
Bagsecg (born: 830-died: 8 January, 871), also known as Bacgsecg, was a
viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and s ...
and a leader of the
Great Army, which invaded England. According to the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of A ...
'', Bagsecg and
Healfdene
Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings w ...
(
Norse
Norse is a demonym for Norsemen, a medieval North Germanic ethnolinguistic group ancestral to modern Scandinavians, defined as speakers of Old Norse from about the 9th to the 13th centuries.
Norse may also refer to:
Culture and religion
* Nor ...
''Hálfdan'') were joint commanders of the
Great Army that invaded the
Kingdom of Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
during the northern winter of 870/71.
The Great Army is recorded as setting up camp at
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and fighting the forces of
Æthelred, King of Wessex, in several engagements during 871. At one of these, the
Battle of Ashdown, Bagsecg and five Viking
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant " chieftain", partic ...
s were killed.
After Bagsecg's death, Healfdene seems to have become the sole leader of the Great Army. He was the principal leader when the vikings overwintered in London in 871/72. In addition, three other viking kings had emerged by 875 (according to the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''); some of these may have been elevated to kingly status as a consequence of Bagsecg's demise.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Bagsecg was erroneously associated with
Wayland's Smithy, a
neolithic long barrow
Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repre ...
in south Oxfordshire. A folk legend arose that the barrow was his tomb or a memorial to Bagsecg. Likewise, other prehistoric sites in south central England, such as the
Seven Barrows, have been erroneously regarded as memorials to those who fell at the Battle of Ashdown.
The Great Army
There is a historical consensus that an invading
viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and s ...
army coalesced in
Anglo-Saxon England, during the 860s. The "A version" of the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of A ...
'' – dating from the 9th or 10th century – describes the invading force as the "'", an
Old English term that can translate as "big army, or "great army".
Contemporary sources make mutually-contradictory claims regarding the origins of the Great Army. The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' usually identifies the Vikings simply as "
Danes
Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural.
Danes generally regard ...
" or "
heathens". The 10th century ''
Vita Alfredi
Vita or VITA (plural vitae) is Latin for "life", and may refer to:
* ''Vita'', the usual start to the title of a biography in Latin, by which (in a known context) the work is often referred to; frequently of a saint, then called hagiography
* Vita ...
'' seems to allege that the invaders came specifically from
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
. However, a more general
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
n origin may be evident in the ''
Chronicon Æthelweardi'' (late 10th century), which states that "the fleets of the tyrant
Ingware (Norse ''Ivár'') arrived in England from the north". The documentary evidence as a whole, and modern archaeological research, suggests that the Great Army was not a homogeneous force, but a composite of warbands from different parts of Scandinavia (and possibly other parts of Europe).

The leadership of the Great Army appears to have fallen to Bagsecg and
Healfdene
Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings w ...
after the departure from England, or death, of Ingware, the foremost leader of the Great Army and one of the vikings most prominent in 9th century
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. In 869, the vikings claimed a pivotal victory, when
Edmund, King of East Anglia
Edmund the Martyr (also known as St Edmund or Edmund of East Anglia, died 20 November 869) was king of East Anglia from about 855 until his death.
Few historical facts about Edmund are known, as the kingdom of East Anglia was devastated by t ...
was killed and the entire
Kingdom of East Anglia
la, Regnum Orientalium Anglorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the East Angles
, common_name = East Anglia
, era =
, status = Great Kingdom
, status_text = Independent (6th centu ...
was captured. It may have been at about this date that Ingware either died or moved on to campaign in the
Western Isles
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coas ...
, the Scottish mainland or Ireland. ''Chronicon Æthelweardi'' states that Ingware died in the same year as Edmund. (While there is reason to believe that Ingware is identical to
Ímar
Ímar ( non, Ívarr ; died c. 873), who may be synonymous with Ivar the Boneless, was a Viking leader in Ireland and Scotland in the mid-late ninth century who founded the Uí Ímair dynasty, and whose descendants would go on to dominate the ...
, a Viking king later active in Ireland and Scotland, such an identification has never achieved consensus.)
Bagsecg's origins are obscure. He is one of the first Vikings to be named by the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''. He and Healfdene are the first principal Viking leaders attested by all versions of this source, after the Great Army's arrival in Wessex. Nothing further is known regarding Bagsecg's background.
[ Keynes; Lapidge (2004) ch. asser's life of king alfred § 37 n. 68; Whitelock (1996) p. 198 n. 2; Brooks (1979) p. 8.]
The precise historical phonology and etymology of the name Bagsecg are also obscure.
[ Townend (2002) pp. 112–113; Lehiste (1958) pp. 7–9.] It appears only in sources relating to this particular historical individual, in England during the 9th century. (By comparison, Healfdene clearly corresponds to the relatively common
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
name ''Halfdan'' meaning "half
Dane".) Surviving sources give many differing forms of Bagsecg's name. The "A" version of the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' gives "'" and "'"; the "B" version gives "'"; the "C" version gives "'"; the "D" version gives "'"; the "
E" version gives "'" and "'"; the "F" version gives "'" and "'"; and the "G" version gives "'". The edition of ''Vita Alfredi'' preserved by Cambridge Corpus Christi College (100) gives "'";
[ Stevenson, WH (1904) p. 31 n. 20.] the edition preserved by British Library (Cotton Otho A xii) gives "'"; and the edition of preserved by Cambridge University Library (Additional 3825) gives "'".
One late 10th century source, the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
''Chronicon Æthelweardi'', varies notably, in that it records the name as '. Although this name is unattested by the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', forms of it are recorded by the
Durham ''Liber vitae'', and it appears to represent the
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
', a name otherwise uncommon in Anglo-Saxon England. (Subsequent sources revert to the more conventional forms in Anglo-Saxon. The account of the 12th century ''
Chronicon ex chronicis
John of Worcester (died c. 1140) was an English monk and chronicler who worked at Worcester Priory. He is usually held to be the author of the ''Chronicon ex chronicis''.
''Chronicon ex chronicis''
The ''Chronicon ex chronicis'' is a world wide ...
'' gives "'". The 12th century ''
Annals of St Neots'' gives "'".)
Invasion of Wessex

With the capitulation of the East Angles, the Vikings turned their attention towards the
Kingdom of Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
. This was the final
Anglo-Saxon realm to withstand the Vikings, which could indicate that the latter sought to isolate the West Saxons before committing to a fullscale invasion. Late in 870, the Great Army arrived at
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
on the banks of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...
. There is reason to suspect that this seizure of Reading could have been timed to coincide with
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
. In any case, the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' reports that the Vikings fought nine battles with the West Saxons in the following months, and elaborates on six of these. ''Vita Alfredi'' lists eight such engagements, elaborating on only four.

Not long after having encamped at Reading, the Great Army appears to have divided, with part of it striking out into Wessex. One of the recorded engagements between Vikings and West Saxons was the
Battle of Englefield, in which
Æthelwulf, Ealdorman of Berkshire defeated a party of invaders lead by several
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant " chieftain", partic ...
s. It is possible that this conflict took place in the context of Bagsecg and Healfdene having the earls ride forth from Reading to forage, raid, and reconnoitre. In any case, four days later, the Vikings and West Saxons again clashed. This time, the West Saxons confronted the Vikings at Reading, and were led by
Æthelred, King of Wessex, and his younger brother,
Alfred. The
Battle of Reading ended in defeat for the West Saxons.
Battle of Ashdown

Four days after the disaster at Reading, the West Saxons intercepted a massed force of Vikings at the Battle of Ashdown, fought somewhere in the
Berkshire Downs. According to ''Vita Alfredi'', the West Saxons were "aroused by grief and shame" to meet the Vikings in battle. It is uncertain what motivated the Vikings to meet their opponents in the open ground. One possibility is that the Vikings' recent victory at Reading had emboldened them to the extent that they intended to destroy the demoralised West Saxon army once and for all.
Surviving sources give differing accounts of the conflict. According to the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', Æthelred fought the division of Vikings commanded by two kings, Bagsecg and Healfdene, whilst Alfred fought the division led by several earls, including Sidroc the Old, Sidroc the Young, Osbern, Fræna, and Harold. According to this source, thousands of men were slain in the encounter, including Bagsecg and the five named earls. The account of events preserved by ''Chronicon Æthelweardi'', as well as that dictated by ''Vita Alfredi'', corroborate the identities of the Viking leadership, and reveal that the battle was particularly large, and particularly bloody, with thousands of casualties.

The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' relates that fighting continued on into the night, suggesting that the West-Saxons indeed won a bloody and drawn-out affair. According to ''Vita Alfredi'', the Viking dead were dispersed "over the whole broad expanse of Ashdown, scattered everywhere, far and wide". Although the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' and ''Chronicon Æthelweardi'' claim that the West Saxons fought the entire Great Army, it is unlikely that the Vikings left their encampment at Reading unprotected. Nevertheless, the various accounts suggest that there were many more Viking combatants at the Battle of Ashdown than at the Battle of Englefield, and probably more than at the Battle of Reading.

Despite the contradictory accounts of the conflict, the sources are united in portraying the battle as a resounding success for the West Saxons. Nevertheless, there is reason to suspect that the accounts have somewhat exaggerated the outcome, and that it could have been a more of a
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory ( ) is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress.
The phrase originates from a quote from P ...
. Certainly, Healfdene led the Vikings to a victory over the West Saxons at the
Battle of Basing
The Battle of Basing was a victory of a Danish Viking army over the West Saxons at the royal estate of Basing in Hampshire on about 22 January 871.
In late December 870 the Vikings invaded Wessex and occupied Reading. Several battles followed ...
two weeks later, and again at the
Battle of Meretun two months after that. Æthelred died not long after
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
, possibly from wounds suffered in one of the conflicts, after which Alfred succeeded to the kingship. About a month later, Alfred struck out at the Vikings, but was again defeated by Healfdene at the
Battle of Wilton. According to ''Chronicon Æthelweardi'', the West Saxons "made peace" with the Vikings—a statement echoed by the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' and ''Vita Alfredi''—indicating that the West Saxons purchased a cessation of violence. The Vikings thereafter left Wessex and based themselves in London, where the
Mercians also bought their peace.

As a result of Bagsecg's demise, it would appear that Healfdene temporarily reigned as the sole king of the Great Army. The evidence of the Vikings' constant campaigning against the West Saxons, combined with the fact that a considerable number of men must have been left behind in East Anglia, suggests that the Great Army was considerably weaker in the Spring of 871 than it had been before then. Nevertheless, news of their success in Wessex appears to have enticed the arrival of another Viking army at Reading. This overseas force, variously called ' by the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', thereupon united with Healfdene's men. The commanders of this arriving army could well be identical to
Guthrum
Guthrum ( ang, Guðrum, c. 835 – c. 890) was King of East Anglia in the late 9th century. Originally a native of what is now Denmark, he was one of the leaders of the "Great Summer Army" that arrived in Reading during April 871 to join forces ...
, Oscytel, and Anwend, three Viking kings noted by the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' in 875. One or more of these men may have been elevated to the status of king because of Bagsecg's death in 871.
As early as the eighteenth- and nineteenth centuries, Bagsecg has been associated with
Wayland's Smithy,
[ Mackley, J (2012); Mackley, JS (2011); Yorke (2009) pp. 140–141; Grinsell (1935) p. 180; Huntingford (1927) p. 19; Scott (1913) pp. 332–333; Thurnam (1862) p. 325 n. 1; Hughes (1859) pp. 46–47 n.; 98, 317–321; Wise (1738) pp. 34–39.] a
Neolithic long barrow
Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repre ...
, erroneously assumed to have been erected as a memorial to him.
Other prehistoric sites, specifically the
Seven Barrows in the region of
Lambourn
Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of ...
, have been mistakenly interpreted as memorials to the earls slain at the Battle of Ashdown. As early as the eighteenth- and nineteenth centuries,
[ Lavelle (2014) ch. 7 n. 209; Mackley, J (2012); Yorke (2009) pp. 140–141; Schwyzer (1999) pp. 47–48, 50–51, 53; Woolner (1967) pp. 103, 110; Plummer; Earle (1965) p. 87; Huntingford (1957) pp. 108–109; Huntingford (1927) p. 22; Hind (1920) p. 63; Shrubsole; Clinch (1906) pp. 190–191; ''Excursion to Lamborne and White Horse Hill'' (1871) p. 154; Hughes (1859) p. 317; Lysons; Lysons (1806) p. 215.] the
Uffington White Horse
The Uffington White Horse is a prehistoric hill figure, long, formed from deep trenches filled with crushed white chalk. The figure is situated on the upper slopes of White Horse Hill in the English civil parish of Uffington (in the ce ...
, dating to the
Late Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
,
[ Mackley, JS (2011); Schwyzer (1999) pp. 42, 56.] has been incorrectly considered as an Anglo-Saxon memorial to Alfred and the victory at the Battle of Ashdown.
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External links
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{{authority control
871 deaths
9th-century Danish people
9th-century rulers in Europe
Anglo-Norse people
Danish monarchs
Monarchs killed in action
Viking warriors
Vikings killed in battle
Year of birth unknown
9th-century Vikings