Changes

The next major encounter in the show was the Battle of Cynwit, which occurred in 878. The battle in the series depicts the Danes besieging Wessex's forces led by Odda the Elder. The Danish leader was Ubba, who was killed in the battle. The Danes had surrounded the Anglo-Saxon army on a hill and likely expected them to surrender, as they had little water, but the Wessex army attacked and were able to defeat Danish army. The Raven banner was taken by the Anglo-Saxon army and it was a major battle in which the Wessex king Alfred did not lead. In the series, the year of the battle is different and the credit for killing Ubba went to Uhtred. However, as shown in the series, it was an important battle for the Wessex kingdom and Odda was the likely leader of Wessex during the battle, where the Anglo-Saxons did, in fact, pull off a surprising victory. In effect, it is likely that the Anglo-Saxons were encamped on the hill during the real battle and made surprise attack on the Danes. This was a turning point as it now showed the Anglo-Saxons could fight major battles against the Danes and be victorious.<ref>For more on the Battle of Cynwit, see: Jones, G. (2001). <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192801341/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192801341&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=ff5b5676acff27932d33829e68aa84b0 A history of the Vikings]</i> (2nd ed). London ; New York: Oxford University Press, pg. 238.</ref>

The Danes also attacked in January 878 the town of Chippenham, which is where Alfred held his court at the time. The series diverges from reality and has the Danes attacking Winchester instead. The show had already established Winchester as the capital of Wessex and most likely sought to simplify the narrative instead of adding a new location for this battle. However, the attack did not occur there. The events, though, are generally accurate in that the Danes did attack in a surprising fashion at the height of winter, a period during when armies rested and did not launch invasions. Alfred was depicted as fleeing to the marshes of Somerset, where he was lucky to escape with his life. This was true and he did flee after the battle to hide from the Danes and he reorganized his forces in the swamps during the spring of that year.<ref>For more on Alfred's flight to the marshes of Somerset, see: Swanton, M. (Ed.). (2003). <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1842120034/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1842120034&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=b5fbdbcca650380456541d76d5bb74d3 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles]</i> (New ed., paperback rev. ed., 5. impr). London: Phoenix Press.</ref>