Battles & Campaigns · 634
Battle of Heavenfield
Heavenfield, near Hexham, Northumberland, England, UK
What happened
Oswald's army took a defensive position beside Hadrian's Wall, with crags and the Wall protecting its sides. The larger Welsh army was forced onto a narrow front and could not get around them. The Welsh line broke and was chased south.
Why it matters
Oswald reunited Northumbria and ruled it for about eight years. The historian Bede saw it as the battle that restored Christianity to Northumbria.
What came next
Oswald gave Lindisfarne to the monk Aidan, and later died at the Battle of Maserfield in 642.
Did you know?
A wooden cross beside the road near Chollerford marks the site, where tradition says Oswald raised a cross before the battle.
Timeline
- 633King Edwin of Northumbria is killed.
- 634Battle of Heavenfield.
- 642Oswald dies at the Battle of Maserfield.