The Great Heathen Army wintered at Thetford in 869, using it as a base to subjugate East Anglia. King Edmund raised an army but was defeated in battle. According to later sources, Edmund was captured, tortured and executed when he refused to renounce Christianity or share his kingdom with the pagan Danes. He was shot with arrows and beheaded — becoming St Edmund, patron saint of England, whose shrine at Bury St Edmunds was one of the most important in medieval Britain. The Danish occupation of East Anglia was complete by 870.
Danish: Great Heathen Army under Ivar and Ubbe. English: King Edmund of East Anglia with his army
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