Ended Viking military occupation of Wessex and required Guthrum's baptism, stabilizing Anglo-Saxon and Danish relations in 9th-century England.
Key Facts
- Year concluded
- 878 AD
- Parties
- Alfred the Great (Wessex) and Guthrum the Old (Vikings)
- Primary source
- Asser's Vita Ælfredi regis Angul Saxonum
- Condition for Guthrum
- Baptism required to legitimize rule over Christian vassals
- Territorial condition
- Guthrum and his army required to leave Wessex
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Viking king Guthrum led incursions into Wessex, culminating in his defeat at the Battle of Edington. Following this defeat, Guthrum surrendered to Alfred the Great after a siege lasting several days, creating the conditions under which a formal peace agreement could be negotiated.
King Alfred of Wessex and the Viking king Guthrum concluded the Treaty of Wedmore, an accord recorded solely by the Welsh monk Asser. Its terms required Guthrum to accept Christian baptism—both to formalize the agreement and to lend legitimacy to his rule over Christian subjects—while permitting him to remain pagan toward his pagan vassals.
Guthrum and his Viking forces agreed to withdraw from Wessex, reducing immediate Danish military pressure on Alfred's kingdom. Guthrum's baptism provided a religious and political framework that allowed coexistence between Anglo-Saxon and Danish populations, laying groundwork for the later, more detailed boundary agreement known as the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum.
Political Outcome
Guthrum accepted baptism and agreed to withdraw his forces from Wessex, ending the immediate Viking military threat to Alfred's kingdom.
Guthrum's Viking forces occupied parts of Wessex following sustained military campaigns.
Guthrum withdrew from Wessex; Alfred retained control, with Guthrum ruling a separate Danish territory under baptismal legitimacy.