Wiltshire has enjoyed a relatively peaceful history, but on occasion it has been the scene of bitter conflicts that shaped the future of England. One such conflict occurred in the latter half of the ninth century, when Wiltshire was the scene of a desperate last-ditch battle for survival between Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, and the invading ‘Vikings’ or Danes. If Alfred had lost then the English state, church and language would have ceased to exist.
The Succession of Alfred the Great
Alfred succeeded to the throne of Wessex in 871, and his chances of survival must have appeared slim. His three older brothers had each reigned before him and their short bloody reigns had largely been devoted to fending off the Danes. The kingdoms of Northumberland and Mercia had already crumbled before them, leaving Wessex as the sole remaining independent English kingdom.
The new king employed every available tactic to fend off the Danes, including the payment of bribes or ‘Dane geld’ to leave Wessex alone. After a series of military defeats Alfred organised a truce and for five years his kingdom was spared from the fury of the northmen.
The War against the Danes Resumes
In 876 the war resumed as a Danish army under their new leader Guthrum captured Exeter. Alfred marched to blockade the town and enjoyed a stroke of luck as a storm destroyed the Danish fleet. Guthrum agreed to submit and withdrew his army to Mercia. Satisfied that Guthrum would keep his promise, Alfred disbanded his army and went to Chippenham in Wiltshire.
Chippenham was a royal estate and one of Alfred’s favourite residences. As a boy he witnessed the marriage of his sister to the King of Mercia there, which is believed to have taken place on the site of St Andrew’s Church. Alfred later built a hunting lodge at Chippenham, and in the flush of his victory over Guthrum felt confident enough to celebrate Christmas on the estate.
The Attack on Chippenham on Twelfth Night
He should have known better than to trust his enemies. Chippenham was poorly defended, and on Twelfth Night in January 878 the Danes suddenly descended upon the place. Taken by surprise, most of Alfred’s followers were either slaughtered or captured with the exception of the king himself and a few bodyguards. He and the pathetic remnant of his household somehow evaded pursuit until they found refuge in the tidal marshes of Athelney in Somerset. Meanwhile the Danes used Chippenham as a base to ravage the surrounding countryside.
Most of England was now in the hands of the Danes, and the sole surviving English king reduced to a fugitive hiding in the woods and swamps of his own kingdom. Guthrum was anxious to capture Alfred and sent troops to hunt him down, but Alfred was safe as long as he stayed within the trackless wastes of Athelney. He had a fort built inside the marshes and sent messages to his scattered supporters that their king was still alive and willing to fight.
The Gathering of the Fyrd
In the spring of 878 Alfred decided to risk all on a single pitched battle. He had no army and relied upon the support of the local militia (known as the fyrd) of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset. Alfred summoned the fyrd to meet him at Egbert’s Stone in Dorset, and over four thousand men gathered there to welcome the king they had thought lost.
The Battle of Edington
Eager to strike while their enthusiasm lasted, Alfred immediately marched upon the Danes, who were mustering at Edington near Salisbury Plain. Two days after the meeting at Egbert’s Stone the English army came within sight of the Danish host. The battle that followed was a brutal and uncomplicated affair, and is described thus by a contemporary chronicle:
‘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’
The fortress was Chippenham, where the fleeing remnants of the Danish army took refuge. Alfred’s army surrounded it and stripped the area of food, leaving the Danes with nothing to forage. After two weeks the exhausted and starving garrison sued for peace, which Alfred accepted on condition that Guthrum was baptised. Guthrum was in no position to argue and duly became a Christian.
England is Divided between Saxons and Danes
England was then divided between Wessex and the Danelaw i.e. those parts of England still under Danish control. Alfred had saved his kingdom and would never again have to fight for his survival, though Wessex continued to be plagued by Danish raids. Thus Wiltshire was the scene of his greatest crisis and greatest victory.
Sources:
Saxon Chronicles translated and collated by Anne Savage, Tiger International (1995)
