![]() As the last independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Wessex was under constant attack. By 870 the ancient kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia had fallen to the Vikings, their kings replaced by puppet leaders who were loyal to their Viking overlords. He was inspired by his early trips to Rome and developed a view of kingship based on firm moral and religious grounds.įierce Viking attacks threatened to destroy the Anglo-Saxon world into which Alfred had been born. However from his youth he proved to be brave and intelligent, a man who valued wisdom and knowledge and saw himself as part of a wider Christian community. Alfred is said to have invented the candle clock.īrowse through the gallery and see if you can spot the following:Ī weak and sickly child with four older brothers, Alfred was an unlikely king.Queen Elizabeth II is a direct descendent of Alfred.In a 2002 BBC poll Alfred was voted 14th Greatest Briton of all time.Another legend has Alfred disguising himself as a minstrel or travelling player to gain entrance to the Danish camp and overhear their battle plans.The old woman, who did not recognise Alfred as the king, scolded him for his carelessness! The most famous recounts that when he was hiding from the Vikings in the Somerset Levels an old woman asked Alfred to watch her cakes baking but he was distracted and the cakes got burned. There are many legends about King Alfred.The writing of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles also commenced during his reign. Alfred instructed Bishop Asser to write his biography.He was illiterate (couldn’t read or write) until he was 12.Alfred was the first English king to write books. #King alfred vikings freeAlfred believed that all free born English boys should receive an education and he set up a school at his court to educate his sons, as well as those of the nobles and others of lesser birth.Alfred's fortified towns or burhs formed the basis of the English system of boroughs and shires.In 886 he recaptured London and set about renovating the city.After defeating Guthrum the Dane, Alfred made him convert to Christianity and then adopted Guthrum as his foster son.In 879 Alfred won a decisive victory against the Vikings at Edington.In 870 Alfred and his brother Aethelred fought nine battles against the Vikings.Wessex was the only Anglo-Saxon kingdom to hold out against the Vikings. By 870 Northumberland, East Anglia and Mercia has all fallen to the Vikings.As a boy of four he accompanied his father Aethelwulf on a pilgrimage to Rome.He had four older brothers who all ruled as king before he did.Alfred was born in 849 at the royal palace in Wantage.Known as a just and fair ruler, Alfred is the only English King to have earned the title ‘ the Great’. He was a keen champion of education and translated important texts from Latin into English. He also introduced wide-ranging reforms including defence measures, reform of the law and of coinage. Despite overwhelming odds he successfully defended his kingdom, Wessex, against the Vikings. Alfred the Great (849-899) was the most famous of the Anglo-Saxon kings. ![]()
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