Chapter II, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 888-900 Summary and Analysis

The story of King Alfred's rule comes from the records in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Asser, writing in 893, employed a translation of the annals from 851 to 887 to compose his Life of King Alfred. This chapter translates the annals that cover Alfred's life that pick up where Asser's Life of King Alfred left off.

In 888, King Alfred's sister, Aethelswith, died, as did Archbisohp Aethelred. In 889, Alfred sent two couriers to Rome. In 890, the northern king, Guthrum died, King Alfred's godson who lived in East Anglia. The Vikings fought the Franks this year. In 891, the Franks, Saxons and Bavarians joined forced to repel the Vikings. A comet appeared that Easter. In 892, the great Viking army continued to travel across England and stopped near eastern Kent.

893 contains many more events. The Northumbrians and East Angles...