

PAUL HILL
History Author

Statue of Alfred at King Alfred's Tower.
THE VIKING WARS OF ALFRED THE GREAT
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​Edington was the battle that transformed English history in 878 AD. Before the clash, the Vikings had been victorious everywhere - occupying northern and eastern England, and menacing Wessex, the heartland of Saxon rule. But under its great king Alfred, Wessex fought back and at Edington Alfred decisively defeated the Danish king Guthrum, turning the tide of the Viking wars. The battle came after Alfred had recovered from his lowest point as a hunted fugitive in the marshes of Athelney in Somerset, from where he had rallied resistance to the Danish invasion.

"...it is an excellent read for both new and established scholars of this period, written in an engaging and authoritative style. If the proliferation of Saxon names proves a difficulty, Hill has been careful to relate them to their place and context and this helps make it a very worthwhile foray into a period that was not the dark ages of legend, but one rich in English history that we all ought to know more about."
John Francis