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- 871-886: King of West Saxons
- 886-899: King of the Anglo-Saxons
- (EN) "Ælfrēd, cyning of West Seaxna"[1]
- (EN) "Ælfrēd, Bretwalda."[2]
Alfred the Great of Wessex was born 23 April 849 in Wantage, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom to Æthelwulf of Wessex (c795-858) and Osburga (-bef856) and died 26 October 899 Winchester, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom of unspecified causes. He married Ealhswith (c852-905) 868 JL .
Biography
King Alfred (or more properly Ælfred) is the only English king ever to receive the title "The Great" which epithet he earned for his stalwart resistance to the Danes, his wise government, his law-making, and his revival of English arts and culture and education. He was the first King of Wessex to be called "King of England". Reign: 871-899.
King Alfred the Great lived during the late 9th century and early 10th century, a period when Old English was the dominant language in England. Therefore, it is most likely that King Alfred would have spoken Old English, also known as Anglo-Saxon, which was the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons who settled in England after the departure of the Romans.
House of Wessex
He was of the royal English dynasty called House of Wessex, a family originating in the southwest corner of England and gradually increasing in power and prestige. The House became rulers of all the country with the reign of Alfred the Great in 871 and they lasting until Edmund Ironside in 1016. This period of the English monarchy is known as the Saxon period.
Rome pilgrimage 853
Young Alfred probably never expected to be king, being the fifth son of King Athelwulf of Wessex, and he even had three brothers precede him to the kingship.
Young Alfred made two trips to Rome, first in 853 and again in 855, where his father sought the blessings of the pope (Pope Leo IV (847-855)))and the Christian church in his ongoing battles against the pagan Danes. Legend has it that during one of these visits, the pope anointed him to be a great ruler. During these trips he spent some time with the court of Charles the Bald (823-877) and learned much about the grandeur of Charles's grandfather, Charlemagne (747-814).
Danish battles
Danish Invasion of England in 865.
After his father's death in 858, young Alfred started getting much military training in the armies of his brothers ( Athelbald (858-860), Athelbert (860-865) and Athelred (865-861) in their ongoing battles against the Danes (Norsemen, Vikings, etc).
In the mid 860's a Danish 'Great Army' under Ivar the Boneless invaded eastern England and occupied Northumbria. At first their attention was directed northwards against Mercia and Northumbria and they made many conquests there.
In 871, the Danes turned their attention towards Wessex and the armies of Alfred and his brother Æthelred of Wessex (c847-871), and thus began the great "Year of Battles". During the course of these battles Athelred died and Alfred became King. By this time Alfred was a highly experienced military leader.
After a major battle at Wilton in May 871, a peace was made between Wessex and the Danes, who turned their attention back northward. They returned to do battle in the late 870s under Guthrum and again in the 890s under Haesten.
But as he grew older and wiser, Alfred adopted more cautious tactics and stronger defences for holding back the Danes. He would besiege their fortifications, conduct guerrilla warfare on their transports, and build up the local militia in each shire.
Most famously, Alfred built a fleet of warships and is traditionally regarded as the father of the English Navy. (He is also called the father of the American navy, which named its first revolutionary warship, USS Alfred, for him.)
King of the Anglo-Saxons
A plaque in the City of London noting the restoration of the Roman walled city by Alfred
A year later, in 886, Alfred reoccupied the city of London and set out to make it habitable again.[3] Alfred entrusted the city to the care of his son-in-law Æthelred, ealdorman of Mercia. Soon afterwards, Alfred restyled himself as "King of the Anglo-Saxons". The restoration of London progressed through the latter half of the 880s and is believed to have revolved around a new street plan; added fortifications in addition to the existing Roman walls; and, some believe, the construction of matching fortifications on the south bank of the River Thames.[4]
This is also the period in which almost all chroniclers agree that the Saxon people of pre-unification England submitted to Alfred.[5] In 888, Æthelred, the archbishop of Canterbury, also died. One year later Guthrum, or Athelstan by his baptismal name, Alfred's former enemy and king of East Anglia, died and was buried in Hadleigh, Suffolk.[6] Guthrum's death changed the political landscape for Alfred. The resulting power vacuum stirred other power-hungry warlords eager to take his place in the following years. The quiet years of Alfred's life were coming to a close.[7]
From Treaty of 889, setting the border between English and Danelaw:
"This is the peace which King Alfred and King Guthrum...have agreed on...First concerning our boundaries: up the Thames, and then up the Lea, and along the Lea to its source, then in a straight line to Bedford, then up the Ouse to the Watling Street."
Marriage and family
The Alfred Jewel, discovered near North Petherton, Somerset in 1693. Dates from the late 9th Century with inscription "AELFRED MEC HEFT GEWYRCAN", old English for "Alfred ordered me made." Probably a pointer for following text in a book.
In 868, Alfred married Ealhswith (c852-905), daughter of a Mercian nobleman, Æthelred Mucil, Ealdorman of the Gaini. The Gaini were probably one of the tribal groups of the Mercians. Ealhswith's mother, Eadburh, was a member of the Mercian royal family.
They had five or six children together, including Edward the Elder (c870-924), who succeeded his father as king, Æthelflæd (c872-918), who became Lady (ruler) of the Mercians in her own right, and Ælfthryth of Wessex (c872-929), who married Baldwin II the Count of Flanders. In 2008 the skeleton of Queen Eadgyth, granddaughter of Alfred the Great, was found in Magdeburg Cathedral in Germany. It was confirmed in 2010 that these remains belong to her — one of the earliest members of the English royal family.
Osferth was described as a relative in King Alfred's will and he attested charters in a high position until 934. A charter of King Edward's reign described him as the king's brother, "mistakenly" according to Keynes and Lapidge; however, in the view of Janet Nelson, he probably was an illegitimate son of King Alfred.
- Æthelflæd (c872-918) - Married c 886, Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians d. 911; had children
- Edward the Elder (c870-924) - succeeded his father as King of England, ruling from 899 to 924.
- Æthelgifu, Abbess of Shaftesbury (?-?) - Abbess of Shaftesbury
- Ælfthryth of Wessex (c872-929) - Married and had children
- Æthelwærd (c880-922) - Married Baldwin II d. 918, Count of Flanders; had children
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Edward the Elder (c870-924) | 870 | 17 July 924 | Ecgwynn (c875-) Ælfflæd (c880-) Eadgifu of Kent (c902-968) |
| Æthelflæd (c872-918) | 872 Wessex | 12 June 918 Tamford, Staffordshire, England | Æthelred of Mercia (c855-911) |
| Æthelgifu, Abbess of Shaftesbury (?-?) | |||
| Ælfthryth of Wessex (c872-929) | 872 England, United Kingdom (Wessex) | 7 June 929 | Baldwin II of Flanders (c865-918) |
| Æthelwærd (c880-922) | 880 Wessex | 921 Wessex | |
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Æthelstan of Kent (-c852) | 830 England, United Kingdom (Wessex) | 852 England, United Kingdom (Wessex) | |
| Æthelswith of Wessex (c838-888) | 838 England, United Kingdom (Wessex) | 888 Pavia, Italy | Burgred of Mercia (c825-874) |
| Æthelbald of Wessex (-860) | 833 Wessex | 20 December 860 Sherborne, Dorsetshire, England | Judith (844-870) |
| Æthelberht of Wessex (-865) | 836 Wessex | 865 England | |
| Æthelred of Wessex (c847-871) | 847 Wessex | 23 April 871 Wessex | Wulfthryth of Wessex (c840-) |
| Alfred the Great (849-899) | 23 April 849 Wantage, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom | 26 October 899 Winchester, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom | Ealhswith (c852-905) |
See Also
Bibliography
- Abels, Richard P. (1988). Lordship and Military Obligation in Anglo-Saxon England. British Museum Press. pp. 58–78. ISBN 978-0-7141-0552-9.
- Abels, Richard (1998). Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England. Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-04047-2.
- Abels, Richard (2002). "Royal Succession and the Growth of Political Stability in Ninth-Century Wessex". The Haskins Society Journal: Studies in Medieval History 12: 83–97.
- Attenborough, F.L., ed (1922). The laws of the earliest English kings. Cambridge University Press. pp. 52–53, 62–93, 98–101. ISBN 9780404565459. https://archive.org/stream/lawsofearliesten00grea#page/52/mode/2up.
- Bately, Janet (1970). "King Alfred and the Old English Translation of Orosius". Anglia 88: 433–60.
- Bately, Janet (1990). "'Those books that are most necessary for all men to know': The Classics and late ninth-century England: a reappraisal". In Bernardo, Aldo S.; Levin, Saul. The Classics in the Middle Ages. Binghamtion, New York. pp. 45–78.
- Bately, Janet M. (2014). "Alfred as Author and Translator". A Companion to Alfred the Great. Leiden: Brill. pp. 113–42. doi:10.1163/9789004283763_006. ISBN 9789004283763.
- BBC staff (17 January 2014). "Bone fragment 'could be King Alfred or son Edward'". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-25760383.
- Blackburn, M.A.S. (1998). "The London mint in the reign of Alfred". In Blackburn, M.A.S.; Dumville, D.N.. Kings, Currency and Alliances: History and Coinage of Southern England in the 9th Century. pp. 105–24.
- Bradshaw, Anthony (1999), The Burghal Hidage: Alfred's Towns, http://www.ogdoad.force9.co.uk/alfred/alfhidage.htm
- Brooks, Nicholas (1984). The Early History of the Church of Canterbury: Christ Church from 597 to 1066. pp. 172–73.
- Brooks, N.P.; Graham-Campbell, J.A. (1986). "Reflections on the Viking-age silver hoard from Croydon, Surrey". Anglo-Saxon Monetary History: Essays in Memory of Michael Dolley. pp. 91–110.
- Cannon, John (1997). The Oxford Companion to British History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-866176-2. https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00john_0.
- Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2013). Wales and the Britons 350–1064. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-821731-2.
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Alfred the Great
- Ælfræd, King of Wessex at thePeerage
- Alfred the Great - Geni.com
- Alfred the Great at Find A Grave
- Anglo-Saxon and Danish Kings of England - Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
- Alfred the Great at the official website of the British monarchy
- Alfred the Great at BBC History
- Alfred 8 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Ancestry Trees
Contemporary References
The best contemporary references for the life of King Alfred the Great include:
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals that chronicle the history of England from the 5th to the 12th centuries. The earliest entries were written during King Alfred's reign and provide valuable information about his life and achievements.
- Asser's Life of King Alfred: Asser was a Welsh monk who wrote a biography of King Alfred in the late 9th century. Asser's Life of King Alfred is one of the most important sources of information about Alfred's life and accomplishments.
- Alfred's own writings: King Alfred was a prolific writer, and many of his own writings have survived to the present day. These include his translations of Latin works, such as the "Consolation of Philosophy" by Boethius, and his own original works, such as his "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" and his "Laws of Alfred."
- The writings of other contemporary figures: There are a number of other contemporary figures who wrote about King Alfred and his reign, including the Welsh monk Nennius, who wrote about Alfred's military campaigns against the Vikings, and the anonymous author of the "Life of St. Neot," who wrote about Alfred's relationship with the saint.
Original Citations
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:Death of King Alfred
Here is an original quotation in Old English from "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle," a contemporary historical source, about the death of King Alfred the Great:
"Her wæs Ælfred cyning ofslægen, ðæs ilcan geares æfter ðæm myclan gefeohte æt Æscesdune, ðæs ðe heora cyning Æðelstan and Eádwine ðærinne ofslogon, and Æðelwulfes sunu Æðelbriht gefliemde" (Translation: "Here King Alfred died, that same year after the great battle at Ashdown, in which their king Æthelstan and Eadwine were killed, and Æthelwulf's son Æthelbriht fled").
This entry, written in Old English, describes King Alfred's death in 899, after the Battle of Ashdown. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is one of the most important sources of information about Alfred's life and accomplishments.
Alfred's will
A page from King Alfred's will
Æthelwulf's will has not survived, but Alfred's has and it provides some information about his father's intentions. He left a bequest to be inherited by whichever of Æthelbald, Æthelred, and Alfred lived longest. Abels and Yorke argue that this meant the whole of his personal property in Wessex, and probably that the survivor was to inherit the throne of Wessex as well, while Æthelberht and his heirs ruled Kent.[8] Other historians disagree. Nelson states that the provision regarding the personal property had nothing to do with the kingship,[9] and Kirby comments: "Such an arrangement would have led to fratricidal strife. With three older brothers, Alfred's chances of reaching adulthood would, one feels, have been minimal."[10] Smyth describes the bequest as provision for his youngest sons when they reached manhood.[11] Æthelwulf's moveable wealth, such as gold and silver, was to be divided among "children, nobles and the needs of the king's soul".[9] For the latter, he left one tenth of his hereditary land to be set aside to feed the poor, and he ordered that three hundred mancuses be sent to Rome each year, one hundred to be spent on lighting the lamps in St Peter's at Easter, one hundred for the lights of St Paul's, and one hundred for the pope.[12]
Royal Succession
Alfred the Great (849-899) Born: 847–849 Died: 26 October 899
| ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Æthelred |
Bretwalda 871–899 |
Last holder |
| King of the West Saxons 871–c. 886 |
Became king of the Anglo-Saxons | |
| New title | King of the Anglo-Saxons c. 886–899 |
Succeeded by Edward the Elder |
References
- ^ Old English spelling for Alfred, King of West Saxon
- ^ Old English spelling for Alfred, Ruler of Britania
- ^ Keynes 1998, p. 24.
- ^ Keynes 1998, p. 23.
- ^ Pratt 2007, p. 106.
- ^ Woodruff 1993, p. 89.
- ^ "A History of King Alfred The Great and the Danes". Local Histories. http://www.localhistories.org/alfred.html.
- ^ Abels 2002, pp. 89–91; Yorke 1990, pp. 149–50.
- ^ a b Nelson 2004a.
- ^ Kirby 2000, p. 167.
- ^ Smyth 1995, pp. 416–17.
- ^ Abels 1998, p. 87.
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |
Robin Patterson, AMK152, Rtol, Phlox, Thurstan, MainTour
References
- See also List of English monarchs
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