Wessex & Danelaw

• In 871, Alfred [son of Aethelred] became king after his father died. He fought the Vikings and helped bring peace to the country.
• Vikings who settled in England often married English women and converted to Christianity
• In 876, after conquering Northumbria, East Anglia and most of Mercia, the Vikings began a series of attacks on Wessex.
• In May 878, Alfred beat the Vikings at the Battle of Edington and the two sides sat to discuss peace terms.
• Guthrum [the Viking leader] had to become Christian and agree to never attack England again without Alfred's consent.
• A boundary was created between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings. The Vikings lived in the North and East, known as the Danelaw.
• The Vikings were not allowed to build their own churches or use their own laws but they did have some rights such as being able to trade freely and keep their own language.