Vale of White Horse being removed to show the white chalky soil beneath. This figure gives name to the hill, the range and the Vale. It is 114 m (374 ft) long and highly stylised, the neck, body and tail varying little in width. The origin of the figure is unknown. Tradition asserted it to be the monument of a victory over the Danes by King Alfred, who was born at Wantage, but the site of the Battle of Ashdown (871 CE), has been variously located. Moreover, the figure has been dated to the Bronze Age, so it pre-dates the battle by many centuries.
Battle of Stellau Rügen in 1200, followed by an armed conflict in Dithmarschen. Duke Valdemar of Schleswig ordered his army to prepare for war and side with Denmark, ruled by his brother. Adolf led his German army from Holstein to battle in Stellau and crushed the Danes. However, when Adolf and his forces pulled back toward the city of Hamburg, he was besieged, defeated, and captured by Valdemar. In 1202, Valdemar of Schleswig became King Valdemar II of Denmark. His imprisonment of Adolf continued until 1203, when due to an illness, he was freed by the new king on the condition that he