Edward's cousin Æthelwold was the only surviving son of Alfred's older brother Æthelred I, King of Wessex.

Æthelwold's first move was to take his small force and seize Wimborne, in Dorset, the burial place of Æthelred, his father.

Coins were minted during the period showing that Æthelwold had been proclaimed king in Jórvík (Viking ruled York).

The Danes defeated Edward's troops, but as a result of the battle both Æthelwold and Eohric, the Danish king of East Anglia, were killed.

[1][3] In the view of Cyril Hart, King Edward made a strategic error in failing to engage the Danes with his whole army, leading to recriminations which threatened his authority, especially in Kent, and this may explain his later marriage to Ealdorman Sigehelm's daughter, Eadgifu.