred of Mercia into invading an undefended East Anglia so that the Viking army could ravage Mercia without resistance, hoping to lure the Anglo-Saxon armies into battle at Tamworth, where they could be fought and defeated on Cnut's terms. However, Lady Aethelflaed of the Mercians rallied the Mercian fyrds at Tamworth without the knowledge of either her husband Aethelred or her brother, King Edward the Elder of Wessex, forcing the two rulers to commit to a decisive battle with the Vikings shortly after. The two armies met at Tettenhall on 5 August 910, and the Anglo-Saxons trapped the Vikings and inflicted heavy casualties, killing many thousands of them, including three kings. It marked the defeat of the last great raiding army from Denmark to ravage England, and it allowed for Wessex and Mercia to focus on fighting the Vikings who had settled further south.
Background[]
The aftermath of the massacre at Wilby
In early 910 AD, the Viking leader Cnut Longsword launched a surprise attack on Mercia while the Mercian lord Aethelred was lured into attacking a defenseless East Anglia, sacking the major city city of Aylesbury and pillaging the surrounding countryside. While Cnut had intended to kill Aethelred at Aylesbury, he miscalculated Aethelred's eagerness to invade the Danelaw, so he decided to continue massacring the Mercians until King Edward the Elder of Wessex, honor-bound to defend his ally of Mercia, would be drawn out to a field battle at Tamworth. However, Edward refused to send aid to Mercia despite the pleas of his Mercian mother Ealhswith and his sister Aethelflaed (wife of Aethelred), arguing that defending Wessex was his priority. Rather than let the Vikings destroy Mercia while Edward waited for Aethelred's army to join forces with his, Aethelflaed decided to ride into Mercia herself and raise the Mercian fyrds. Her mother Ealhswith advised her to assemble her army at a valley in Tettenhall where lesser numbers might stand a chance, and Ealhswith promised to speak to Edward about sending aid once Aethelflaed had left Winchester.
The Mercian camp at King's Lynn
Meanwhile, Aethelred's general Eardwulf took Lincoln from the Danes, and he brought back the Danish warrior Ulf's sword as a gift to Aethelred. Aethelred then promised him that he would lift his family's permanent disgrace if he could conquer all of East Anglia for him, and Aethelred continued to campaign in East Anglia as Mercia burned. Cnut continued to burn villages from Tofeceaster to Fagranford, hoping to exceed the limit of how many Christians would die before Edward would be forced to intervene. In Winchester, Ealhswith was forced to tell Edward that his sister had gone to assemble the fyrds at Tettenhall, forcing Edward's hand. However, his influential father-in-law, Ealdorman Aethelhelm of Wiltshire, advised him that, since Aethelred only had 400 men to protect Mercia, he should wait until Cnut killed Aethelred before moving in to unite the kingdoms. Edward ultimately sent a messenger to warn Aethelred that Cnut had taken Mercia and Aethelred's estate, but Eardwulf had the messenger relay the message to him first. Upon hearing of the news, Eardwulf stabbed the messenger dead, hoping to cover for his own mistakes. His sister Eadith (Aethelred's mistress) witnessed this, and, when she discovered the Viking threat, she forced Eardwulf to tell Aethelred of the news, sleeping with Aethelred before hand with the hope of softening the blow to Eardwulf's honor.
Aethelflaed eventually reached Aylesbury, where she was horrified by the Danish atrocities. After seeing that Creoda and a few other townspeople were sitting in the square, she had the survivors gathered there in order to distribute food to them. A Danish spy witnessed Aethelflaed's arrival, so he reported this to Cnut; Cnut then sent Bjorgulf to capture Aethelflaed and thus weaken the Saxons further. Meanwhile, in Wessex, Ealhswith sent Father Pyrlig, Edward's court chaplain, to ride to King Hywel Dda (his fellow Welshman) and ask him for an army to help fight against the Danes. Pyrlig went to Deheubarth, where he argued that an alliance between the Welsh and the Saxons would prevent the heathens from threatening Wales' borders, and that the Christian kingdoms could work together in a mutually-beneficial alliance. Hywel Dda had Pyrlig promise that all of the spoils of war would go to the Welsh, and he made him swear on the book.
Bjorgulf besieging the church
On the night of Aethelflaed's arrival, her lover Uhtred of Bebbanburg and his company arrived to protect her, and he learned of the situation. He convinced her to assemble the townspeople and leave for Tettenhall at first light the next day, but, the next morning, she and the other townspeople instead lingered to bless the bodies of the noble children whom the Danes had beheaded. The Danes then attacked Aylesbury again, killing a few survivors who were shut outside of the church, while the Mercians, the other survivors, and Uhtred's men holed up in the church. Bjorgulf gave the church's occupants Cnut's word that they would not be slaughtered if they would just hand over Aethelflaed, but Uhtred threatened to kill Cnut's captive sons if the Vikings did not leave. When Bjorgulf relented, Uhtred took Cnut Cnutsson out of view and then threw down a headless body, and he threatened to kill the other son if Bjorgulf did not retreat. Bjorgulf and his men then fled, but Uhtred revealed to Esgar Cnutsson that his brother was still alive, and that they had thrown down a Mercian boy's body instead. Uhtred then freed the boys, as they were of no more use to him.
By then, Eardwulf reported to Aethelred that the settlements around Lincoln were still resisting, but should be conquered soon; Aethelred was happy to hear of this progress. However, he then met his sister, who forced him to immediately go to Aethelred, having slept with him the night before. Eardwulf told Aethelred that the settlements around Lincoln had capitulated, but also told him of the news from Edward that Cnut's armies had raided Mercia and taken Aethelred's palace at Aylesbury. Aethelred was infuriated, and, when Eardwulf mentioned in passing that Hastein was his informant, Aethelred exploded into anger, saying that he knew of Hastein, and that everyone knew that he was a liar. He then ordered Eardwulf to order the army to return to his camp immediately, and he told Eardwulf that, on their return to Aylesbury, he would have Eardwulf publicly castrated, his family would remain in shame, and Eardwulf's sister would never leave his bed.
The Danes leaving Tamworth
Aethelred then confronted his mother about sending Pyrlig to Hywel, saying that it made Wessex look weak. He then informed her that it was too late to seek Welsh help, as Aethelflaed's fyrds were already marching. At Tamworth, Cnut began to fortify his camp, preparing for battle. However, when Bjorgulf told him the supposed fate of his eldest son, Cnut killed Bjorgulf in a frenzy and ordered that his army prepare to avenge his son.
The Welsh arriving at Tettenhall
At the same time, the Welsh army from Deheubarth arrived at Tettenhall, joining forces with Aethelflaed and Uhtred's small force. Uhtred decided that it was good ground to defend, although he asked Aethelflaed to pick a trusted man who could kill her if the battle went awry; she chose her lieutenant Aldhelm. Meanwhile, she had her men informed that Edward would soon arrive in order to boost their morale.
Battle[]
The charge at Tettenhall
Cnut and his army stormed out of Tamworth and rode to Tettenhall, where he came face-to-face with Uhtred while leading the advance cavalry. After a face-off with Uhtred, he ordered his men to charge into battle. However, the Viking cavalry rode into a ditch covered with brush by the Mercians, causing them to fall into the pit and be thrown into disarray. Uhtred then had his warriors charge to finish off the unhorsed Vikings. Brida then ordered the main body to charge, but the Welsh charged from the woods on the flanks and attacked the advancing Vikings from the sides.
The pit of dead Vikings at Tettenhall
The Vikings were now attacked on three sides, and their main force was decimated by arrow fire while struggling to pass over the pitfall, which had by now become a mass grave of dead and wounded Vikings. Cnut began to search for Uhtred on the battlefield, cutting through several Mercian and Welsh soldiers. Just then, however, Aethelred and his Mercians arrived, charging downhill to attack the Vikings. King Edward and his bodyguard Steapa then arrived with the West Saxon army, and he personally shot the Viking Jackdaw through the neck with an arrow before he could harm an encircled Aethelflaed. The West Saxon and Mercian reinforcements crashed into the Danes, and, in the ensuing fight, Steapa was killed after saving King Edward, while Aethelred suffered a head wound when he was thrown into the pit by a Viking warrior. Uhtred came across Cnut in the woods, and Cnut and Uhtred ultimately engaged in a wrestling match, during which Uhtred accused Cnut of killing Ragnar, and Cnut said that Ragnar was weak and had to die, while his son was innocent. Brida overheard Cnut's confession, and Uhtred stood Cnut up and let Brida confront him; she then proceeded to run him through with his own sword.
Aftermath[]
Hywel Dda meeting Edward the Elder
Brida and several other Danish warriors were taken prisoner by the Welsh, who proceeded to loot the bodies of the dead Danes and take the riches for themselves. King Edward then introduced himself to King Hywel, and he thanked the Welsh for their contribution to the battle and allowed them to have their reward of taking all of the spoils, celebrating the opportunity to unite the Christian kingdoms in prosperity and security. However, Hywel made it clear that there would be no alliance and no more favors, as he did not need Saxon help.