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{{short description|Battle between Wessex and Vikings in 878}}
{{good article}}
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{{Use British English|date=March 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Edington
| partof            = the [[Viking activity in the British Isles|Viking invasions of England]]
| date              = May 878
| image             = Ethandunmem.jpg
| image_size        = 
| caption           = Memorial to the ''Battle of Ethandun'' erected in 2000 near the [[hillfort]] of [[Bratton Castle]] with a plaque{{Efn|The memorial plaque says:
:To commemorate the Battle of Ethandun fought in this vicinity May 878 AD when King Alfred the Great defeated the Viking army, giving birth to the English nationalism. Unveiled by the 7th Marquess of Bath 5th November 2000.
An additional inscription reads:
:This stone, presented by F. Swanton and sons, North Farm, West Overton, is a Sarsen Stone similar to those at Kingstom Deverill, the area where King Alfred rallied Saxon levies from Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset to march against Guthrum's Viking army based in Chippenham.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle Of Ethandun |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/45340 |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Imperial War Museums |language=en}}</ref>}}
| place             = Probably [[Edington, Wiltshire|Edington]], Wiltshire, see [[Battle of Edington#Location of the battle|§ Location of the battle]].
| casus             = 
| territory         = 
| coordinates       = {{coord |51|15|50|N|02|08|34|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=ti}}
| map_type          = Wiltshire#England
| map_relief        = yes
| result            = Saxon victory
* [[Treaty of Wedmore]]
| combatant1        = [[Wessex]]
| combatant2        = [[Great Heathen Army]]
| commander1        = [[Alfred the Great]]
| commander2        = [[Guthrum]]
| strength1         = 2,000–6,000
| strength2         = ~4,000
| casualties1       = Unknown
| casualties2       = Unknown, presumed heavy
| map_caption       = Edington
}}
The '''Battle of Edington''' or '''Battle of Ethandun'''{{Efn|Until a scholarly consensus linked the battle site with the present-day village of Edington in Wiltshire, it was primarily known as the Battle of Ethandun. Despite this, it still continues to be used. Primary sources locate the battle at "Eðandun".}} was fought in May 878 between the West Saxon army of King [[Alfred the Great]] and the [[Great Heathen Army]] led by the Danish warlord [[Guthrum]]. The battle took place near [[Edington, Wiltshire|Edington]] in [[Wiltshire]], where Alfred secured a decisive victory that halted the Viking advance into [[Wessex]].

The engagement followed a period of sustained [[Viking invasion of England|Danish incursions]] into Anglo-Saxon territory. In early 878, Guthrum launched a surprise attack on [[Chippenham]], forcing Alfred into hiding in the marshes of [[Athelney]]. After rallying local forces, Alfred confronted and defeated Guthrum at Edington, then laid siege to the Viking position, compelling their surrender.

Following the battle, Guthrum agreed to terms that included his [[baptism]], withdrawal to [[East Anglia]], and the establishment of peace through the [[Treaty of Wedmore]]. The outcome preserved Wessex as an independent kingdom and marked a turning point in the Viking wars, laying foundations for the eventual [[History of Anglo-Saxon England#English unification (10th century)|unification of England]].

==Background==
{{Further information|Viking activity in the British Isles}}
The first Viking raid on Anglo-Saxon England is thought to have occurred between 786 and 802 at [[Isle of Portland|Portland]] in the [[Kingdom of Wessex]], when three Norse ships arrived; their men killed [[Beorhtric of Wessex|King Beorhtric]]'s [[Reeve (England)|reeve]].<ref name="sawyer50">{{harvnb|Sawyer|2001|pp=50–51}}.</ref> The ''[[Peterborough Chronicle]]'' says the year of the raid was 789.<ref>{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|p=54}}.</ref> At the other end of the country, in the [[Kingdom of Northumbria]], the island of [[Lindisfarne]] was raided in 793.<ref name="sawyer50"/>

From the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' about the [[Lindisfarne#Viking raid on the monastery (793)|Viking raid on Lindisfarne]]:
{{blockquote|This year dire forwarnings came over the land of the Northhumbrians, and miserably terrified the people; these were excessive whirlwinds, and lightnings; and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air. A great famine soon followed these tokens; and a little after that, in the same year, on the 6th before the Ides of January, the ravaging of heathen men lamentably destroyed God's church at Lindisfarne through rapine and slaughter.<ref>{{harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=54-55}}.</ref>|source=}}

After the sacking of Lindisfarne, Viking raids around the coasts were somewhat sporadic until the 830s, when the attacks became more sustained.<ref>{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|p=|pp=60-63}}.</ref> In 835, "heathen men" ravaged [[Isle of Sheppey|Sheppey]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=62-63}}; {{Harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|p=72}}.</ref> In 836, King [[Ecgberht of Wessex]] was defeated at [[Carhampton]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|p=62}}</ref> but in 838 he conquered a combined force of Vikings and [[Cornishman|Cornishmen]] at the [[Battle of Hingston Down]] in Cornwall.<ref name="sawyer52">{{harvnb|Sawyer|2001|pp=|p=52}}; {{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=62-63}}.</ref>

The raiding continued and with each year became more intense.<ref name="sawyer52"/> In 865–866 it escalated further with the arrival of what the Saxons called the Great Heathen Army.<ref>{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|p=62-63}}.</ref> The annals do not report the size of the army, but modern estimates suggest between five hundred and a thousand men.<ref name=jones219 /> It was said to have been under the leadership of the brothers [[Ivar the Boneless]], [[Ubba]], and [[Halfdan Ragnarsson]].<ref name="jones219">{{harvnb|Jones|1984|p=219}}.</ref> What made this army different from those before it was the intent of the leaders. These forces began "a new stage, that of conquest and residence".<ref name="jones218">{{harvnb|Jones|1984|p=218}}.</ref> By 870, the Northmen had conquered the kingdoms of Northumbria and [[Kingdom of East Anglia|East Anglia]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=70-71}}.</ref> and in 871 they attacked Wessex.<ref name=":3">{{harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=70–73}}.</ref> Of the nine battles mentioned by the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' during 871, only one was a West Saxon victory, the [[Battle of Ashdown]].<ref name=":3" /><ref name="wood116">{{harvnb|Wood|2005|pp=116–17}}.</ref> The victory did not halt Viking raids in Britain. Alfred succeeded his brother [[Æthelred I of Wessex|Æthelred]], who died after the [[Battle of Meretun]].<ref name=":8">{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|p=73}}.</ref>

[[Mercia]] had collapsed by 874, and the army's cohesion went with it.<ref name=":8" /> Halfdan went back to Northumbria and fought the [[Picts]] and the [[Kingdom of Strathclyde|Strathclyde]] Welsh to secure his northern kingdom.<ref name=":5">{{harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=|p=74}}; {{harvnb|Jones|1984|p=221}}.</ref> His army settled there, and he is not mentioned after 876, when "[the Danes] were engaged in ploughing and making a living for themselves".<ref name=":9" /> Guthrum, with two other unnamed kings, "departed for [[Cambridge]] in East Anglia".<ref name="jones221">{{harvnb|Jones|1984|p=221}}.</ref>

=== Prelude ===
Guthrum and his men had adopted the usual Danish strategy of occupying a fortified town and waiting for a peace treaty, involving money in return for a promise to leave the kingdom immediately. Alfred shadowed the army, trying to prevent more damage than had already occurred. This started in 875 when Guthrum's army "eluded the West Saxon levies and got into [[Wareham, Dorset|Wareham]]".<ref name="garmonsway70">{{harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=76–77}}.</ref> They then gave hostages and oaths to leave the country to Alfred, who paid them off.<ref name="Smyth 70">{{harvnb|Smyth|1995|pp=70–71}}</ref> 

The Danes promptly slipped off to [[Exeter]], even deeper into Alfred's kingdom, where they concluded in the autumn of 877 a "firm peace" with Alfred, under terms that entailed their leaving his kingdom and not returning.<ref>{{harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=76–77}}; {{harvnb|Smyth|1995|pp=|p=72}}.</ref> This they did, spending the rest of 877 (by the Gregorian calendar) in [[Gloucester]] (in the kingdom of Mercia).<ref name="Smyth 72">{{harvnb|Smyth|1995|pp=|p=72}}.</ref> Alfred spent [[Christmas]] at Chippenham (in Wessex), {{convert|30|mi|spell=in|km|abbr=out}} from Gloucester. The Danes attacked Chippenham "in midwinter after [[Twelfth Night (holiday)|Twelfth Night]]",<ref name=":9">{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|p=74}}.</ref> which was probably during the night of {{Date|6/7 Jan 878}}. They captured Chippenham and forced Alfred to retreat "with a small force" into the [[Somerset]] marsh of [[Athelney]], protected by the natural defences of the country.<ref name="garmonsway70" /><ref name="wood118">{{harvnb|Wood|2005|pp=118–20}}.</ref>

Alfred seems at this time to have ineffectually chased the Danes around Wessex, while the Danes were in a position to do as they pleased.<ref>{{Harvnb|Abels|1998|pp=158-60}}; {{Harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=30-31}}.</ref> The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' attempts to convey the impression that Alfred held the initiative; the academic [[Alfred P. Smyth|Alfred Smyth]] writes that it is "a bland chronicle which laconically charts the movements of the Danish victors while at the same time disingenuously striving to convey the impression that Alfred was in control", although it fails.<ref name="Smyth 70" />

Even if Alfred had caught up with the Danish force, it is unlikely that he could have accomplished anything. The fact that his army could not defend the fortified Chippenham, even in "an age... as yet untrained in siege warfare"<ref name="Smyth 70" /> casts great doubt on its ability to defeat the Danes in an open field, unaided by fortifications. There was little that Alfred could do about the Danes from 875 and the end of 877, beyond repeatedly paying the invaders off.<ref>{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|p=73-75}}.</ref>

==Battle==
[[File:King Alfred's Tower (4546584778).jpg|thumb|left|[[King Alfred's Tower]] is one supposed site of ''Egbert's Stone'', the mustering place before the battle.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bennett|2013|p=32}}.</ref> ]]
With his small warband, a fraction of his army at Chippenham, Alfred could not hope to retake the town from the Danes, who had in previous battles (for example at the [[Battle of Reading (871)|Battle of Reading in 871]]) proved themselves adept at defending fortified positions. After the disaster at Chippenham, Alfred is next recorded around [[Easter]] 878, when he built a fortress at Athelney.<ref>{{harvnb|Smyth|2002|pp=26–27|p=}}; {{harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=76–77}}.</ref> In the seventh week after Easter, or between {{Date|4–7 May 878}},<ref name="S74">{{harvnb|Smyth|2002|pp=|p=74}}.</ref> Alfred called a [[Conscription#Medieval levies|levy]] at ''Ecgbryhtesstan'' (Egbert's Stone).{{Efn|Burkitt suggests that on philological grounds, Brixton Deverill may be a contender for the site.<ref name=L>{{harvnb|Burkitt|2017|p=328}}.</ref>}} Many of the men in the counties around (Somerset, Wiltshire, and [[Hampshire]]) who had not already fled rallied to him there. The next day, Alfred's host moved to Iley Oak,{{Efn|Burkitt suggests that on philological grounds, Iley, written by Asser as 'y glea', may refer to [[Old Welsh]] (Asser is writing, a Welshman) 'y lle' 'at the place'. A significant Iron Age hillfort near Edington is called [[Cley Hill]]. The English spelling, sounding the same as the old Welsh, may be relevant to understanding the position of the Saxon troops preceding the battle.<ref name=L />}} which Guthrum had camped about {{convert|7|mi|km}} away.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wood|2005|p=123}}.</ref> The day after that to ''Eðandun''.<ref>{{harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=76–77}}; {{harvnb|Smyth|2002|pp=26–27|p=}}.</ref> There, on an unknown date between {{Date|6–12 May 878}},<ref>{{harvnb|Smyth|1995|p=75}}.</ref> they fought the Danes.

According to the ''Life of King Alfred'':

{{blockquote|Fighting ferociously, forming a dense shield-wall against the whole army of the Pagans, and striving long and bravely...at last he [Alfred] gained the victory. He overthrew the Pagans with great slaughter, and smiting the fugitives, he pursued them as far as the fortress [Chippenham].<ref>{{harvnb|Smyth|2002|pp=26–27}}.</ref>|source=}}

After the victory, when the Danes had taken refuge in the fortress, the West Saxons besieged the fort, and waited for two weeks.<ref>{{harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=|p=84}}; {{harvnb|Smyth|2002|pp=26–27|p=}}.</ref> The Danes sued for peace and gave Alfred hostages and solemn oaths that they would leave the kingdom, and promised that Guthrum would be baptized.<ref name=":6">{{harvnb|Swanton|2000|pp=|p=76}}.</ref> The primary difference between this agreement and the treaties at Wareham and Exeter was that Alfred had decisively defeated the Danes at Edington, rather than just stopping them, and therefore it seemed more likely that they would keep to the terms of the treaty.<ref>{{Harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=27-30}}.</ref>

One reason for Alfred's victory was possibly the relative size of the two armies. The men of even one [[shire]] could be a formidable fighting force, as those of [[Devon]] proved in the same year, defeating an army under Ubba at the [[Battle of Cynwit]].<ref name="smyth26">{{harvnb|Smyth|2002|pp=26–27|p=}}.</ref> In 875 Guthrum had lost the support of other Danish lords, including Ivar the Boneless and Ubba.<ref>{{Harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=30-31}}.</ref> Further Danish forces had settled on the land before Guthrum attacked Wessex: in East Anglia and in [[Kingdom of Mercia|Mercia]] between the treaty at Exeter and the attack on Chippenham; many others were lost in a storm off Swanage in 876–877, with 120 ships wrecked.<ref name=S74/> Some historians, such as Richard Abels, have suggested that Guthrum's defeat at Edington may have reflected not only military failure but also diminishing internal cohesion.<ref>{{Harvnb|Abels|1998|pp=163-64}}.</ref>
{{clear}}

==Location of the battle==
[[Image:asser facsimile.png|thumb|upright=1.15|A 1722 copy of part of [[Asser]]'s ''[[Asser#Life of King Alfred|Life of King Alfred]]'']]
The primary sources for the location of the battle are [[Asser]]'s ''Life of King Alfred'', which names the place as "''Ethandun''" and the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', which has ''Eðandun''.<ref name=":4">{{harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=|p=84}}.</ref> The chronicle was compiled during the reign of Alfred the Great and is thus a contemporary record.<ref name="asc878">{{cite web|url=http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/a/a-L.html|title=Manuscript A: The Parker Chronicle|website=asc.jebbo.co.uk}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> It is believed that Asser's ''Life'' was originally written in 893; however, no contemporary manuscript survives.<ref name="lapidge84">{{Harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=84, Ch. 56, 48-58}}.</ref><ref name="sawyer502">{{harvnb|Gransden|1996|pp=|p=52}}.</ref> A version of the ''Life'', written in about 1000 and known as the ''[[Cotton Otho]] A.&nbsp;xii'' text, lasted until 1731, when it was destroyed in [[Cotton library#Ashburnham House fire|the fire]] at Ashburnham House. Before its destruction, this version had been transcribed and annotated; it is this transcription on which modern translations are based.<ref name="lapidge84" /> Some scholars have suggested that Asser's ''Life of King Alfred'' was a [[Asser#Claims of forgery|forgery]].{{Efn|See {{harvnb|Gransden|1996|pp=Ch. 4|p=}} for an analysis of the subject.}}

The location of the battle accepted by most present-day historians is at Edington, near Westbury in Wiltshire.<ref name="lavelle308">{{harvnb|Lavelle|2010|pp=308–14}}.</ref>  However, the location has been much debated over the centuries.<ref name=lavelle308 /> In 1904, [[W. H. Stevenson|William Henry Stevenson]] disputed the location and said "So far, there is nothing to prove the identity of this ''Eðandun'' [as named in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle] with Edington" but then goes on to say that "there can be little reason for questioning it".{{sfn|Stevenson|1904|p=273}}

Edington, Wiltshire, is known to have been part of Alfred's family estate.<ref name="lapidge176">{{harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=176–77, 323|p=}}.</ref> He left a manor called ''Eðandun'' to his wife in his will.<ref name="lapidge176" /> A charter records a meeting of the king's council at ''Eðandun'', although a later scribe has annotated the same document with ''Eðandune''.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Electronic Sawyer |url=http://www.esawyer.org.uk/charter/1507.html |website=www.esawyer.org.uk}}</ref> In 968, another charter reported that King Edgar had granted land at ''Edyndon'' to Romsey Abbey.<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Keynes|2014|p=71}}.</ref> The [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 has an entry for [[Romsey Abbey]] holding land at ''Edendone'' in the county of Wiltshire at the time of [[Edward the Confessor]] (before 1066) and also in 1086, and this is known to be at [[Edington, Wiltshire]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/ST9253/edington/|title=Edington - Domesday Book|website=domesdaymap.co.uk|access-date=4 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201193043/http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/ST9253/edington/|archive-date=1 February 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Alternatives to Edington, Wiltshire, have been suggested since early times. The [[Tudor dynasty|Tudor]] historian [[Polydore Vergil]] appears to have misread the ancient texts for the battle site, as he places it at ''Abyndoniam'' ([[Abingdon, Oxfordshire|Abingdon]]) instead of Edington.<ref>Polydore Vergil, ''Anglica Historia'' (1555 edition) Book V, [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/polverg/5lat.html#7 Ch. 7 online]</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Lavelle|2010|pp=306–07}}.</ref> In the 19th century there was a resurgence in interest of medieval history and King Alfred was seen as a major hero. Although most early historians had sited the battle as in the Edington area, the significant interest in the subject encouraged many antiquarians to dig up Alfredian sites and also to propose alternatives for the location of the battle.<ref>{{harvnb|Lavelle|2010|pp=|p=309}}.</ref><ref name="parker18">{{harvnb|Parker|2007|pp=|p=22}}.</ref> Arguments for the alternative sites were generally name-based, although with the large interest in everything Alfredian in the 19th century, any site that had an Alfredian connection could be guaranteed large numbers of tourists, so this was also a driving force to find a link.<ref name=parker18/><ref name="lavelle311">{{harvnb|Lavelle|2010|pp=311–12}}.</ref>

==Consequences==
{{Main|Treaty of Wedmore|Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum}}
{{Multiple image
| image1            = England 878.svg
| image2            = Britain 886.jpg
| total_width       = 350
| alt1              = England, before the Battle of Edington and the [[Treaty of Wedmore]], in 878.
| caption1          = England, before the Battle of Edington.
| alt2              = England, after the Treaty of Wedmore.
| caption2          = England, after the Battle of Edington and the [[Treaty of Wedmore]], in 886.
}}
Three weeks after the battle, Guthrum was baptised at [[Aller, Somerset|Aller]] in [[Somerset]] with Alfred as his [[Godparent|sponsor]].<ref name=asc878 /><ref name=":2">{{harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=|p=85}}.</ref> It is possible that the enforced conversion was an attempt by Alfred to lock Guthrum into a Christian code of ethics, hoping it would ensure the Danes' compliance with any treaties agreed to. The converted Guthrum took the baptismal name of Athelstan, the name of Alfred's deceased older brother.<ref>{{harvnb|Yorke|1997|pp=176–177}}; {{harvnb|Abels|1998|pp=165–67}}.</ref>

Under the terms of the Treaty of Wedmore, the converted Guthrum was required to leave Wessex and return to East Anglia.<ref name=":6" /> Consequently, in 879 the Viking army left Chippenham and made its way to [[Cirencester]] (in the Kingdom of Mercia) and remained there for a year.<ref name=":6" /> The following year the army went to East Anglia, where it settled, which started Viking activity in [[East Anglia]].<ref name=":11">{{harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=|p=85}}; {{harvnb|Abels|1998|pp=165–67}}.</ref> This allowed Alfred the Great to stabilise Wessex and reform administration and defence. This includes the establishment of fortified towns ([[burh]]s) and reorganisation of the [[fyrd]] (militia system).<ref>{{Harvnb|Wood|2005|p=124}}.</ref><ref name="yorke176">{{harvnb|Yorke|1997|pp=176–177}}.</ref>[[File:Anglo-Saxon_burhs.svg|left|thumb|350x350px|A map of [[Burh|burhs]] in the 10th-century. Burhs were established after the [[Treaty of Wedmore]], for [[Alfred the Great]] to reestablish the militia system of [[Wessex]].]]Also in 879, according to Asser, another Viking army sailed up the [[River Thames]] and wintered at [[Fulham]] in [[Middlesex]].<ref name=":2" /> Over the next few years this particular Danish faction had several encounters with Alfred's forces.<ref>{{Harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|p=|pp=85-87}}.</ref>

In 885 Asser reports that the [[Great Heathen Army|Viking army]] that had settled in East Anglia had broken ''in a '''most insolent manner' the peace they had established with Alfred, although Guthrum is not mentioned.<ref name=":2" /> Guthrum reigned as king in East Anglia until his death in 890, and although this period was not always peaceful he was not considered a threat.<ref name=yorke176 /><ref>{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|p=83}}.</ref>
Sometime after Wedmore and before Guthrum's death, a treaty was agreed that set out the lasting peace terms between the two kings. It is known as the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum and defines the boundaries of their two kingdoms.<ref name=":10">{{Harvnb|Keynes|Lapidge|1983|pp=311-313}}.</ref> The kingdom of Mercia was divided up, with part going to Alfred's Wessex and the other part to Guthrum's East Anglia.<ref name=":10" /> The agreement also defined the social classes of Danish East Anglia and their equivalents in Wessex. It tried to provide a framework that would minimise conflict and regulate commerce between the two peoples.<ref name=":11" /> It is not clear how seriously Guthrum took his conversion to Christianity, but he was the first of the Danish rulers of the English kingdoms to mint coins on the Alfredian model, under his baptismal name of Athelstan.<ref name=":7">{{Harvnb|Blunt|Stewart|Lyon|1989|pp=12-15}}.</ref> By the end of the 9th century, all of the Anglo-Danish rulers were minting coins too.<ref name=":7" /> By the 10th century, the Anglo-Saxon model of kingship seems to have been universally adopted by the Anglo-Danish leadership.<ref name="abels165">{{harvnb|Abels|1998|pp=165–67}}.</ref>

After the defeat of Guthrum at the Battle of Edington, Alfred's reforms to military obligations in Wessex made it increasingly difficult for the Vikings to raid successfully.<ref>{{Harvnb|Abels|1992|pp=116–45}}.</ref> By 896 the Vikings had given up, with some going to East Anglia and others to [[Northumbria]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Swanton|2000|p=89}}.</ref> It was under Alfred that the Viking threat was contained. However, the system of military reforms and the [[Burghal Hidage]] introduced by [[Edward the Elder]] enabled Alfred's successors to retake control of the lands occupied in the [[Danelaw|North of England]] by the Danes.<ref name="asc896">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Swanton|2000|p=104}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{Cite book |last=Abels |first=Richard |title=Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon, Oxon |year=1998 |isbn=0-582-04048-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Abels |first=Richard |title=Lordship and Military Obligation in Anglo-Saxon England |date=1 July 1992 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0520057944}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bennett |first=Stephen |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48578275 |title=The Wyvern Resurgent: Alfred's Campaign of 878 and the Battle of Edington |year=2013 |jstor=48578275 |access-date=11 May 2025 |url-access=subscription}} {{ODNBsub}}
* {{cite book |last1=Blunt |first1=Christopher Evelyn |title=Coinage in Tenth-Century England |last2=Stewart |first2=Bruce Henry Ian Howard |last3=Lyon |first3=Charles Stephen Sinclair |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1989 |isbn= 978-0-521-03177-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Burkitt |first=Annette |title=Flesh and Bones of Frome Selwood and Wessex |publisher=Hobnob Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-906978-50-1}}
* {{Cite web|url=http://domesdaymap.co.uk/|title=Domesday Map Online|publisher=Hull University|access-date=4 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321162208/http://domesdaymap.co.uk/|archive-date=21 March 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
* {{Cite book|last=Gransden|first=Antonia|title=Historical Writing in England: c. 500 to c. 1307|isbn=0-415-15124-4 |publisher=Routledge|year=1996|location=London}}
* {{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Gwyn|title=A History of the Vikings|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1984|isbn=0-19-215882-1}}
* {{cite book|editor-first=Simon|editor-last=Keynes|editor-link1=Simon Keynes|editor2-first=Michael|editor2-last=Lapidge|editor-link2=Michael Lapidge|title=Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred & Other Contemporary Sources|publisher=Penguin Classics|location=London|year=1983|isbn=978-0-14-044409-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/alfredgreatasser0000asse| via = [[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Keynes |first=Simon |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/edgar-king-of-the-english-959975/conspectus-of-the-charters-of-king-edgar-957975/BD3ACC2B5C571AD4DCDC459A76782E3E |title=Edgar, King of the English, 959-975 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer, Limited |year=2014 |isbn=9781843839286 |editor-last=Scragg |editor-first=Donald |volume=1 |url-access=limited |via=[[Cambridge University Press]]}} {{ODNBsub}}
* {{Cite book|last=Lavelle|first=Ryan|title=Alfred's Wars Sources and Interpretations of Anglo-Saxon Warfare in the Viking Age|publisher=Boydel Press|location=Woodbridge, Suffolk|isbn=978-1-84383-569-1|year=2010}}
* {{Cite book|last=Parker|first=Joanne|title='England's Darling'|publisher=Manchester University Press|location=Manchester|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7190-7356-4}}
* {{Cite book|last=Sawyer|first=Peter|title=The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings. 3rd Edition|location=Oxford|publisher=OUP|year=2001|isbn=0-19-285434-8}}
* {{Cite book|last=Smyth|first=Alfred P.|title=King Alfred the Great|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1995|isbn=0-19-822989-5}}
* {{Cite book|last=Smyth|first=Alfred P.|title=The Medieval Life of King Alfred the Great: A Translation and Commentary on the Text Attributed to Asser|year=2002|publisher=Paulgrave Houndmills|location=Basingstoke, Hampshire|isbn=0-333-69917-3}}
* {{cite book |editor-first=Michael |editor-last=Swanton |editor-link=Michael Swanton |url=https://archive.org/details/anglosaxonchroni0000unse_o1n1 |title=The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles |publisher=Phoenix |location=London, UK |url-access=registration |year=2000 |edition=revised paperback |isbn=978-1-84212-003-3| via = [[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{cite book|editor-first=William|editor-last=Stevenson |title=Asser's Life of King Alfred|language=Latin, English |publisher=Clarendon Press |location =Oxford, UK |year=1904|oclc= 1354216 }}
* {{Cite web|url=http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/server/show/conMemorial.45340/fromUkniwmSearch/1|publisher=United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials|title=Battle of Ethandun|access-date=21 May 2010}}
* {{Cite book|last=Wood|first=Michael|year=2005|title=In Search of the Dark Ages|publisher=BBC|location=London|isbn=978-0-563-52276-8}}
* {{Cite book|last=Yorke|first=Barbara|author-link=Barbara Yorke|title=Kings and Kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England|publisher=Routledge|location=London|year=1997|isbn=0-415-16639-X}}

{{Viking Invasion of England}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ethandun}}
[[Category:870s conflicts]]
[[Category:Battles involving Wessex]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Vikings]]
[[Category:Military history of Wiltshire]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Anglo-Saxons]]
[[Category:878]]
[[Category:9th century in England]]
[[Category:Alfred the Great]]