Battle of Cirencester
628 battle in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Battle of Cirencester was fought in 628 at Cirencester in the minor kingdom of the Hwicce.[1] This conflict involved the armies of Mercia, under King Penda, and of Wessex under Kings Cynegils and Cwichelm.
| Battle of Cirencester | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Mercia | Gewisse | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Penda | Cynegils and Cwichelm | ||||||
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (A) states:
628. Here Cynegils and Cwichelm fought against Penda at Cirencester, and then came to an agreement.[2]
The Chronicle suggests a battle between Anglo-Saxons, in which Wessex was defeated and Mercia took control of the region. However, this is not the first time Anglo-Saxons were recorded in the area : The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that Cirencester was under Anglo-Saxon influence since the Battle of Dyrham in 577. However archaeological evidence has not proven a battle on the site took place and suggests gradual absorption with possible Anglo-Saxon settlement near the Roman town from the mid sixth century.[3]
