Ninth Century (Ethelred the Pious)

Overview
The Ninth Century covers the first thirty years after the point of divergence. Effects are limited to England itself.

The Danes under Halfdan Rangnarsson and his brother Ivar conquered all of England after the Battle of Ashdown. They chased Ethelred and Alfred from Ashdown to the south, the heart of the West Saxon kingdom, and then into Kent. Ethelred made frequent counterattacks, some of them successful, but in the end was unable to decisively defeat the Danes as his own army dwindled.

With the victory at the Battle of Headcorn, Halfdan and Ivar's conquest of England was complete. They were in command of two new Danish kingdoms, Jórvík (York) and Østangeln (Eastanglia).

The rest of the century was devoted to consolidation. There was still a rump Saxon Kingdom of Northumberland in the far north and a self-governing Mercia in the Midlands. Many of the nobility of Wessex had taken refuge on the unconquered Isle of Wight. Most pressing was the rebellion Alfred continued to wage, which was wiped out in 881.

Other tensions lurked beneath the surface in early Viking England. There was conflict between the Saxons and their new Scandinavian rulers. Halfdan of Jorvik dealt with this through unthinkable cruelty and bloodshed. His son Hviserk was more temperate and re-established some of the Saxons' local laws and customs, at least in the far South, in the so-called Angelagen.

At the same time, the two kingdoms were not getting along. Halfdan had been the greater partner in his alliance with his brother, and after their victory had absorbed most of Wessex and all of Mercia into Jorvik, leaving Ivar of Østangeln with little to show for all his campaigning in 871-873. War broke out twice, in which Halfdan decidedly defended his conquests. Their sons attempted to make peace, but to no avail.

Timeline of events

 * 871: At the Battle of Ashdown, Halfdan Ragnarsson leads a great army of Danes into the territory of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex. King Ethelred of Wessex lingers at his morning devotions and his brother Alfred does not take command of the Saxon army, giving the Danes time to seize the high ground and the initiative.  The Saxons are routed.  Halfdan declares himself King of Lundun and Jorvik.


 * 871-872: Ethelred makes a series of counterattacks, some successful, but most of them not. He and his forces are driven into Kent.


 * 873: The Battle of Headcorn (Kent) is the last stand of the Wessex kingdom, and by extention of the Anglo-Saxon rulers of England. Ethelred is killed.  Alfred assumes the kingship and goes underground.


 * 877: Halfdan removes the puppet king Ceolwulf II of Mercia from his throne, adding the remainder of English Mercia to his territory. Mercia is divided among Halfdan's loyal jarls, most of the Saxon earls having been executed.


 * 881: Alfred is captured and killed, ending major Saxon resistance to Viking rule in England.


 * 893: Halfdan dies, mourned by few. His 22-year-old son Hviserk becomes King of Jorvik.  He is remembered as a much saner, less cruel king than his father.


 * 897: Hvitserk Halfdansson proclaims the Angelagen, or English Law, in the southern part of the Kingdom of Jorvik (Mercia, Wessex, and Kent). It preserves many of the Anglo-Saxon legal concepts, including the concept of ruling based on legal precedent.


 * Growing conflict between the Kingdoms of Jorvik and Østangeln (East Anglia), led by descendants of the brothers Halfdan and Ivar Ragnarsson.