Battle of Maldon (991 AD)

The year is 991 AD and following years of Viking raids and political intrigue, Byrhtnoth - the Ealdorman of Essex - mustered his local men to make a stand against the present Norse menace that had sacked Folkstone and Ipswich and now coveted the prosperous town of Maldon.
On 11th August, the Norse host led (most likely) by Olaf Tryggvason (future King of Norway) broke camp on their island base of Northey and brazenly shouted across the narrow spit of land connecting to the mainland where Byrhtnoth and his Saxons awaited them.
Olaf's demand for tribute was rejected, though the Anglo-Saxon lord, after initially driving back Olaf's heathens, gladly allowed his foes to deploy on the mainland to decide the day: the battle was about to be joined!
#vikingbattle #anglosaxonperiod #medievalhistory