What is Battle of Reading (871)?
The '''Battle of Reading''' was fought in 871 at [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]].<ref>Benjamin Thorpe, ''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle according to the Several Original Authorities: Translation'' (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1861), p. 61</ref> It was one of a series of battles between invading [[vikings]] and the [[Anglo-Saxons]] of [[Wessex]]. The viking (also called Danish) army was led by [[Bagsecg]] and [[Halfdan Ragnarsson]]. This was a large combined army. The viking army was attempting to conquer [[Wessex]].<ref name=Huntingdon153>''The Chronicle of Henry of Huntingdon'', ed. & trans. Thomas Forester (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853), p. 153</ref> The Wessex army was led by king [[Athelred of Wessex]] and his brother [[Alfred the Great|Alfred]].<ref name=Bennett268>''The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient & Medieval Warfare'', ed. Matthew Bennett (Chicago; London: Helicon Publishing, 1998), p. 268</ref> Both the [[battle]] and the [[campaign]] it was a part of are described in the [[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]. This account provides the earliest known written record of the existence of the town of Reading.<ref>Daphne Phillips, ''The Story of Reading'' ( Countryside Books, 1980), pp. 14–15</ref> The Vikings had established a camp at Reading. The camp had several natural defenses. It was protected by the [[River Thames|Thames]] and [[River Kennet|Kennet]] rivers on two sides, and by a rampart on the western side. Three days after their arrival, a party of Danes rode out towards nearby [[Englefield, Berkshire|Englefield]].<ref name=Huntingdon153/> There they met a [[Wessex|West Saxon]] force under the command of [[Ealdorman]] [[Athelwulf of Berkshire|Athelwulf]]. In the [[Battle of Englefield]] many of the Danes were killed, and the rest driven back to Reading.<ref name=Bennett268/> Four days later, Athelwulf was joined by the main West Saxon army, led by King Athelred and his brother, Alfred. The entire Saxon force marched on Reading. In the battle that followed the Vikings defeated the Wessex army and it was