The Danes had left Wessex and begun to settle in East Anglia.Īlfred the Great captured London, allegedly after defeating a Danish garrison.
Alfred of wessex full#
Evidence of this still exists today as Yorkshire, Leicestershire and to some extent, East Anglia, are still full of places ending in -by or -thorp. The area behind Guthrum’s boundary, became subject to Danelaw and the Danish soldiers established a society of their own.
The peace terms recognised Danish occupation of England north of the line from London to Chester.Guthrum was to withdraw to behind this line and be recognised as King of his own independent kingdom. The partitions included present day Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.Ī smaller Danish force made a surprise attack on Chippenham, gaining much of Wiltshire and Hampshire and forcing Alfred to retreat to Athelney in the Somerset marshes.Īfter spending some time raising forces, Alfred defeated the Danish army and forced the Danish leader Guthrum to accept baptism and peace terms. The Danes began to partition Mercia ready for colonisation. The Danes launched another attack on Wessex, but success was limited. They also began dividing up Yorkshire for permanent settlement. The Danes invaded Mercia expelled King Burgred and replaced him with a Dane. They promised to leave Wessex alone for five years. This unexpected triumph will surely be pivotal in Wessex’s campaign, not only for survival but for uniting the realm.Īlfred has reconsolidated his army in heavily entrenched settlements across southern England and is ready to stand firm against the onslaught of hungry and ambitious raiders and pretenders who continue to harass and divide the fractured kingdom of Britannia.A son, Edward, was born to Alfred and Ethelswitha.Īfter suffering a year of minor defeats by the Danes, Alfred was forced to buy them off.
Building a fortified base, using mobile armies in the style of the Danes themselves, and using his knowledge of the difficult terrain, he again defeated the Danes in the Battle of Edington.Īlfred pursued them to their fortress in Chippenham and after fourteen long days the Danes were brought to their knees, starving and crippled with fear. The Anglo-Saxons were being squeezed from Wessex despite Alfred’s improbable victory at Ashdown.Ī battle veteran at 21, Alfred had no choice but to withdraw to the trying landscape of the Somerset Levels, where he continued guerrilla warfare against his foes. In the next year, he succeeded his brother as king, who after subsequent crushing defeats at the hands of the Danes, perished from fatal wounds.
Alfred of wessex series#
This pre-emptive strike failed and the brothers were forced back to defend their homeland against the seemingly unstoppable Great Heathen Army.Īfter a grueling series of bloody battles, it was Alfred who led Wessex to victory in the Battle of Ashdown in 871, routing the Vikings in a fierce hillside assault and laying the first foundations for his reputation as a decisive leader. The youngest son of King Æthelwulf, Alfred of Wessex is more famously known as ‘Alfred the Great’ for his legendary will to survive and unite the isles under one banner.Īlfred undertook his first key military challenge in 868 AD when he supported his brother Æthelred, the reigning King of Wessex (West Seaxe), in an attempt to repel invading Danish Vikings from the neighboring Kingdom of Mercia (Mierce).
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