BattlefieldsAlfred the Great — Danish Advance Checked at Bedford 878
Early Medieval

Alfred the Great — Danish Advance Checked at Bedford 878

878
Bedfordshire, England
Also known as: Battle of Ethandun Aftermath — Midlands · Alfred Secures Bedford 878
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Bedfordshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
East Anglian Danes
Forces
East Anglian Danish raiding parties
VS
Victor
West Saxons (Alfred)
Forces
West Saxon and Mercian allied forces
Outcome
Danish advance into Mercia checked after Edington; frontier stabilised
The Battle

History & Significance

Following Alfred\'s decisive victory at Edington in 878 and the subsequent baptism of Guthrum, the frontier between English and Danish-controlled territory was defined and periodically disputed. Bedford, on the River Ouse, was in the no-man\'s land between West Saxon-aligned Mercia and Danish East Anglia. Alfred\'s campaigns in the 880s-890s gradually pushed Danish raiding forces back, and Bedford became a key point on the contested frontier that was eventually formalised in the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum.

Questions & Answers

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