Some outline of the bare facts, however, must first be premised.
As early as 789, during the reign of Offa in Mercia, "three ships of Northmen from Haeretha land" came on shore in Wessex.

"Then the reeve rode against them, and would have driven them to the king's town, for he wist not what they were: and there men slew him.

Those were the first ships of Danish men that ever sought English kin's land." In 795, "the harrying of heathen men wretchedly destroyed God's church at Lindisfarne isle, through rapine and manslaughter." In the succeeding year, "the heathen harried among the Northumbrians, and plundered Ecgberht's monastery at Wearmouth." In 832, "heathen men ravaged Sheppey"; and a year later, "King Ecgberht fought against the crews of thirty-five ships at Charmouth, and there was muckle slaughter made, and the Danes held the battle-field."[1] In 835, another host came to the West Welsh (now almost reduced to the peninsula of Cornwall): and the Welsh readily joined them against their West Saxon over-lord.

Ecgberht met the united hosts at Hengestesdun and put them both to flight.

It was his last success.