Battle of Edington

The Battle of Edington was a military engagement between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings in , during the Viking conquest of England.
==Prelude==
After the Saxon loss at the Battle of Chippenham on January 878, King Alfred of Wessex and his men were chased from Chippenham by the Vikings. They were forced to retreat to the marshes of Athelnay, where they built fortifications to protect themselves.Discovery Tour: Viking Age – Learnings: The Battle of EdingtonAssassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 30
In the first week of May 878, Alfred called a levy at . Men from neighbouring counties joined the king and his men. Guthrum, learning of the gathering of the militias readied his troops to intercept the enemy and moved to ancient fortifications south of Chippenham.
==Battle==
On 12 May 878, the two armies met in battle on the fields of Edington. The Saxons fought ferociously, forming a dense shield-wall against the Danes. In the end, victory was Alfred's, and the Anglo-Saxons routed the Vikings, smiting the fugitives, and pursuing them to their fortress. This defeat and Guthrum's retreat to Chippenham marked the end of his reign as a Viking chieftain.
==Aftermath==
The Danes sued for peace, and as a condition of the resulting , Guthrum had to convert into Christianity in order for his oath to Alfred be considered valid.Discovery Tour: Viking Age – Learnings: Trust and Oathkeeping Alfred chose himself to be Guthrum's godfather, creating ties of symbolic kinship between them.Discovery Tour: Viking Age – Learnings: Baptism and Victory This would also give Guthrum the status of a respected Christian leader, and he was made the King of East Anglia, even though that region was not Alfred's to give.Discovery Tour: Viking Age – Learnings: The Gift of East Anglia In the end, Alfred lost no territory by giving Guthrum land that was not his, but gained not only an ally to stabilize a region in turmoil since the death of Edmund the Martyr, but also a territorial buffer to prevent future Scandinavian raids into Wessex.
==Appearances==
*Echoes of History 
*Discovery Tour: Viking Age 
==References==
Category:Timeline
Category:Battles