The Battle of Edington is a decisive military engagement. It depicts the confrontation between the Vikings led by Ivar and King Harald and the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex. The event takes place in Season 6 Episode 20, The Last Act.
Prelude[]
Wessex had always been the focal point for Viking raids and invasions. The Great Heathen Army, which was formed to avenge the death of Ragnar Lothbrok, had smashed the Saxon army at the Battle of Repton and sacked Winchester. A few years later, King Harald had launched an invasion of Wessex from the Norse stronghold of York with a smaller force, but was utterly defeated by King Alfred at the Battle of Marton with the help of his allies, Lagertha, Bjorn, Ubbe, and Torvi. Wessex therefore remained unconquered but was still the target for Viking incursions. A Black Dane Army nearly attacked Wessex a few months after Harald's defeat but Ubbe convinced them to settle in East Anglia instead.
A couple of years after Harald's defeat at Marton, things had changed in Kattegat. King Bjorn died following the Rus invasion, which was defeated, and King Harald was appointed as the new ruler of the prosperous city. Soon after his coronation, Ivar and Hvitserk, having deposed Prince Oleg in Kiev with the help of his brother Prince Dir, returned to Kattegat, but they were mocked and spat upon for their treachery. However, the brothers managed to regain the confidence of the Kattegat civilians and Ivar convinced King Harald to attack Wessex and conquer England once and for all.
The Battle[]
King Harald and Ivar managed to assemble a considerable force of thousands of warriors which would closely resemble the first Great Heathen Army. Over four thousand warriors embarked in two hundred ships and sailed for England. Moving inside the country in the English rivers, they began burning villages and forcing civilians to flee before their advance. Ivar, with a small party of warriors and shield-maidens, went to steal horses for the army. However, they were ambushed by a sizeable Saxon force and were almost annihilated before Hvitserk arrived with his own party of men.
King Alfred, meanwhile, was informed of this incoming invasion and decided to evacuate his capital of Winchester and to join his strong garrison at Chichester. The West Saxon Army, now bolstered with fresh reinforcements from the Chichester garrison and Mercian soldiers, began moving towards the valley of Edington, where Ivar had stationed his troops to fight. Ivar had indeed chosen the place to fight, atop a hill, so that he could monitor every movement of the West Saxon Army.
After it had set up camp, the West Saxon Army moved on to the forest beyond the field of Edington to confront the Norse forces. As Alfred ordered his first three ranks to move forward to engage the Norse troops, his first line of a couple dozen soldiers was suddenly trapped by animal traps which had been set underneath the leaves. Those soldiers were maimed and injured, forcing Alfred to order his second and third lines to help the injured. However, Viking warriors emerged from makeshift barricades covered by the leaves and attacked the now unarmed first Saxon ranks. Most of the Norse forces then followed this ambush, which prompted Alfred to order his entire force to charge the Viking Army. The two forces collided into each other in the thick woodland. Vicious hand-to-hand fighting emerged but the Saxon ranks were thinning as archers took their toll. Some Saxon warriors were also trapped and killed by spiked rakes which had been hidden under the leaves. As the Saxon forces gradually gained ground, King Harald gave a signal and Norse warriors atop a makeshift tower poured oil on Saxon soldiers and burned them. Queen Elsewith was then captured by two Viking warriors disguised as Mercian soldiers and dragged accross rhe battlefield, but she managed to free herself and kill her captors. As the melée continued, Alfred had a vision of Jesus Christ, which convinced him that their God was with them. The woodland then became heavy with fog and the two sides retreated altogether, resulting in a stalemate. The Saxon forces however had been mauled and lost more warriors than the Norse forces.
On the following day, both armies deployed on the battlefield, the Norse troops having the forest at their rear. The previous engagement has thinned both armies, but considerable numbers on either side were involved. The Saxons had set a huge cross in front of their troops to give them courage and motivate them. On the Norse side, a few catapults had been erected. At a signal from Ivar, boulders were set aflame and loosed on the Saxon ranks, inflicting casualties. Both armies charged at each other and hand-to-hand fighting emerged. Hvitserk himself showed remarkable skill, cutting down dozens of Saxons while Alfred took down some Norse fighters. All over the battlefield, warriors were dying in droves and heads flew, but no side seemed to really take the upper hand. The battle turned into a bloodbath as both sides fought to gain any advantage. Ivar then decided to walk onto the battlefield flanked by his four bodyguards, but he suddenly broke a bone but urged his men to continue escorting him to the battlefield. As the fighting raged around him, Ivar pleaded to the gods for help, but once again a few of his bones broke.
Meanwhile, Hvitserk, after cutting down several Saxon warriors despite receiving several injuries, gradually began to tire and struggled to fight on. Ivar soon caught up with his brother and told him not to fight anymore. Telling him that what happens next was what his life has led up to. To his horror, Hvitserk noticed that Ivar's eyes are now completely blue as this was a sign that he was more capable of breaking the bones of his legs. After a heartfelt farewell to his brother, Hvitserk ran and took cover amidst the slaughter. Ivar then roared, proclaiming that he is Ivar the Boneless and passionately attempted to inspire his forces until a young Saxon soldier approached and stabbed Ivar repeatedly before retreating. Bleeding out, he called out to his brother Hvitserk who responded in kind. Ivar's legs then completely gave out, shattering all of his bones before collapsing on the ground. Hvitserk immediately rushed to his little brother to cradle him as he cried out in tears "I am afraid!" Hvitserk then reassured him that his name will live on and no one will forget his deeds. Ivar then took his last breath as both his and Alfred's army ceased hostilities. Alfred then approached Hvitserk holding his brother's lifeless body which prompted him to tell Alfred to leave him and his brother alone for a moment as he wept over his brother's body. The Vikings then surrendered en masse as they lacked the will to fight especially after witnessing their slain commander. The Battle of Edington resulted in a total victory for Alfred's forces despite taking many casualties.
Aftermath[]
Ivar and Hvitserk's remaining soldiers surrendered to Alfred and were captured. The Vikings return to Norway but banish Hvitserk. Alfred then ordered that Hvitserk be spared as he is one of the last surviving sons of Ragnar Lothbrok and makes great plans for him. He was then carried away in a wagon on the road back to Winchester. Hvitserk erects a grave for his brother Ivar and then mourns him telling him to enjoy Valhalla while it lasts as the age of Christianity will flourish. At the cathedral in Winchester, Alfred orders his bishop to baptize Hvitserk and as a result makes him a Saxon prince as well as giving him land in East Anglia.