The Battle of Edington (May 878) was a battle which took place near Edington in the county of Wiltshire in the south-west of England. Events The Danes force king Alfred the Great of Wessex to retreat to a fort in Athelney, Somerset. ... See also the town of Battle, East Sussex, England Generally, a battle is an instance of combat between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... Edington. ... The traditional counties as usually portrayed. ... A bridge over the river Avon at Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion...

In the 9th century, the Danes had been steadily invading England, pushing and prodding the Anglo-Saxon residents. They held the northeast area of the country. A defeat at Ashdown had paused, but not halted their advance. Alfred the Great had been hiding in a marsh throught the Winter. When Spring arrived, he summoned his forces and marched to Edington, where he challenged the Northmen to a battle. He then defeated the Vikings (or Danes) under Guthrum, fighting behind a protective wall of shields, reminiscent of tactics used by the Roman legions. Alfred (849? – 26 October 899) (sometimes spelt Ælfred) was king of the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, the British Isles, and other parts of Europe from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ... Guthrum (d. ... The Roman legion (from the Latin legio, meaning levy) was the basic military unit of ancient Rome. ...

After fighting for much of the day, the Danes fled to what became the Danelaw, surrendering at Chippenham, their own fortress, after a 14 day siege. They then asked for quarter, which was given. The king of the Vikings was afterwards baptized into the Christian church. Alfred stood godfather to him and raised him from the font. Alfred could have tortured and killed them, and slaughtered them to a man, for he had them in his power... but he wished to make a lasting peace with these men, to share the land with them rather than drive them off. The Danelaw (from the Old English Dena lagu) was an area of England under the administrative control of the Vikings (or Danes, or Norsemen) from the late 9th century. ... Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, although the market is no longer of major importance to the economy of the town. ...

See also

• British military history