Battle of Corbridge

The Battle of Corbridge took place at Corbridge in 918. It was important in deciding the fate of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria and the English earldom of Bamburgh. The battle was fought between Ragnall ua Ímair and Constantín mac Áeda, King of Scotland.

The Annals of Ulster informs us that the Norse army divided itself into four columns, in one of which may have been Ottir Iarla, a long-time ally of Ragnall. The Scots destroyed the first three but were ambushed by the last, commanded by Ragnall himself, which had remained hidden behind a hill. The Scots managed to escape without disaster, however. The Historia de Sancto Cuthberto adds that the English fought alongside the Norse, though it ignores the presence of the Scots. It seems that it was an indecisive engagement.

In 919, Ragnall descended on York. He took the city and had himself proclaimed king. The Bernicians remained under him, though Ealdred and Domnall I, king of Strathclyde, did homage to the king of England.

Sources

• Annals of Ulster, ed. & tr.
• Also JSTOR.
• Stenton, Sir Frank M. Anglo-Saxon England Third Edition. Oxford University Press, 1971.