Battle of Ashdown Battle of Ashdown The Battle of Ashdown, in Berkshire (possibly the part now in Oxfordshire), took place on 8 January 871. Alfred the Great, then a prince of only 22, led the army of his brother, King Ethelred of Wessex, in a victorious battle against the invading Danes. Accounts of the battle are based to a large extent on Asser's "Life of Alfred", however there is some dispute about whether this is an authentic account. By the year 871 AD, most of England was no longer ruled by the English (that is Anglo-Saxons), and for years, Danish Viking invaders had
Halfdan Ragnarsson led by Bagsecg, bolstering the ranks of Halfdan's army. According to the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle", the Danes battled the West Saxons nine times, including the Battle of Ashdown on 8 January 871. However, the West Saxons could not be defeated, and Halfdan accepted a truce from Alfred, newly crowned king of Wessex. The Army retreated to the captured town of London and stayed there over the winter of 871/872. Coins minted in London during this period bear the name Halfdan, identifying him as the leader of the army. In autumn of 872 the Army returned to Northumbria to quell a revolt