• General Notes

  Acceded 871-899.
  
  Alfred
  From the late 8th century, attacks by Vikings from Scandinavia increased. After a major invasion in 865, the kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia were rapidly overrun, and in 871 the Danish army attacked Wessex. The Wessex forces under the command of Alfred (reigned 871-99), then aged 21, defeated the Danes at the Battle of Edington in 878. The Danes withdrew to an area north of a frontier running from London to Chester and known as 'Danelaw'.
  
  This victory did not finish the Danish threat, and Alfred reorganised the Wessex defences by organising his army on a rota basis, so he could raise a 'rapid reaction force' to deal with raiders whilst still enabling his thegns and peasants to tend their farms. Second, Alfred started a building programme of well-defended settlements across southern England as a defence in depth against Danish raiders. Alfred also ordered the building of a navy of new fast ships to patrol the coasts and meet invaders before they penetrated inland.
  
  Other reforms included establishing a legal code (assembled from the laws of his predecessors and of the kingdoms of Mercia and Kent), and reforming the coinage. Illiterate in Latin until the age of 38, Alfred promoted literacy, religion and education, and directed the translation of works of religious instruction, philosophy and history into the vernacular; this was partly so that people could read his orders and legislation. The energetic royal authority demonstrated in Alfred's policies presaged the Wessex kings' rule of all England during the next century.
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  Reigned 871-899.  Prevented the Danish conquest of England, defeating them at Eddington (878) after a campaign of guerilla warfare.  After the victory he allowed the Danes to keep their conquests in East Anglia & Mercia provided that Guthrum, their king, was converted to Christianity. Alfred built a navy of warships to defend the south coast aginst further Danish invasions (885-886, 892-896) & protected Wessex with a chain of fortifications.  He took London (886) thus gaining control of all England except the Danish areas. Quote from Winston Churchill:  ("Alfred the Great", chapter 7 of volume 1 of his "History of the English-Speaking Peoples".  An appreciation of "the greatest Englishman that ever lived").  Quote from Maurice Ashley in "Great Britain to 1688" about Alfred:  "He was the greatest Englishman in early history" (p. 41). Banner was a golden dragon (the golden dragon was the banner of  the kingdom of Wessex, Alfred's personal banner was the White Horse). Since Alfred was the fifth son, it was never thought he would be King, and thus unlike his older brothers who have the royal mark of the ruling house of Wessex "AEthel" (or "Ethel") as a part of their names, Alfred was instead named after his mother's folk).
  
  REF: The Newsletter of Anglo-Saxon Studies at The University of Georgia Vol I, Number 3 (Spring, 1994): "ALFRED'S MILITARY ACHIEVEMENTS", Alex Bruce
  
  Alfred the Great is remembered for his two great victories--his success in
  re-establishing learning in his kingdom of Wessex (see Matheliende 1.2),
  and his success in defeating the seemingly unstoppable forces of the invading Danes. No matter how much we venerate the revival of education under Alfred, the latter of these successes is, however, the greater; there would have been no possibility of restoring the centers of learning had Alfred not brought peace to his land. When Alfred became king of the West Saxons in 871, he was already an experienced military leader, as he had participated in several campaigns against the invading Danes. The Danes had been present in the British Isles since at least 789, but until the time of Alfred they had concentrated their efforts on subjugating the eastern lands of Britain. However, in 865 a great army of Danes hungry for land and wealth moved quickly through the kingdoms of East Anglia and Northumbria. After these two kingdoms capitulated and paid tribute to the invaders, the Danes turned to Mercia. There, in 868, they met both Mercians and West Saxons; the two nations had formed an alliance that had been strengthened that very year by the marriage of Alfred and Ealhswith, daughter of a Mercian ealdorman (see
  Asser ch. 29). Alfred and his elder brother King Aethelred personally led
  the Wessex contingent, yet not even the combined forces of the Mercians and
  the West Saxons could keep the Danes at bay. The Mercians, like the East
  Anglians and Northumbrians, had to "make peace"--that is, pay tribute.
       In 871 Alfred's brother Aethelred died, making Alfred, last son of King
  Aethelwulf, the new king of the West Saxons. In that year as well the Danes
  turned their attention to Alfred's kingdom, and for the next four years,
  until 875, Alfred bought peace for his people by paying tribute to the
  Danes. At first the invaders seemed satisfied, but in 875 they began
  altering the terms of the peace.
       That year, after collecting their tribute, the Danes did not leave Wessex
  as they had before, but lived there, peacefully but at the expense of the
  West Saxons, until 878. Then, in their desire to subjugate completely the
  people of Wessex, the Danes went on the offensive. Alfred fought back, yet
  in March of that year he and his followers were forced into hiding, and the
  hope of the West Saxons was fading. But that May Alfred met the Danish
  force at Edington; "there he fought against the entire host, and put it to
  flight, and pursued it up to the fortification [probably Chippenham] and
  laid siege there a fortnight; and then the host gave him preliminary
  hostages and solemn oaths that they would leave his kingdom, and promised
  him in addition that their king would receive baptism; and they fulfilled
  this promise" (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, year 878). Alfred had defeated the
  invading Danes, forcing them to submit to his terms. They subsequently left
  Alfred and Wessex, turning to the continent for new lands to plunder. Yet though this particular force left, Danes still inhabited Britain; Northumbria, East Anglia, and parts of Mercia were all still under the Danelaw. Alfred felt constantly threatened, and had to fight skirmishes with the Danes for many years. To help preserve his hard-earned peace Alfred developed stronger defenses for his land of Wessex. In the southern part of Britain he established several new fortified cities, better than the smaller forts, where great groups of people could gather for protection. He reorganized his army so that at any one time half of it was prepared for war. Finally, in 886, Alfred took the initiative himself and attacked the Danish-held city of London in an attempt to diminish the lands ruled under the Danelaw. He succeeded, and for his efforts all the "Angles and Saxons--those who had formerly been scattered everywhere and were not in captivity with the Danes--turned willingly to King Alfred and submitted themselves to his lordship" (Asser ch. 83). At this point Alfred seems to have come closest to rightly earning the title "King of England," though in
  reality he governed perhaps a quarter of the land now known as England. Once he had brought peace to his land Alfred began to implement his reforms. He encouraged learning and the keeping of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle; he also established a code of law, based on the Bible, which "shows how the king sought to maintain social order" (Introduction to "Extracts from the laws of King Alfred," Alfred the Great 163). Law codes were certainly not new to the people of Wessex; what was different about Alfred's code was that by basing his laws so clearly on Biblical law, "Alfred places his own activity as a law-giver in what he regards as its proper context, effectively implying that the legislation which follows stands in the same tradition and represents that of the new chosen people" (Introduction to Alfred the Great 39). In 892-3 Alfred's peace was disturbed by the violent return of the Danes. These invaders, driven off the continent, seemed intent upon "the final conquest and settlement of England" (McElwee 32). During these campaigns Alfred won praise from the writer of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (perhaps not very surprising, considering who the sponsor was!) for his forethought and stratagems. His standing army was able to fight off the invaders while the people remained safe in his fortified cities. Alfred also employed new tactics; he scouted out the enemy and destroyed them at sea using larger war-ships of his own design. The Danes were thwarted at every turn, and were forced to retreat, unfulfilled, from the island of Britain. The last years of Alfred's life were more peaceful and devoted to scholarly pursuits. When Alfred died on October 26, 899, he left a culture which had perhaps already seen its best days, but, thanks to Alfred's care and
  courage, would be remembered for centuries to come.
  
  BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
  Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred and other Contemporary
  Sources. Trans. with an introduction and notes by Simon Keynes and Michael
  Lapidge. New York: Penguin Books, 1983.
  
  The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Trans., ed., and introduced by G. N. Garmonsway. London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1972.
  
  Asser. Life of King Alfred. In Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King
  Alfred and other Contemporary Sources. Trans. with an introduction and
  notes by Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge. New York: Penguin Books, 1983.
  
  McElwee, William. A Short History of England, from the Time of King Alfred
  to the Present Day. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1968.
  
  The Oxford History of Britain. Revised edition. Ed. Kenneth O. Morgan.
  Oxford: The Oxford University Press, 1988.
  
  Plummer, Charles. The Life and Times of Alfred the Great. New York: Haskel
  House Productions Ltd., 1902.
  
  
  REF: The Newsletter of Anglo-Saxon Studies at The University of Georgia Vol I, Number 2 (Winter, 1994) "ALFRED THE EDUCATOR" Kirk Appletoft: Alfred the Great, considered the first king of England, is known for saving his land from decimation by the invading Danes and thereby giving his countrymen a sense of nationalism. Yet Alfred achieved more than military and political successes during his reign from 871-901; his dedication to the teaching of the liberal arts helped preserve the literary tradition of the Anglo-Saxons.      Alfred's appreciation for education began very early in his life. In 853, at the age of four, Alfred was sent by his father, King Aethelwulf, to Pope Leo IV in Rome for instruction. This instruction, no doubt, focused on religion rather than on the liberal arts. But this trip to Rome, as well as the one Alfred made two years later, certainly helped Alfred recognize the role of the Church in education. Alfred would fully acknowledge this role when he became king. Alfred's interest in the liberal arts was encouraged by his stepmother Judith, who was the first to pique his interest in reading. Alfred's contemporary biographer, Asser, a bishop from Wales, records that Judith offered a book of Saxon poems to the first of Aethelwulf's four sons who could recite the book to her. To win the book, Alfred, who could not read, had an instructor read the book to him until he had memorized every word. According to Asser, this "desire for wisdom, more than anything else, together with the nobility of his birth, . . . characterized the nature of his noble mind" (Asser 75). Not until after he became king in 871 did Alfred learn to read and write. Asser, whom Alfred had called to serve in his court, seems to have been responsible for this feat. Asser would copy passages from the Bible for Alfred to study; Alfred would then eagerly translate them into English. The duties of being the king, however, constantly interrupted Alfred's education. His entire reign was spent in a religious war with the Danes. He believed that the invaders represented punishment from God for the decay of education, and the corresponding lack of understanding of Latin manuscripts and psalms. So, for Alfred, his war became not a matter of the English fighting the Danes; it was the Christians fighting the heathens. This
  belief was one of the primary reasons for the large number of religious
  translations and the increasing interest in education during Alfred's reign. As well, Alfred supported education because he recognized that "a king's raw material and instruments of rule are a well peopled land, and he must have men of prayer, men of war, and men of work . . . [for] without these tools he cannot perform any of the tasks entrusted to him" (Plummer 153). In order to have these tools at his disposal he brought many Latin scholars from the continent to teach at his institutions. He also, even when his war with the Danes was at its height, took time to translate several Latin works on his own, including Pope Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care, Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy and St. Augustine's Soliloquies. So important to Alfred was the ability to read that he began to demand that other nobles of the land be able to read. Asser recounts Alfred's admonishments to a group of judges who were poorly educated; they were told "either to relinquish immediately [their] offices of worldly power . . . or else to apply [them]selves much more attentively to the pursuit of wisdom." (Asser 110) Needless to say they chose the latter option.
  The effect of all of Alfred's educational reforms was that we, more than 1000 years later, have a wealth of Anglo- Saxon prose and poetry to read and study. Without his dedication to learning we would all have been poorer.
  
  BIBLIOGRAPHY
  
  Asser. Life of King Alfred. In Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King
  Alfred and other Contemporary Sources. Trans. with an introduction and
  notes by Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge. New York: Penguin Books, 1983.
  
  Bosworth, George F. Alfred the Great: His Life and Times. London: Macmillan
  and Co., Ltd., 1914.
  
  Loyn, H. R. Alfred the Great. New York: Oxford University Press, 1967.
  
  Plummer, Charles. The Life and Times of Alfred the Great. New York: Haskel
  House Productions Ltd., 1902.
  
  REF: *The Chronicle of Fabius Ethelwerd, From the Beginning of the World
  to the Year of Our Lord 975*, translated by J A Giles in *Six Old English
  Chronicles*, London (Bohn), 1848, p 28, 37.: "Lastly, in the same year, king Alfred departed out of this world, that immoveable pillar of the Western Saxons, that man full of justice, bold in arms, learned in speech, and, above all other things, imbued with the divine instructions. For he had translated into his own language, out of Latin, unnumbered volumes, of so varied a nature, and so excellently, that the sorrowful book of Boethius seemed, not only to the learned, but even to those who heard it read, as it were, brought to life again.  The monarch died on the seventh day before the solemnity of All Saints, and his body rests in peace in the city of Winston.  Pray, O reader, to Christ our Redeemer, that he will save his soul!"
  
  REF: Weis & Sheppard, *Ancestral Roots ... *, 7th Edition, 1992, p 2 : Alfred the Great, King of England, 871-899, b. Wantage, Berkshire, 849; d. 26 Oct. 899; m. 868, Ealhsith (Alswitha), d. ca. 905, dau. of Earl Aethelred of Mercia and Eadburgh.  Alfred was one of the greatest men in history.  He was crowned king at Winchester, 871; founded the British Navy, organized the militia, compiled a code of laws, built schools and monasteries, and invited scholars to live at his court.  He was a good scholar and translated many books."
  
  SRCE:   Asser of Saint David, *Annals of the Reign of Alfred the Great, from
  A.D. 849 to A.D. 887* (or *Life of Alfred*), translated by J A Giles, 1848, p 43-44. Giles says in the preface, p vi: In the year of our Lord's incarnation 849, was born Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, at the royal village of Wanating [Wantage], in Berkshire, which country has its name from the wood of Berrod, where the box-tree grows most abundantly. His genealogy is traced in the following order. King Alfred was the son of King Ethelwild, who was the son of Egbert, who was the son, of Elmund, who was son of Eafa, who was the son of Eoppa, who was the son of Ingild.  Ingild, and Ina, the famous king of the West-Saxons, were two brothers.  Ina went to Rome, and there ending this life honourably, entered the heavenly kingdom, to reign there for ever with Christ. Ingild and Ina were the sons of Coenred, who was the son of Ceolwald, who was the son of Cudam, who was the son of Cuthwin, who was the son of Ceawlin, who was the son of Cynric, who was the son of Creoda, who was the son of Cerdic, who was the son of Elesa, who was the son of Gewis, from whom the Britons name all that nation Gewis [FOOTNOTE: The Gewissae, generally understood to be the West-Saxons.], who was the son of Brond, who was the son of Beldeg, who was the son of Woden, who was the son of Frithowald, who was the son of Frealaf, who was the son of Frithuwulf, who was the son of Finn of Godwulf, who was the son of Geat, which Geat the pagans long worshipped as a god.  Sedulius makes mention of him in his metrical Paschal poem, as follows:--
       When gentile poets with their fictions vain,
       In tragic language and bombastic strain,
       To their god Geat, comic deity,
            Loud praises sing, &c.
  "Geat was the son of Taetwa, who was the son of Beaw, who was the son of
  Sceldi [= SCELDWA in trans. by Keynes & Lapidge], who was the son of Heremod, who was the son of Itermon, who was the son of Hathra, who was the son of Gula [= HWALA in trans. by K & L], who was the son of Bedwig, who was the son of Shem [= SETH in trans. by K & L, but this is probably an error], who was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech, who was the son of Methusalem [=METHUSALAH], who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Malaleel [= MAHALALEEL], who was the son of Cainian [= CAINAN in trans. by K & L], who was the son of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam."
  
  REF: William of Malmesbury, *Chronicle of the Kings of England*, c 1135,
  tr John Allen Giles, London (Henry G Bohn) 1847, p 113-122 passim:  He was
  married to Ealhswith of the Gani in 868."Received the royal unction and crown from pope Leo the fourth at Rome, acceded to the sovereignty and retained it with the greatest difficulty, but with equal valour, twenty-eight years and a half.  .....  For nine successive years battling with his enemies, sometimes deceived by false treaties, and sometimes wreaking his vengeance on the deceivers, he was at last reduced to such extreme distress, that scarcely three counties, that is to say, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Somerset, stood fast by their allegiance, as he was compelled to retreat to a certain island called Athelney, which from its marshy situation was hardly accessible.  .....  [However, later] Alfred had reduced the whole island to his power, with the exception of what the Danes possessed.  .....  After England had rejoiced for 13 years in the tranquility of peace and in the fertility of her soil, the northern pest of barbarians again returned.  With them returned war and slaughter .....  The king himself was, with his usual activity, present in every action, ever daunting the invaders, and at the same time inspiriting his subjects, with the signal display of his courage.  He would oppose himself singly to the enemy; and by his own personal exertions rally his declining forces.  The very places are yet pointed out by the inhabitants where he felt the vicissitudes of good and evil fortune.  .....  His children by Elswitha, the daughter of earl Athelred, were Ethelswitha, Edward who reigned after him; Ethel fled who was married to Ethered earl of the Mercians; Ethelwerd, whom they celebrate as being extremely learned; Elfred and Ethelgiva, virgins.  His [Alfred's] health was so bad that he was constantly disquited either by the piles or some disorder of the intestines.  It is said, however, that he entreated this from God, in his supplications, in order that, by the admonition of pain, he might be less anxious after earthly delights.
      "Yet amid these circumstances the private life of the king is to be admired and celebrated with the highest praise.  For although, as some one has said, "Laws must give way amid the strife of arms," yet he, amid the sound of trumpets and the din of war, enacted statures by which his people might equally familiarise themselves to religious worship and to military discipline.  And since, from the example of the barbarians, the natives themselves began to lust after rapine, insomuch that there was no safe intercourse without a military guard, he appointed centuries, which they call "hundreds," and decennaries, that is to say, "tythings," so that every Englishman, living according to law, must be a member of both.  If any one was accused of a crime, he was obliged immediately to produce persons from the hundred and tything to become his surety; and whosoever was unable to find such surety, must dread the severity of the laws.  If any who was impleaded made his escape either before or after he had found surety, all persons of the hundred and tything paid a fine to the king.  By this regulation he diffused such peace throughout the country that he ordered golden bracelets, which might mock the eager desires of the passengers while no one durst take them away, to be hung up on the public causeways, where the roads crossed each other.  ..... He erected monasteries wherever he deemed it fitting ..... [Alfred sent for Grimmald] that by his activity he might awaken the study of literature in England, which was now slumbering and almost expiring. ..... Confiding in these auxiliaries [Grimmald, Asser, Werefrith, Johannes Scotus], the king gave his whole soul to the cultivation of the liberal arts, insomuch that no Englishman was quicker in comprehending, or more elegant in translating. ..... He translated into English the greater part of the Roman authors ..... Moreover he infused a great regard for literature into his countrymen, stimulating them both with rewards and punishments, allowing no ignorant person to aspire to any dignity in the court.  He died just as he had begun a translation of the Psalms.  .....  He had one unusual and unheard of custom, which was, that he always carried in his bosom a book in which the daily order of the Psalms was contained, for the purpose of carefully perusing it, if at any time he had leisure.  In this way he passed his life, much respected by neighboring princes, and gave his daughter Ethelswitha in marriage to Baldwin earl of Flanders, by whom he had Arnulf and Ethelwulf; the former received from his father the county of Boulogne, from the other at this day are descended the earls of Flanders.  [Footnote by Giles:  "Matilda, queen of William the First, was daughter of Baldwin earl of Flanders, the fifth in descent from Ethelswitha."]
       "Alfred, paying the debt of nature, was buried at Winchester, in the monastery which he had founded  .....  They report that Alfred was first was
  first buried in the cathedral, because the monaster was unfinished, but that
  afterwards, on account of the folly of the canons, who asserted that the
  royal spirit, resuming its carcass, wandered nightly through the buildings,
  Edward, his son and successor, removed the remains of his father, and gave
  them a quiet resting-place in the new minster. [Footnote by Giles:  "On its
  removal called Hyde Abbey."]  These and similar superstitions, such as that
  the dead body of a wicked man runs about, after death, by the agency of the
  devil, the English hold with almost inbred credulity, borrowing them from
  the heathens, according to the expression of Virgil, "Forms such as flit, they say, when life is gone."  [Virg. Aeneid, x. 641.]
  
  REF: British Monarchy Official Website: From the late 8th century, there were attacks by Vikings from Scandinavia. The kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia were rapidly over-run and in 871 the Danish army attacked Wessex. After initial setbacks, Alfred, King of Wessex (reigned 871-99) defeated the Danes at the Battle of Edington in 878. The Danes withdrew to an area north of a frontier running from London to Chester, which became known as the 'Danelaw'. Alfred then began a programme of reforms, including establishing a legal code, improving education and learning, and reforming the coinage. He also started
  a building programme of well-defended towns ('borough' comes from the Old English burgh, a fortress) and a new navy.
  
  [large-G675.FTW]
  
  Reigned 871-899.  Prevented the Danish conquest of England, defeating them at Eddington (878) after a campaign of guerilla warfare.  After the victory he allowed the Danes to keep their conquests in East Anglia & Mercia provided that Guthrum, their king, was converted to Christianity. Alfred built a navy of warships to defend the south coast aginst further Danish invasions (885-886, 892-896) & protected Wessex with a chain of fortifications.  He took London (886) thus gaining control of all England except the Danish areas. Quote from Winston Churchill:  ("Alfred the Great", chapter 7 of volume 1 of his "History of the English-Speaking Peoples".  An appreciation of "the greatest Englishman that ever lived").  Quote from Maurice Ashley in "Great Britain to 1688" about Alfred:  "He was the greatest Englishman in early history" (p. 41). Banner was a golden dragon (the golden dragon was the banner of  the kingdom of Wessex, Alfred's personal banner was the White Horse). Since Alfred was the fifth son, it was never thought he would be King, and thus unlike his older brothers who have the royal mark of the ruling house of Wessex "AEthel" (or "Ethel") as a part of their names, Alfred was instead named after his mother's folk).
  
  REF: The Newsletter of Anglo-Saxon Studies at The University of Georgia Vol I, Number 3 (Spring, 1994): "ALFRED'S MILITARY ACHIEVEMENTS", Alex Bruce
  
  Alfred the Great is remembered for his two great victories--his success in
  re-establishing learning in his kingdom of Wessex (see Matheliende 1.2),
  and his success in defeating the seemingly unstoppable forces of the invading Danes. No matter how much we venerate the revival of education under Alfred, the latter of these successes is, however, the greater; there would have been no possibility of restoring the centers of learning had Alfred not brought peace to his land. When Alfred became king of the West Saxons in 871, he was already an experienced military leader, as he had participated in several campaigns against the invading Danes. The Danes had been present in the British Isles since at least 789, but until the time of Alfred they had concentrated their efforts on subjugating the eastern lands of Britain. However, in 865 a great army of Danes hungry for land and wealth moved quickly through the kingdoms of East Anglia and Northumbria. After these two kingdoms capitulated and paid tribute to the invaders, the Danes turned to Mercia. There, in 868, they met both Mercians and West Saxons; the two nations had formed an alliance that had been strengthened that very year by the marriage of Alfred and Ealhswith, daughter of a Mercian ealdorman (see
  Asser ch. 29). Alfred and his elder brother King Aethelred personally led
  the Wessex contingent, yet not even the combined forces of the Mercians and
  the West Saxons could keep the Danes at bay. The Mercians, like the East
  Anglians and Northumbrians, had to "make peace"--that is, pay tribute.
       In 871 Alfred's brother Aethelred died, making Alfred, last son of King
  Aethelwulf, the new king of the West Saxons. In that year as well the Danes
  turned their attention to Alfred's kingdom, and for the next four years,
  until 875, Alfred bought peace for his people by paying tribute to the
  Danes. At first the invaders seemed satisfied, but in 875 they began
  altering the terms of the peace.
       That year, after collecting their tribute, the Danes did not leave Wessex
  as they had before, but lived there, peacefully but at the expense of the
  West Saxons, until 878. Then, in their desire to subjugate completely the
  people of Wessex, the Danes went on the offensive. Alfred fought back, yet
  in March of that year he and his followers were forced into hiding, and the
  hope of the West Saxons was fading. But that May Alfred met the Danish
  force at Edington; "there he fought against the entire host, and put it to
  flight, and pursued it up to the fortification [probably Chippenham] and
  laid siege there a fortnight; and then the host gave him preliminary
  hostages and solemn oaths that they would leave his kingdom, and promised
  him in addition that their king would receive baptism; and they fulfilled
  this promise" (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, year 878). Alfred had defeated the
  invading Danes, forcing them to submit to his terms. They subsequently left
  Alfred and Wessex, turning to the continent for new lands to plunder. Yet though this particular force left, Danes still inhabited Britain; Northumbria, East Anglia, and parts of Mercia were all still under the Danelaw. Alfred felt constantly threatened, and had to fight skirmishes with the Danes for many years. To help preserve his hard-earned peace Alfred developed stronger defenses for his land of Wessex. In the southern part of Britain he established several new fortified cities, better than the smaller forts, where great groups of people could gather for protection. He reorganized his army so that at any one time half of it was prepared for war. Finally, in 886, Alfred took the initiative himself and attacked the Danish-held city of London in an attempt to diminish the lands ruled under the Danelaw. He succeeded, and for his efforts all the "Angles and Saxons--those who had formerly been scattered everywhere and were not in captivity with the Danes--turned willingly to King Alfred and submit

Details of Alfred the Great's family with Ealhswith of the Gaini