Æthelred of Wessex of Mercia, appealed to him for help against the Vikings. Æthelred and his brother, the future Alfred the Great, led a West Saxon army to Nottingham, but there was no decisive battle, and Burgred bought off the Vikings. In 874 the Vikings defeated Burgred and drove him into exile. In 870 the Vikings turned their attention to Wessex, and on 4 January 871 at the Battle of Reading, Æthelred suffered a heavy defeat. Although he was able to re-form his army in time to win a victory at the Battle of Ashdown, he suffered further defeats on 22 January at
Battle of Marton Battle of Marton The Battle of Marton or Meretum took place on approximately 22 March 871 at a place recorded as Marton, perhaps in Wiltshire or Dorset. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the battle took place "about two months" after a prior loss to the Danes at the Battle of Basing, in which both sides suffered heavy losses. King Æthelred of Wessex and Prince Alfred fought against the Danes, who were possibly under the leadership of King Halfdan Ragnarsson, who had commanded many of the earlier battles that year. The Chronicle tells us that the forces were split in two