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Battle of Edington
In 878, King Alfred the Great of Wessex defeated the Viking leader Guthrum at Edington, forcing him to accept Christian baptism and sign the Treaty o…
Timeline
- 877–878Marshes of Athelney · SomersetGuthrum launched a surprise attack on Chippenham; Alfred was forced to retreat into the marshes of Athelney to hide and gather his forces, and according to legend planned his counterattack there.
- 878Edington · WiltshireAlfred led his army out of Somerset, fought Guthrum's Viking forces fiercely near Edington and won, then besieged the Viking camp at Chippenham until they surrendered.
- 878–886Wedmore · WiltshireGuthrum accepted baptism and was granted the title King of East Anglia; the two sides agreed to divide the Danelaw and Wessex spheres of influence along Watling Street, establishing a long-term pattern of coexistence.
Sources
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
- Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources — Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge (1983)