King Alfred defeats the Danes at Edington; Peace of Wedmore concluded

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.01: English Writing and Culture: Old English, 500-1066.
Vol. editors: Richard William Dance (University of Cambridge), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast)

Domains

Battle
Peace treaties

Dates

Date of occurrence 878

Places

England (Location)
Denmark (Involved)

In 878 a surprise Danish attack pushes Alfred west into the Somerset marshes. This is the lowest ebb of the English cause, the nearest that the Danes come to conquering Wessex and establishing their rule over the whole of England. However, within a few months Alfred is strong enough to move east again and defeat the Danes at Edington in Wiltshire. The Danes retreat to Chippenham, where King Alfred lays siege and soon forced them to surrender. Guthrum, the Danish king of East Anglia, promises to leave Wessex and agrees to be baptized a Christian.

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94 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "King Alfred defeats the Danes at Edington; Peace of Wedmore concluded". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 May 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=6986, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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King Alfred defeats the Danes at Edington; Peace of Wedmore concluded

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