Battle of Assandun

Timeline

1. 1016Essex · EssexAfter a back-and-forth campaign in spring and summer 1016, Edmund Ironside and Cnut each assembled their main forces and advanced into East Essex. Though Edmund had won at Assandun (Ashingdon) and retaken London, Edric Streona, Earl of Mercia, had secretly been in contact with Cnut, and deepening rifts divided the English coalition.
2. 1016Assandun · EssexThe two armies met at Assandun and fought fiercely. According to the chronicle, Edric Streona led his Mercian troops in switching sides at the height of battle, causing Edmund's line to collapse. Cnut's forces won a complete victory; many English notables, including Bishop Ælfric, were killed, and Edmund was forced to retreat with the remnants of his army.
3. 1016England · EnglandThe disastrous defeat at Assandun cost Edmund the strategic initiative, leaving him unable to organize another large-scale counteroffensive. Representatives of both sides immediately began contacts, creating conditions for a partition treaty at Olney. Though victorious, Cnut was also unable to destroy Edmund's base in Wessex in the short term.