Battle of Reading (871) a camp at Reading, defended by the Thames and Kennet rivers on two sides, and by a rampart on the western side. Three days after their arrival, a party of Danes rode out towards nearby Englefield, where a West Saxon force under the command of Æthelwulf, the Ealdorman of the shire, was waiting for them. In the ensuing Battle of Englefield many of the Danes were killed, and the rest driven back to Reading. Four days later, Æthelwulf had been joined by the main West Saxon army, led by King Æthelred and his brother, Alfred the Great. The entire Saxon
Battle of Basra (871) a defense, but they were easily overwhelmed by cavalry and infantry attacks. The government commander Bughraj's forces, supported by several Basrans, were split between al-Mirbad and al-Khurayba, but they were ineffective at halting the rebels' advance. By Friday evening 'Ali ibn Aban's troops had reached the mosque, which 'Ali ordered to be burned. A group of Basrans, however, ambushed his men, killing several Zanj and forcing them back. Fearing further attacks from the city militia, 'Ali decided to withdraw for the evening, and set up his army camp in a graveyard. The battle continued over the course of the next