Depiction of the Battle of Ellandun The Battle of Ellandun was fought between Egbert of Wessex and Beornwulf of Mercia in September 825. Sir Frank Stenton described it as "one of the most decisive battles of English history". It effectively ended Mercian supremacy over the southern kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England and establishing West Saxon dominance in southern England.
Ceremonial Anglo-Saxon helmet from the Sutton Hoo burial, 7th century
Alfred the Great (849 – 26 October 899), King of Wessex from 871 to 899 Alfred successfully defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, and by his death had become the dominant ruler in England.He is the only English monarch to be accorded the epithet "the Great".Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons". Details of his life are described in a work by the 10th century Welsh scholar and bishop Asser. Alfred was a learned and merciful man who encouraged education and improved his kingdom's legal system and military structure.
