Learnings: The Treaty with Guthrum

A copy of the treaty, from the Quadripartitus, a Latin collection of Old English laws / 12th-13th cent.

Among other things, the agreement fixed the boundary between the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian territories (eventually named the Danelaw). It also determined the equivalence of the freemen from both sides of the wergeld—that is, the cost to be paid if a person were killed.

Although it is stated that hostages were to be exchanged to secure cross-border trade, this treaty did not put an end to Scandinavian raiding activities. Still, it was an important step made by Alfred the Great, for it granted him a respite from attacks. This allowed him to better reorganize his realm and extend his influence in the neighbouring kingdom of Mercia, which eventually led to the unification of England.