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in 865 the invading great ethan army
swept through britain like wildfire and
after six years of violent struggle the
political map of Britain had been
completely redrawn the ruling dynasties
in East Anglia and Northumbria had been
swept away and their lands taken by the
newcomers murcia teetered on the brink
of a total collapse its east flooded by
marauding Scandinavians various rulers
of pict 'land fought on to retain their
independence and even the Welsh had
their fair share to deal with yet one
kingdom remained intact Wessex under
their king Alfred managed to pay a group
of invading Vikings under health dan to
leave his kingdom yet similar agreements
were made and broken before so Alfred
knew that sooner or later the Vikings
would be back
ivar who hadn't been present during the
Wessex campaign was busy in the north he
was joined by his ally a Viking seeking
of Dublin Olaf the white in 870 they
attacked the capital of the borough
phonic kingdom of alt could Dumbarton
Rock they besieged it for four months
before the defenders finally gave in but
no quarter was given the Citadel was
raised its defenders slain and the
survivors were taken to be sold at these
slave markets of Dublin and York
ivar made off with so much plunder that
he possibly retired and luckily for
Wessex he wouldn't reappear again on
English shores
despite that IVA and Olaf's descendants
in Dublin would continue to play a huge
role in Britain and Ireland for
centuries to come
after his withdrawal from Essex in 871
health Dan headed north to Northumbria
with half of the Viking army around a
thousand or so veterans who he had been
fighting with since his arrival in
Britain when he arrived in the north he
began to divide the lands between his
men and set about plowing the fields
this wasn't conquest anymore it was
colonization meanwhile in East Anglia
the second half of the army that had
attacked Wessex was now under the
command of a newcomer Guthrum and his
great summer army had provided a breath
of fresh air into the now exhausted
veterans of the initial expedition and
now along with health Dan's warriors up
in Northumbria they set their eyes upon
carving up the severely weakened Mercia
Alfred's brother-in-law King burger rid
of Mercia was forced into exile in 874
and a puppet ruler seal wolf was put in
his place while the Vikings divided up
the land Wessex now stood alone the last
anglo-saxon kingdom not to fall in 875
the Viking started to test the defenses
of Alfred's Kingdom
small fleets of five or six vessels
continuously raided showing Alfred that
invasion was possible from any direction
like all of the anglo-saxon kingdoms
Wessex had an army of levies that could
be called upon in times of war these
farmers fought with what equipment and
armor they owned which usually wasn't
very much they weren't a professional
standing army like the Scandinavians
after the campaign season was over they
would traditionally return back to their
lands as they had done for generations
Alfred's personal retinue of
professional warriors probably only
consisted of a few hundred men
Guthrum on the other hand had many
thousands of warriors the vast majority
of them hardened from a lifetime of war
they could live off the land and as long
as they could keep supply lines open
with East Anglia and Murcia they could
ravage Wessex almost at will in 876 Guth
from thundered across Wessex with a
large host of mounted warriors he
defeated a small force of West Saxons
led by Alfred on the south coast and
seized the important regional town of
Wareham Alfred sued for peace again and
gouthru accepted both sides probably
hoping to buy more time
the next spring Goutham was on the move
again and this time he headed even
further to the west his target was
Exeter Exeter provided a number of
options for Guthrum should he need to
retreat yet there was also another
reason why Guth from had chosen to take
his men there he was drawing Alfred away
from a second threat
another army commanded by Oba ragnarson
had Irish and frizzy and Vikings in his
ranks it overwintered on the south coast
of Wales and was now making its way down
the north coast of Devon this army of
4000 Vikings was carried by 120 long
boats the situation looked grim valfrid
however in one of the most fortuitous
moments of chance ever to befall England
others fleet was destroyed by a freak
storm off the coast of Dorset
leaving the survivors to limp back to
their base in southern Wales upon
hearing the news
Guthrum abandoned his plan and rode
north to Gloucester in the south of
mercy
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however alfred was still beset on all
sides by armies of raiders intent on
personally sacrificing him to Odin and
usurping his kingdom
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on the 6th of January 878 in the midst
of the Christmas Festival that was an
important part of anglo-saxon culture go
through through all of his cards on the
table and suddenly appeared at Alfred's
royal estate at Chippenham with a
mounted force of his best outriders this
surprise attack possibly launched in
conjunction with treacherous West Saxon
elderman very nearly ended Alfred there
and then he barely escaped with his life
with just a handful of followers whilst
Guthrum sent his warriors in swift
pursuit Alfred fled West deep into the
marshland of the Somerset Levels at the
time a vast area of undrained boggy
wetlands he knew the area well having
spent much of his youth there while
Guthrum had no such knowledge of the
intricate River ways and secret paths
alfred set up his base on the island of
athelney in order to make his final
stand with just a few hundred followers
had Alfred failed or given up and ran
like burgred of Murcia did England would
have become Dane learned good room stood
on the very brink of becoming King in
not just East Anglia and parts of Murcia
but Wessex too for the next several
months it was Alfred he was forced to
launch raids into his own kingdom now
overrun by Guthrum's warriors after
hearing of Guthrum's success Oba returns
to Wessex to take part in the division
of the kingdom this time with only 23
ships
he made landfall somewhere in northern
Devon near a fortress called arks Cynwyd
this location was selected with intent
to corner alfred in a pincer movement
after his withdrawal to the wetlands of
somerset rather than the easy campaign
he had hoped for however bobo was met
there by the alderman of somerset order
who had levied his feared man to drive
out the invaders it was there at the
Battle of Cynwyd in 878 that uber the
last living son of Ragnar was struck
down in battle this room was left over
extended by the destruction of others
force at kindred and this appears to
have allowed Alfred and his elderman to
break up gurth rooms exposed supply
lines and lines of communication Alfred
been called as many of the feared men of
Somerset Wiltshire and Hampshire as he
could the only counties left to have any
semblance of West Saxon government for
three long days between the fourth and
the seventh of May they waited at a
local rallying point called Egberts
stone for their warriors to arrive from
all corners of the kingdom finally once
a sufficient force had been raised
probably several thousand levies with
only a few hundred professional
household soldiers they marched to
Eddington where Alfred engaged with
Rome's warriors in one final definitive
battle that would decide the fate of
Wessex once and for all
a ferocious battle ensued as the two
shield walls crashed against one another
all day the two sides fought until
finally the smaller Danish force broke
and fell back to their fortress as
Chippenham the West Saxons had no mercy
for the Danes that day they killed
everyone who didn't make it inside the
fortress and for siege gothram for two
weeks before he sued for peace in
addition to offering the customary
hostages and promising to leave Wessex
for good
the Vikings promised that gurth room
would be baptized as a Christian alfred
was convinced that this time the Vikings
would keep their word
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the Danes finally pulled out of wessex
entirely retreating back to East Anglia
where Gouffran became king in 886 Murcia
was divided between good forum and
Alfred with the anglo-saxons retaining
control of the western portion of the
country and the Danes settling the East
it was an extraordinary turnaround for
Alfred and the West Saxons not only had
he saved the kingdom but now he found
himself in a relatively strong position
tensions would flare up every now and
again but by and large
Goodrem would keep the peace giving out
threat be breathing room he needed to
fortify his country against further
invasions from overseas of which there
would be many more over the coming years
thank you for watching the second
documentary in our series on the Viking
invasions of Britain
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