Battle of Finnsburg information

Battle of Finnsburg
	Part of the legends of the Germanic heroic age
	; The Frisian lands, and neighbouring kingdoms, in the 5th century, showing an approximate territorial boundary within which the battle took place
Date	c. 450 AD
Location	Finnsburg, Frisia
Result	Short lived peace treaty, followed by Danish victory
Belligerents
Frisians, and possibly Jutes	Danish Hocings, with others such as a Secgan lord
Commanders and leaders
King Finn † of Frisia	Prince Hnæf † of the Danish Hocings; Hengest
Strength
Unknown	60 men
Casualties and losses
Heavy losses in both phases	Unknown, at least one death in phase one

The Battle of Finnsburg (or Finnsburh) was a conflict in the Germanic heroic age between Frisians with a possible Jutish contingent, and a primarily Danish party. Described only in later Anglo-Saxon poetry, if the conflict had an historical basis it most likely occurred around 450 AD.^[2]

In the story, the young prince Hnæf, described as a Hocing, Half-Dane, and Scylding, was staying as an invited guest of the Frisian king Finn. For reasons unknown, a battle broke out between the two parties, probably started by the Frisian side,^[3] and Hnæf was killed. Hnæf's retainer Hengest took command, and the sides engaged in a peace treaty; but Hengest and the Danes later avenged Hnæf's death and slaughtered the Frisians.

The primary descriptive sources of the events are the Finnsburg Fragment, and an allusive section of Beowulf. Since the battle is well represented amongst such a small corpus of Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry,^[4] it was probably significant and once widely known. Due to the fragmentary and allusive condition of the sources, however, the story is difficult to reconstruct.

^ The modern equivalent of Finnsburg is unknown.
^ Blair 2003, p. 15 dates it to "c. 400–450" AD, whereas Tolkien 2006, p. 167 dates it to precisely 452 AD. Both suggestions depend on identifying Hengest in the Battle of Finnsburg with the founder of the Kingdom of Kent, an association which is uncertain.
^ Zocco 2007, p. 67, "in the most generally accepted reconstruction the first assault is from the part of the Frisians in a treacherous onslaught which excites the Danish strenuous defence". The term Frisian side avoids imputing specific responsibility to either Finn, Frisians, Jutes, or others.
^ Beowulf and the Finnsburg Fragment have the story of the battle, Widsith mentions some of the figures, and Deor and Waldere have no reference to it.

[1] The modern equivalent of Finnsburg is unknown.

[2] Blair 2003, p. 15 dates it to "c. 400–450" AD, whereas Tolkien 2006, p. 167 dates it to precisely 452 AD. Both suggestions depend on identifying Hengest in the Battle of Finnsburg with the founder of the Kingdom of Kent, an association which is uncertain.

[3] Zocco 2007, p. 67, "in the most generally accepted reconstruction the first assault is from the part of the Frisians in a treacherous onslaught which excites the Danish strenuous defence". The term Frisian side avoids imputing specific responsibility to either Finn, Frisians, Jutes, or others.

[4] Beowulf and the Finnsburg Fragment have the story of the battle, Widsith mentions some of the figures, and Deor and Waldere have no reference to it.

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