He succeeded in the military, political and cultural fields.

The change in the balance of power from a position that favoured Mercia to one that favoured Wessex, the alliance between the kingdoms and the course and impact of the Vikings invasions.

The battle of Ellendum marks the beggining of a shift in the position of central power among the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and incorporated Sussex, Surrey, Essex and Kent to the realm of Wessex. King Egbert, the Welsh king at this time, started a very successful campaign which culminated with him ruling over a kingdom as expanse as no other Briton king had controlled before. This kingdom was composed by Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and Welsh, however, to exercise his power in such a vast reign was certainly not an easy task. In a political strategy, he decided to seize back to its former king the kingdom of Mercia starting a very advantageous alliance for both kingdoms that lasted for many more years. Despite this powerful alliance the Vikings evasions were eminent and threatned the Britons. Also being a hazard presence across the Channel, they turned their attentions to the anglo-saxons’ land in the 830’s and lasted until 845 with constants attacks that lead to victories on both sides. The twist happened in 850 when the Vikings stood in Thanet during the winter, and …show more content…
On his first year as king he ‘made peace’ with them, this term is used to mean that he paid the Vikings to leave. However, in 874-5 they settled in Cambridge and had a second invasion at the end os 875; after settling down at Wareham in 876, Alfred decided to ‘make peace’ with them again in the hopes they would fleed once both parts would get to a final agreement. The invaders, in the other hand, just moved to the west and in 876-7, Alfred ‘made peace’ again, but at this time they honored their oaths and moved out of