The Battle of Tettenhall, sometimes called the Battle of Wednesfield, took place on August 5, 910. It pitted the forces of Wessex and Mercia against an army of Northumbrian Vikings, in Mercia. The Anglo-Saxons won a major victory over the Vikings.
At the beginning of the 10th century, a good part of the northeast of England was controlled by the Danes, in particular the ancient kingdom of Northumbria, transformed into a Viking kingdom with Jórvík (York) as its capital. The King of Wessex Alfred the Great had managed to stem the Danish offensives towards the center of England, so that his son, Edward the Elder, was able to launch offensives against the invaders. Edward allied himself with Earl Aethelred of Mercia, and their armies embarked on a five-month campaign in the ancient kingdom of Lindsey in 909, during which they succeeded in recovering the relics of Saint Oswald.
The battle
The Vikings quickly sought revenge for this expedition. In 910 the Danelaw kings Halfdan II &Eowils and a certain Ivarr, gathered a fleet and sailed up the Severn, landing their army straight into the heart of Mercia. They ravaged the region and amassed a large amount of booty, but quickly sought to return to the North before being stuck in hostile territory. They believed Edward was busy assembling a fleet in Kent, but he rallied the Earl of Mercia and the two armies surrounded the Danes, who were unable to join Bridgnorth. Unable to reach the sea, chased into enemy territory by the troops of Edward and Ethelred, they had no choice but to accept combat.
The exact maneuvers employed during the battle are poorly known, but it is evident that the allies trapped the Vikings and inflicted heavy casualties on them. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, "several thousand men" were killed on the Danish side. Seemingly unable to retreat, Kings Halfdan II &Eowils, who were leading the raid, were both slain. Edward the Elder and Aethelred of Mercia survived the battle, but the latter may have received wounds that led to his death the following year.
Consequences
Having subjugated the northern Danes, the forces of Wessex and Mercia were able to devote themselves entirely to fighting those who had settled further south. A few years later, England was united under the banner of Wessex, and Danish expansion was definitely halted. However, the void it left in the North was taken advantage of by the Vikings of Ireland, who occupied the area.