In Defence of Byrhtnoth

This paper has one occasion, one cause, and one objective. The occasion is the recently-commemorated millennium of the battle of Maldon, an appropriate time to review not only the events of August 991 but also the critical responses to them, including those of the millennial year. The cause is the all-too-prevalent scholarly opinion, expressed as often in the last decade as in previous ones, that Byrhtnoth cannot escape censure for the English defeat, whether that censure be gentle or virulent. My objective is to demonstrate that this opinion is mistaken.