Battle of Edington Guthrum, with two other unnamed kings, "departed for Cambridge in East Anglia". He made several attacks on Wessex, starting in 875, and in the last nearly captured Alfred in his winter fortress at Chippenham. By 878, the Danes held the east and northeast of England, and their defeat at the Battle of Ashdown had paused but not halted their advance. Alfred the Great had spent the winter preceding the Battle of Edington in the Somerset marsh of Athelney, the nature of the country giving him some protection. In the spring of 878, he summoned his West Saxon forces and marched
Battle of Basra (871) a defense, but they were easily overwhelmed by cavalry and infantry attacks. The government commander Bughraj's forces, supported by several Basrans, were split between al-Mirbad and al-Khurayba, but they were ineffective at halting the rebels' advance. By Friday evening 'Ali ibn Aban's troops had reached the mosque, which 'Ali ordered to be burned. A group of Basrans, however, ambushed his men, killing several Zanj and forcing them back. Fearing further attacks from the city militia, 'Ali decided to withdraw for the evening, and set up his army camp in a graveyard. The battle continued over the course of the next