Alfred and the Danes
theless, defended the city until King Alfred came without with his force. Then the army went to their ships, and abandoned the fastness; and they were there deprived of their horses, and forthwith, in the 5same summer, withdrew over sea. And the same year King Alfred sent a naval force from Kent to East Anglia. As soon as they came to the mouth of the Stour, then met them sixteen ships of vikings, and they fought against them, and captured all the ships, 10and slew the men. When they were returning homeward with the booty, a great naval force of vikings met them, and then fought against them on the same day, and the Danish gained the victory. In the same year, before midwinter, Carloman, king 15of the Franks, died, and a wild boar killed him; and one year before his brother died; he also had the western kingdom; and they were both sons of Lewis, who also had the western kingdom, and died in the year when the sun was eclipsed, who was the son of Charles, 20whose daughter Ethelwulf, king of the West Saxons, had for his queen. And in the same year a larger naval force assembled among the Old Saxons; and there was a great fight twice in that year, and the Saxons had the victory; and there were Frisians with them. 25 In that same year Charles succeeded to the western kingdom, and to all the kingdom on this side of the Mediterranean Sea, and beyond this sea, as his great-grandfather had it, excepting the Lidwiccas [Brittany]. Charles was the son of Lewis,
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