# Battle of Dun Nechtain (685)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/685-battle-of-dun-nechtain
Categories: battle, main-event

Pictish forces under Bridei III defeated a Northumbrian army and killed King Ecgfrith. Within the broader Post-Roman Britain period, Roman institutions gave way to competing Brittonic and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms while Christianity was rebuilt through continental and Irish missions. This event is placed at AD 685 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The victory ended Northumbrian expansion deep into Pictland and strengthened Pictish independence.

## Why it matters
The victory ended Northumbrian expansion deep into Pictland and strengthened Pictish independence.

Ruler at the time: [Post-Roman and Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms](https://english-history.com/rulers/post-roman-and-anglo-saxon-kingdoms)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Battle of Dun Nechtain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Battle+of+Dun+Nechtain&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Battle of Dun Nechtain](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Battle+of+Dun+Nechtain)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history_%28before_1000%29)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Anglo-Saxon England topic search](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Anglo-Saxon%20England)