Alfred the Great

Alfred makes Peace

Three weeks later, Guthrum and thirty of his most important men came to Aller (the nearest church to Athelney) and were baptised as Christians. The Vikings promised to leave Wessex for good. Then Alfred and Guthrum feasted for twelve days together.

By 886 Alfred had recognised the Viking settlement in the north and east of Britain by dividing Britain into two areas. The north east half of the country was ruled by the Vikings (the Danelaw) while the south and west was ruled by King Alfred and the Saxons.

Alfred now set about ruling Britain in a way that no other King before him had tried. Alfred planned a series of strongly fortified towns called burh's (boroughs) throughout Wessex. This led to more and more people living in towns rather than village. Saxon towns, although small when compared with today's towns, are carefully planned, with a ditch and wall in the shape of a square with all the buildings of the town inside the square. All the streets were planned in straight lines. No place in Wessex was more than twenty miles from one of these centres, and all of the rivers which Viking boats might sail up were blocked by one of these towns. In some places the ditches can still be seen in such towns as Wareham in Dorset and Wallingford in Oxfordshire.

In 886 Alfred took over London. We do not know who was in control of the city, it may have been the Vikings or may have been the Mercian Saxons. Like Alfred's other towns, London was planned with new straight streets. These remained until the Great Fire of London, although some can still be traced today.