878-900 (Alfred the not-so Great)

878-900

 * 878 (POD): King Alfred of Wessex is discovered by Guthrum, king of the Danes in East Anglia, hiding in Athelney. He, his entire family, and all his men are ruthlessly slaughtered. Now that Wessex has no clear leader, it quickly devolves into anarchy. Guthrum takes advantage of the chaos and conquers Wessex easily. Also, in Northumbria, with the recent death of Halfdan Ragnarsson, Guthrum takes advantage of the power vacuum and makes Northumbria part of his kingdom.
 * 879: Having taken over Wessex, Guthrum sets his eyes on Mercia. With the death of their king, Ceolwulf II, Mercia also is left without leadership, and Guthrum takes over Mercia with ease.
 * 879-880: Guthrum goes on a conquest of Wales. The Welsh principalities and kingdoms unite to fight off the Danish invaders. However, Guthrum, having amassed the armies of all his conquered countries, and also having drafted all able-bodied men in England (now Danelaw), has the strength in numbers. By December 880, all of Wales is under Danic control (Danic being the demonym for a resident of Danelaw). Guthrum marries a Welsh woman named Gwenllian, who converts to Norse paganism.
 * 880-882: Guthrum goes to war with the Kingdom of Strathclyde and the Kingdom of the Picts. The two Kingdoms ally themselves with the Kingdom of the Isles, as the Kingdom is also worried about being conquered by Danelw Giric, King of the Picts, is killed in battle and Eochaid, his co-ruler who also ruled the Kingdom of Strathclyde, becomes king of booth kingdoms. He is killed by Guthrum in battle. He then focuses his energy on the Kingdom of the Isles, now that he has secured rule over the rest of Scotland. By 882 Guthrum conquers all of OTL Scotland, and declares himself Emperor of Britannia, as he now rules all of Great Britain. He then sets his eyes on Ireland.
 * 882-885: Guthrum forms an alliance with the Viking kingdoms of Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, and Limerick to help conquer all of Ireland. By 885, the Vikings have conquered all of Ireland, deposing the native Celtic rulers, and Sichfrith mac Imair, King of Dublin, is declared High King of Ireland. Guthrum, however, sends an assassin to kill Sichfrith, and succeeds. He declares himself High King of Ireland, incorporating it into the Empire of Britannia, creating the Empire of Britannia and Ireland. He then proceeds to murder all male members of the Ui Imair dynasty who refuse to pledge an oath to him, to end any competition to the throne of Ireland. He also forces the new Viking kings of Ireland to pledge loyalty to him.
 * 885-887: News of Guthrum's conquests reach mainland Europe. Charles the Fat, Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of OTL France and Germany, with the support of Pope Adrian III, declares war on Guthrum, worried that because he was a pagan he would convert the people of Ireland and Britannia to Norse paganism as well. Guthrum's army met Charles' near the delta of the Rhine river, where the Battle of the Rhine took place. Guthrum won the Battle, and established his base of operations at the Rhine Delta.