Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu

The Battle of Saucourt occurred between Danish forces of pagan Viking warriors and the Christian troops of joint Kings of West Francia Louis III of France and his brother Carloman II on 3 August 881 at Saucourt-en-Vimeu.[1]

Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu, as depicted by Jean-Joseph Dassy

Following the Battle of Thimeon near Charleroi where the Vikings were defeated by Louis the Younger, King of East Francia, they resumed their raids on the Frankish kingdom, reaching Kortrijk in November 880 and Cambrai and Arras in December. Earlier in 881, they sacked Amiens and Corbie.

Louis and Carloman were victorious in what must have been a rare pitched battle against the northern raiders in which some 8,000 Vikings were slain. The battle is celebrated in the Old High German poem Ludwigslied.[2]

The hamlet of Saucourt is between Valines and Fressenneville, around 10 miles west of Abbeville.

See also

References
  1. McKitterick 1999, p. 235.
  2. "bibliotheca Augustana". Hs-augsburg.de. Retrieved 2012-11-27.

Sources
  • McKitterick, Rosamond (1999). The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians. Pearson Education Limited.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

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