On This Day

Alfred, King of Wessex, is surprised by a nighttime attack in Chippenham, by the Great Viking Army led by Guthrum the Da

Alfred, King of Wessex, is surprised by a nighttime attack in Chippenham, by the Great Viking Army led by Guthrum the Dane. Alfred escapes into the Somerset marshes.

Alfred, King of Wessex, is surprised by a nighttime attack in Chippenham, by the Great Viking Army led by Guthrum the Dane. Alfred escapes into the Somerset marshes.

Events Before

  1. Battle at Reading: Ethelred I of Wessex defeated by Danish invasion army

    Æthelred I (alt. Aethelred, Ethelred; Old English: Æthel-ræd, lit. 'noble counsel'; 845/848 – 871) was King of Wessex from 865 until his death in 871.

  2. Battle of Basing: Danish invasion army beats Saxon Ethelred of Wessex

    Battle of Basing: Danish invasion army beats Saxon Ethelred of Wessex

  3. John VIII elected as Catholic Pope

    John VIII elected as Catholic Pope

  4. Charles the Bald crowned emperor of Rome

    Charles the Bald (French: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877) was a king of West Francia (843–77), king of Italy (875–77) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–77).

  5. Battle at Andernach: East Frankish king Louis the Younger heavily defeats the West Frankish king Charles the Bald

    Louis the German (German: Ludwig der Deutsche; c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany (German: Ludwig II.

Events After

  1. Louis III becomes King of West Francia

    In medieval historiography, West Francia or the Kingdom of the West Franks constitutes the initial stage of the Kingdom of France and extends from the Treaty of Verdun in 843 to 987, the beginning of...

  2. Pope John VIII gives blessings to duke Branimir and to Croatian people, considered to be international recognition of th

    Pope John VIII gives blessings to duke Branimir and to Croatian people, considered to be international recognition of the Croatian state

  3. Battle of Saucourt: French King Louis III defeats the Vikings

    Louis III (863/65 – 5 August 882) was King of West Francia from 879 until his death in 882.

  4. Marinus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope succeeding John VIII

    Marinus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope succeeding John VIII

  5. Marinus I ends his reign as Catholic Pope

    Marinus I ends his reign as Catholic Pope

More from the 870s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 6, 878?
Alfred, King of Wessex, is surprised by a nighttime attack in Chippenham, by the Great Viking Army led by Guthrum the Dane. Alfred escapes into the Somerset marshes.
Why is Alfred, King of Wessex, is surprised by a nighttime attack in Chippenham, by ... historically important?
Alfred escapes into the Somerset marshes.

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