Battle of Edington (A Fallen Britannia)

Battle of Edington
At the battle of Edington, a force of attacking Danes were able to defeat King Æthelhelm's hastily gathered troops. Guthrum, the leader of the Danes, was able to obliterate Æthelhelm's army and his reputation in Wessex. After the battle, Guthrum captured most of Wessex which led to a whole new era in European politics.

Background
Starting ever since 793, the attack on the Lindisfarne monastery, the Vikings (Danes or Norwegians) had always had their sights on the rich lands of England. After the death of legendary Ragnarr Lothbrok (who may be a myth), his sons as an act of vengeance, invaded the north of England, Northumbria. Ragnarr's sons led an army now known as the Great Heathen Army who released havoc upon England. By 870, the Kingdoms of Deira and East Anglia had fallen to the Danish and a failed attack on Wessex had been held just a year later. In 874, the Vikings successfully contributed to the fall of Mercia which was split in half between the Danes and the English.