General Notes

REFN: 1435AN
REFN: P1435
Alfred, the Great
(871-900 AD)
Youngest son of King Æthelwulf, A lfred became King of Wessex during a
time of constant Viking attack. He was d riven into hiding by a Viking
raid into Wessex, led by the Dane, Guthorm, and took refuge in the
Athelney marshes in Somerset. There, he recovered suffici ent strength to
be able to defeat the Danes decisively at the Battle of Eddin gton. As a
condition of the peace treaty which followed, Guthorm received Chr istian
baptism and withdrew his forces from Wessex, with Alfred recognizing t he
Danish control over East Anglia and parts of Mercia. This partition of
E ngland, called the "Danelaw", was formalized by another treaty in 886.
Alfred created a series of fortifications to surround his kingdom and
proviDe needed security from invasion. The Anglo-Saxon word for these
forts, "burhs", has c ome down to us in the common place-name suffix,
"bury." He also constructed a fleet of ships to augment his other
defenses, and in so doing became known a s the "Father of the English
Navy." The reign of Alfred was known for more th an military success. He
was a codifier of law, a promoter of education and a suppor|er of the
arts. He, himself, was a scholar and translated Latin books into the
Anglo-Saxon tongue. The definitive contemporary work on Alfred's lif e is
an unfinished account in Latin by Asser, a Welshman, bishop of Sherbourn e
and Alfred's counsellor. After his death, he was buried in his capital
ci ty of Winchester, and is the only English monarch in history to carry
the tit le, "the Great."
Alfred the Great, King West Saxons
Born: 849, Wantage, Berks hire
Acceded: 23 APR 871, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey
Died: 28 OCT 899
Inte rred: HyDe Abbey, Winchester
Notes:
Reigned 871-899. He prevented the Danish conquest of England, defeating
them
at Edington(878) after a campaign of gue rrila warfare. After his victory
he
allowed the Danes to keep their conquest s in Mercia nd East Anglia
provided
that Guthrum, their King, was converted to Christianity. Alfred built a
navy
of Warships to defend the south coast a gainst further Danish invasions
(885-86
;892-96) and protected Wessex with a chain of fortifications. He took
London
(886), this gaining control of all England except the Danish areas.
Father: , AEthelwulf, King of England, b. ABT 800
Mother: , Osburga
Married 868, Winchester, England to , Ealhswith of the Gaini
Child 1: , AEthelflaed, Lady of Mercia, b. CIR 869
Child 2: , Edmund, b. ABT 870
Child 3: , Edward the Elder, King of England, b. 869
Child 4: , AE fthryth
Child 5: , AEthelgeofu of Shaftesbury, Abbess of Shaftesbury
Child 6: , AEthelweard, b. 880
King Alfred (849 - 899)
Known as King Alfred (Aelfred) the Great, or King of Wessex, he became
ruler of the West Saxons after he an d his brother defeated the Danes in
the Battle of Ashdown in Berkshire - the later death of his brother
Ethelred left Alfred as successor in 871. He has t he reputation of being
a great warrior as well as a social reformer who built towns and promoted
education by starting schools and translating texts from Latin. He is
considered the first King of England.
Although the Danes were d efeated at Ashdown, the West Saxons were forced
to negotiate and pay tribute after losing further battles. But Alfred
refused to surrender and in 878, he rallied men from Somerset and
Wiltshire and again defeated the Danes in the B attle of Edington. The
Danes made peace and Guthrum, their king, was baptised with Alfred as his
sponsor. By 886, Alfred had freed London from Danish occu pation and a
treaty was made with Guthrum and the East Anglians. England was divided,
with the east (between the Rivers Thames and Tees) declared to be Da nish
territory - later known as the 'Danelaw' - where English and Danes were
treated as equals by law.
ALFRED 'THE GREAT' (r. 871-899)
Born at Wantage, Berkshire, in 849, Alfred was the fifth son of Aet