Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Maldon

Battle of Maldon was a battle fought on 10 August AD 991 at Maldon, in what is now United Kingdom. It was part of human history. The recorded result: Viking victory. Recorded strength: Unknown against 2,000–4,000 men.

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Alfred Pearseː Battle of Maldon in 991 (Hutchinson's Story of the British Nation, 1922)
Alfred Pearseː Battle of Maldon in 991 (Hutchinson's Story of the British Nation, 1922). Alfred Pearse, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought10 August AD 991
WhereMaldon, United Kingdom51.715N, 0.701E
OutcomeViking victory
BelligerentsEnglandagainstVikings
Casualties and lossesUnknownandUnknown
Battlefield todayBattle of Maldon battlefieldHistoric England entry 1000019, 42 ha
Part ofhuman historyViking activity in the British Isles

Where it sits in human history

First Viking attack on England, AD 780Battle of York, AD 867Battle of Englefield, AD 870Battle of Reading, AD 871Battle of Ashdown, AD 871Battle of Basing, AD 871Battle of Marton, AD 871Battle of Chippenham, AD 877Battle of Cynwit, AD 878Battle of Edington, AD 878Battle of Buttington, AD 893Battle of Stamford (894), AD 894Battle of Tettenhall, AD 910Battle of Tempsford, AD 917Battle of Derby, AD 917Battle of Corbridge, AD 918Battle of Stamford, AD 918Battle of Brunanburh, AD 937Battle of Stainmore, AD 954Battle of Maldon, AD 991Cnut the Great's invasion of England, 1016Battle of Brentford, 1016Battle of Sherston, 1016Battle of Assandun, 1016Battle of Fulford, 1066Battle of Stamford Bridge, 1066Battle of Danes Moor, 1469November 1932 Geneva shooting, 1932Battle of Geel, 19441983 Invasion of Grenada, 19831983 Grenada mental hospital bombing, 1983AD 7801983Battle of Maldon, AD 991
31 placed engagements of human history in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date10 August AD 991
PlaceMaldon, United Kingdom
51.715N, 0.701E
KindBattle, medieval
StrengthUnknown2,000–4,000 men
Casualties and lossesUnknownUnknown
Commanders
  • Byrhtnoth
  • Olaf Tryggvason
Battle of MaldonBattle of Maldon5 km51.715N, 0.701E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the registered battlefield area (Historic England). Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Maldon
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Maldon today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-04-07. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 3 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -4 to 72 m, 76 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 40% cropland, 20% grassland, 16% water.

cropland: 40%grassland: 20%water: 16%tree cover: 10%built-up: 10%wetland: 4%cropland 40%grassland 20%water 16%tree cover 10%built-up 10%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 51 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 25 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Historic England registers this as the Battle of Maldon battlefield (entry 1000019), 42 hectares, under the Open Government Licence.

Battle of Maldon is one of 186 engagements of the 10th century in the atlas and one of 753 in present-day United Kingdom.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1442050, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Maldon, revision 1370268885, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from Historic England (Open Government Licence). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.