Viking invasion of England in the context of "Kingdom of Dublin"

The Battle of Edington or Battle of Ethandun was fought in May 878 between the West Saxon army of King Alfred the Great and the Great Heathen Army led by the Danish warlord Guthrum. The battle took place near Edington in Wiltshire, where Alfred secured a decisive victory that halted the Viking advance into Wessex.

The engagement followed a period of sustained Danish incursions into Anglo-Saxon territory. In early 878, Guthrum launched a surprise attack on Chippenham, forcing Alfred into hiding in the marshes of Athelney. After rallying local forces, Alfred confronted and defeated Guthrum at Edington, then laid siege to the Viking position, compelling their surrender.

Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Mersey, where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap, and is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Liverpool and 29 miles (47 km) southwest of Manchester. The Runcorn built-up area had a population of 61,145 at the 2021 census.

Runcorn was founded by Æthelflæd of Mercia in 915 AD as a fortification against the Viking invasion at a narrowing of the River Mersey. Under Norman rule, Runcorn fell under the Barony of Halton and an Augustinian abbey was established there in 1115. It remained a small and isolated settlement until the Industrial Revolution, when the 1776 extension of the Bridgewater Canal to Runcorn established it as a port linking coastal Liverpool with inland Manchester and Staffordshire. The docks enabled the growth of industry, initially shipwrights and sandstone quarries; in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was a spa and health resort, but this ended with the growth of polluting industries, especially soap and chemical works. In 1964, Runcorn was designated a new town and expanded eastward, absorbing neighbouring settlements and more than doubling its population.

Properly speaking, the history of the Royal Navy began in 1546 with the establishment of the "Navy Royal" by Henry VIII. This became the Parliamentary Navy during the period of the Commonwealth with the modern incarnation of Royal Navy established in 1660 following the Restoration of King Charles II to the throne. The English navy began operating together with the much smaller Royal Scots Navy at the time of the Union of the Crowns under James I in 1603 but only formally merged in 1707 at the establishment of the united Kingdom of Great Britain.

The history of the English navy can be traced back much further, however. Ad hoc levies of ships allowed seaborne invasions by at least the 7th century and naval battles occurred against invading Vikings in the 9th. Following the 11th-century Norman Conquest, naval expenses were initially avoided but the 1204 loss of Normandy made control of the Channel much more essential. Early fleets were borrowed from the kingdom's merchants and fishers, particularly at the Cinque Ports, assembled as needed and then dispersed. King John began maintaining a number of large ships in the king's own name and the Cinque Port wardens developed into admirals, permanent officers ready to levy and command fleets and provided legal jurisdiction over England's seas and coasts. A full standing navy took shape during the 16th century and finally became a regular establishment during the tumults of the 17th.