The battle of Ringmere and warfare in the administrative landscape of England’s late Viking Age

Abstract

Over the course of the last decade, the study of early medieval warfare has moved from a narrow focus on location and description towards a more sophisticated appreciation of the relationship between place, action, memory and the written word. This paper takes as its focus the battle of Ringmere – fought in East Anglia by forces led by the East Anglian ealdorman Ulfcetel, and an invading Viking army led by a number of major Scandinavian figures – in 1010. I begin with an introduction to the sources and background to the battle and attempt to (re)establish its most likely location. The paper then considers the administrative landscape in which the battle was situated, and the symbolic and conceptual aspects of the physical environment and toponymy. Finally, I place the battle and the themes it raises in the context of the wider landscape of early medieval conflict in Britain.

The Medieval Seminar Series is sponsored by the World Archaeology Section at the UCL Institute of Archaeology and the British Museum. 

• The programme for the 2023-24 Institute of Archaeology/British Museum Medieval Seminar Series is available here»

Seminar Series Convenors:

• Sue Brunning (British Museum)
• Andrew Reynolds (Institute of Archaeology)

Meetings Secretary:

• Iain MacDonald (Institute of Archaeology)