The Kingdom of Wessex (originally "The Kingdom of the West Saxons") was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom created by Cerdic and Cynric in 519 in the south of Great Britain surrounding today's counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Berkshire, and Avon The two main sources for the history of Wessex are the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List, which sometimes conflict Wessex became a Christian kingdom after Cenwalh was baptised and was expanded under his rule. Cædwalla later conquered Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight. His successor, Ine, issued one of the oldest surviving English law codes and established a second West Saxon bishopric. The throne subsequently passed to a series of kings with unknown genealogies In 871, the "Great Summer Army" had arrived from Scandinavia (reinforcing the "Great Heathen Army" who in 865 landed in England with several of the Danish commanders who combined their respective forces into one large army) invaded Wessex and, although Æthelred and Alfred won some victories and succeeded in preventing the conquest of their kingdom, a number of defeats and heavy losses of men compelled Alfred to pay the Danes to leave Wessex [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wessex#Unification_of_England_and_the_Earldom_of_Wessex ]