The Viking Great Army

This is the name given to the Viking force under Halfdan and Ivar that was in England between 865 and 879 (the name comes from the fact that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles for 865 refer to 'a great heathen army' appearing. Between 865 and 874 this army operated as a single force, and then split in two for the period 874 to 879. The split was between the followers of Guthrum who wished to push for more gains, and those of Halfdan who were content with their conquests to date. By this stage Ivar had left to go to Ireland.

The army initially appeared in East Anglia and this Saxon Kingdom supplied the army with horses in order to buy peace with them. The army spent the winter of 865-66 at Thetford and then marched north to capture York in November 866. This proved easy as the kingdom of Northumbria was involved in a civil war and so the city was undefended. The Nothumbrians united and tried to recapture York the following year but failed, thus signalling the end of the Northumbrian kingdom and the start of a Viking kingdom in its place with York as its capital.

The Great Army moved into Mercia in 868 and overwintered at Nottingham. Here they were besieged by a joint force from the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex (the only time that two Saxon kingdoms combined in this manner). At the end of the siege Mercia sued for peace and the Great Army withdrew to York in 869 and spent the following winter there.

In 870 the Great Army returned to East Anglia and defeated the Anglians at the battle of Hoxne, killing King Edmund and taking control of the kingdom. They spent the winter in Thetford.

In 871 the Great Army invaded Wessex where they fought a series of battles in quick succession against the Wessex army, at the end of which the Vikings withdrew to Reading. The battles were fought at Englefield (Wessex victory), four days later at Reading (Viking), four days later at Ashdown (Wessex), two weeks later at Basing (Viking), two months later at Maeredun (location unknown, Vikings), and finally at Wilton (Viking). Beside these battles there were at least 9 smaller skirmishes. At the end of the year Wessex made peace with the invaders.

In 872 the invaders moved from Reading to London where they took winter quarters. At this stage the Mercians made peace with them for a second time.

In 873 the Great Army returned to Nothumbria where they took winter quarters at Torksey (where the Mercians made peace again).

In 874 the Vikings moved to Repton where they established a camp. The Mercian king, Burhred, was forced to flee to Rome, to be replaced by a puppet regime headed by Ceolwulf. Following this winter the army split.