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The question of "who are natives in a land" is such a complex one. The conflict of the English (Anglo-Saxons) v Danes sounds so stark, until one remembers that the Angles were themselves from Denmark. So was it really a conflict between 5th/6thC Danes and 9thC Danes? /1

And anyway what DID happen when the Angles and Saxons came to Britain after the Romans? Did they drive out the Britons they didn't kill? Or intermarry with them? Or just entice them with their stylish ways? Implausibly, the third one seems to be the hot ticket atm based on DNA sampling. /2

I think I remember (senility alert) a Radio 4 programme where a historian said the population of the Frisian islands is descended from Anglo Saxons who left England and re-colonised the Frisian islands. So maybe the proper English are in German and the Dutch islands instead of England.

Interesting. I saw a film (YTube) where an expert in ancient languages, who has learned Anglo-Saxon(!), goes to Frisia where the dialect is still stong, and chats to the natives- eg walking up to a farmer and asking to buy a cow🙂, and buying food in the market. He gets by pretty well.

Under Danish pressure, Alfred retreated to the island of Athelney on the Somerset Levels, from which he waged guerrilla war. He managed to regroup and eventually defeated the Danes at Edington in Wiltshire in 878. 2/6

He reached a treaty with Guthrum, the Danish leader, dividing Anglo-Saxon territory from Viking-ruled Danelaw, which consisted of the kingdom of York, the north-east midlands and East Anglia. 3/6

Alfred created a system of fortified burhs and strengthened the navy. He issued a new code of laws and established a court school for nobles and commoners to be educated in both English and Latin. 4/6