1 October – King Æthelwulf marries as his second wife the teenage
Judith of Flanders at
Verberie and she is crowned queen of Wessex. He returns to Wessex but Æthelbald retains rule of part of the kingdom.
4 February – death of
Ceolnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by
Æthelred.
871
The English retreat onto the
Berkshire Downs. The
Great Heathen Army, led by the Danish Viking kings
Halfdan Ragnarsson and
Bagsecg, march out after the Saxons. Six pitched battles are fought between the
Vikings and
Wessex. Of two of them the place and date are not recorded, the others are given here:
4 January –
Battle of Reading: A West Saxon force, under the command of King
Æthelred I and his brother
Alfred, is defeated by the Vikings at
Reading. Among the many dead on both sides is
Æthelwulf of Berkshire. The Saxon troops are forced to retreat, allowing the
Vikings to continue their advance into Wessex.[4][9]
8 January –
Battle of Ashdown: The West Saxons, led by Æthelred I and Alfred, gather on the Berkshire Downs. The Vikings under the command of Halfdan and Bagsecg occupy the high ground, but are successfully attacked by Alfred's men. During the battle Alfred breaches the
shield wall formation.[1][10]
22 January –
Battle of Basing: The West Saxon army, under the command of Æthelred I, is defeated at
Basing; the Vikings, led by Halfdan, are victorious; Æthelred is forced to flee and regroup, leaving behind precious
winter supplies.[10]
23 April – King Æthelred of Wessex dies and is succeeded by his brother
Alfred the Great.[1] Æthelred is buried at
Wimborne Minster; while Alfred is making the funeral preparations, his army is again defeated.
May –
Battle of Wilton: Alfred the Great is defeated by the Vikings at Wilton (along the southern side of the
River Wylye), and is forced to makes peace with them, probably paying them
Danegeld, and establishes his capital at
Winchester.[11]
Autumn – Vikings withdraw from
Reading and sail down the
River Thames to raid the
Mercian port of
Lundenwic (modern-day London) and overwinter here.[10] Viking armies go on to colonize areas of north, central and eastern England, later becoming known as the
Danelaw.
Vikings capture
Exeter but their supply fleet is destroyed in a storm off
Swanage[12] and they are driven out by Alfred and settle in the
Five Boroughs.[1]
877
Approximate date – Saxons invaders kill
Rhodri the Great, Prince of Gwynedd, and his son (or brother) Gwriad.[3][13]
Princes of southern
Wales acknowledge Alfred as their overlord.[1]
879
Guthrum relocates to
East Anglia where he will rule under his baptismal name of Æthelstan.[1][12]
886
Alfred restores London to Mercia.
Alfred signs a treaty with Guthrum, granting the territory between the
Thames and the
Tees to the Vikings; later known as the
Danelaw.[1]
Tradition of the
Ripon hornblower begins, continuing for at least a thousand years.[14]
888
30 June – death of
Æthelred, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by
Plegmund.
Probable date –
Shaftesbury Abbey is founded as a convent by Alfred who installs his daughter
Æthelgifu as first abbess.[15]
890
The
Welsh ruler
Anarawd ap Rhodri, King of
Gwynedd, makes the first ceremonial visit to an English court, that of Alfred.
Approximate date – Alfred begins to commission and undertake a series of translations into
Old English, beginning with his own version of
Pope Gregory I's Pastoral Care.
892
Danish Vikings invade again, under the leadership of
Hastein.[1]
A Danish Viking army under
Hastein moves to a
burh at
Benfleet (
Essex); this camp is captured by the
Saxons while the army is out raiding and Hastein is forced to retreat to
Shoebury.[16]
Autumn – Danish Vikings under Hastein take the city of
Chester,[1] after a rapid march from East Anglia. Alfred the Great destroys their food supplies, forcing them to move into
Wales.[16]
Asser of Sherborne writes The Life of King Alfred (Vita Ælfredi regis Angul Saxonum).[1]
1 October – King Æthelwulf marries as his second wife the teenage
Judith of Flanders at
Verberie and she is crowned queen of Wessex. He returns to Wessex but Æthelbald retains rule of part of the kingdom.
4 February – death of
Ceolnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by
Æthelred.
871
The English retreat onto the
Berkshire Downs. The
Great Heathen Army, led by the Danish Viking kings
Halfdan Ragnarsson and
Bagsecg, march out after the Saxons. Six pitched battles are fought between the
Vikings and
Wessex. Of two of them the place and date are not recorded, the others are given here:
4 January –
Battle of Reading: A West Saxon force, under the command of King
Æthelred I and his brother
Alfred, is defeated by the Vikings at
Reading. Among the many dead on both sides is
Æthelwulf of Berkshire. The Saxon troops are forced to retreat, allowing the
Vikings to continue their advance into Wessex.[4][9]
8 January –
Battle of Ashdown: The West Saxons, led by Æthelred I and Alfred, gather on the Berkshire Downs. The Vikings under the command of Halfdan and Bagsecg occupy the high ground, but are successfully attacked by Alfred's men. During the battle Alfred breaches the
shield wall formation.[1][10]
22 January –
Battle of Basing: The West Saxon army, under the command of Æthelred I, is defeated at
Basing; the Vikings, led by Halfdan, are victorious; Æthelred is forced to flee and regroup, leaving behind precious
winter supplies.[10]
23 April – King Æthelred of Wessex dies and is succeeded by his brother
Alfred the Great.[1] Æthelred is buried at
Wimborne Minster; while Alfred is making the funeral preparations, his army is again defeated.
May –
Battle of Wilton: Alfred the Great is defeated by the Vikings at Wilton (along the southern side of the
River Wylye), and is forced to makes peace with them, probably paying them
Danegeld, and establishes his capital at
Winchester.[11]
Autumn – Vikings withdraw from
Reading and sail down the
River Thames to raid the
Mercian port of
Lundenwic (modern-day London) and overwinter here.[10] Viking armies go on to colonize areas of north, central and eastern England, later becoming known as the
Danelaw.
Vikings capture
Exeter but their supply fleet is destroyed in a storm off
Swanage[12] and they are driven out by Alfred and settle in the
Five Boroughs.[1]
877
Approximate date – Saxons invaders kill
Rhodri the Great, Prince of Gwynedd, and his son (or brother) Gwriad.[3][13]
Princes of southern
Wales acknowledge Alfred as their overlord.[1]
879
Guthrum relocates to
East Anglia where he will rule under his baptismal name of Æthelstan.[1][12]
886
Alfred restores London to Mercia.
Alfred signs a treaty with Guthrum, granting the territory between the
Thames and the
Tees to the Vikings; later known as the
Danelaw.[1]
Tradition of the
Ripon hornblower begins, continuing for at least a thousand years.[14]
888
30 June – death of
Æthelred, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by
Plegmund.
Probable date –
Shaftesbury Abbey is founded as a convent by Alfred who installs his daughter
Æthelgifu as first abbess.[15]
890
The
Welsh ruler
Anarawd ap Rhodri, King of
Gwynedd, makes the first ceremonial visit to an English court, that of Alfred.
Approximate date – Alfred begins to commission and undertake a series of translations into
Old English, beginning with his own version of
Pope Gregory I's Pastoral Care.
892
Danish Vikings invade again, under the leadership of
Hastein.[1]
A Danish Viking army under
Hastein moves to a
burh at
Benfleet (
Essex); this camp is captured by the
Saxons while the army is out raiding and Hastein is forced to retreat to
Shoebury.[16]
Autumn – Danish Vikings under Hastein take the city of
Chester,[1] after a rapid march from East Anglia. Alfred the Great destroys their food supplies, forcing them to move into
Wales.[16]
Asser of Sherborne writes The Life of King Alfred (Vita Ælfredi regis Angul Saxonum).[1]