851. Æthelstan, Æthelwulf's son, defeats the Vikings at Sandwich
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that King Æthelstan and Ealdorman Ealhhere fought a naval battle and defeated a great army at Sandwich in Kent, capturing nine ships and putting the others to flight. This is Æthelstan's last appearance; he was presumably dead by 855, when Æthelwulf divided the kingdom between Æthelstan's two younger brothers. He may have been dead by 853, when Ealdorman Ealhhere alone is reported as leading the people of Kent, but this is not certain.