Odda, Ealdorman of Devon hand. The raven banner was captured by Odda's men and a great victory was won. The battle would later be known as the Battle of Cynwit, or sometimes as the Battle of the Raven Banner. Not long after the battle, in May 878, King Alfred left the Somerset marshes and defeated Guthrum's forces at the Battle of Edington. He then pursued the Danes to their stronghold at Chippenham and starved them into submission. One of the terms of the surrender was that Guthrum convert to Christianity. Three weeks later the Danish king and 29 of his chief men were baptised
Battle of Basra (871) placed the city under virtual siege, harassing it with attacks day and night and destroying the surrounding villages. They also cut off the supply routes to the city, which soon resulted in a shortage of resources. This was temporarily relieved after Mansur ibn Ja'far began organizing armed escorts for supply ships; by mid-871, however, the operation of the convoys had largely fallen apart and supplies for the inhabitants again became scarce. Hunger and disease broke out, and fighting erupted between the city factions. By late August 871, 'Ali ibn Muhammad decided that Basra had been reduced to the point where