Uniting the Anglo-Saxons
This is the moment, all other moments are only secondary to this. Alfred took a gamble that he would be met with the surrounding armies at Egbert’s Stone. He had no reason to believe this would work, but it did. Like a great cosmic blessing, the Viking armies were sunk at Dorset, and Guthrum was forced to run, and face Alfred head-on at the Battle of Edington. But, none of that would matter if Alfred hadn’t returned to fight off the invasion, and it definitely wouldn’t have happened if the other armies didn’t show up. I will postulate this one out of my own opinion.
Using logic, I think we can all agree that most people wouldn’t unite to fight an invading force, if the current power wasn’t one you agreed with. Therefore, Alfred must have been or done something pretty great for these armies to meet up with him, and decide to take back England from the Invaders.
Alfred The Great 