Alfred the Great was born at Wantage, Berkshire, in 849 AD, the fifth son of the West Saxon King Ethelwulf.
He was King of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred was the first monarch from the British Isles to style himself as 'King of the Anglo-Saxons' and so he is sometimes considered the first English king.
His real name was Aelfred meaning "Elf Counsel."
As a young boy, despite not being able to read, Alfred seems to have been a child of singular attractiveness and promise. It is said he desired to own a particular manuscript of Anglo Saxon poems. Alfred managed to borrow it and he promptly gave the manuscript to someone else who read it to him. The young prince had a natural retentive memory and he repeated the whole thing ad verbatim to his mother, who gave him the book.
When Alfred learnt to read at the age of twelve, he fell in love with books. He learnt off by heart, the daily services of the church, Psalms and prayers.
Three of Alfred's brothers, Ethelbald, Ethelbert and Ethelred became King of Wessex before him but all died young, leaving Alfred to become king in 871 AD.
As a king, Alfred gained a reputation as a patron of education. He ordered that as an anti Viking strategy, all Wessex youth should be taught to read in English and later in Latin. He believed this would make his subjects holy and wise and stop the Viking raids which were divine punishment for sin.
Throughout his reign Alfred attempted to encourage his people to live by the Word of God. To help with this he had many churches and monasteries, which had been destroyed by the Vikings, rebuilt and the Gospels and many Psalms translated from Latin into English.
Alfred promulgated the first laws in more than a century in England, and rewrote them in common speech. It was said that the king instilled throughout England such respect for the law that it was commonly said that in his day one might leave precious jewels hanging on a roadside bush and no one would venture to take them.
Alfred's laws were the first to make no distinction between the English and Welsh people.
Under the laws of Alfred anyone caught fighting in the presence of a bishop had to pay 100 shillings in compensation. The fine rose to 150 shillings if an archbishop was present.
Alfred was the first king of the Western Saxons to refer to himself as "King of the English."
Alfred was the first Englishman to provide horses for his troops.
In 896, Alfred ordered the construction of a small fleet, perhaps a dozen or so longships that, at 60 oars, were twice the size of Viking warships.
He was the only English ruler to resist Danish invasions successfully. Alfred's successes against the Vikings can be attributed to his revamped army, the newly founded navy and the fortified towns. He reorganized military service so that half the home guard were farming and the other half were in the field against invaders.
Alfred was clean-shaven, barrel chinned, rather ordinary looking but with a kindly countenance. A weathered and tanned face, it was tanned by the smoke from the central hearths in the places he stayed.
In 868 Alfred married Ealhswith, daughter of a Mercian nobleman, Æthelred Mucel, Ealdorman of the Gaini, which is thought to be an old Mercian tribal group.
Together they had several children, two sons and three daughters of whom survived to adulthood.
Alfred spent most of his time wandering between his 29 burhs. He would spend a few days in each, the king and his retinue being fed and entertained by the locals.
A keen scientist, in an Anglo Saxon sort of way, Alfred invented a candle clock, which was a candle that was marked to tell the time. He used it to divide his day into equal portions of royal duties, study and prayer and rest.
Doing a period of peace between 887-92, Alfred learnt Latin. He then set out with the help of scholars from Mercia to translate The Anglo-Saxon equivalent of best-sellers. They were the first prose to be written in old English; previously all literature had been written in Latin. These included. They included, Bede's History of the English People, Boethus' Consolation of Philosophy, and was working on Pope Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care when he died.
Alfred passed away on October 26, 899. It is unclear what he died of but Crohn’s disease or hemorrhoids seem the most likely.
He was buried, with his wife and son, in a Winchester monastery that was closed during the Reformation. Alfred's resting-place remains a mystery but his bones are believed to have been moved as much as four times since he died. In 2014 a pelvic bone was found that may have been his.
The legend of King Alfred burning a villager’s cakes when in disguise dates only from the 12th century, some 300 years after he lived.
The "Great" was bestowed upon King Alfred in the 17th century. He earned the moniker by defending the kingdom from Viking invasions
Source Daily Express
He was King of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred was the first monarch from the British Isles to style himself as 'King of the Anglo-Saxons' and so he is sometimes considered the first English king.
EARLY LIFE
His real name was Aelfred meaning "Elf Counsel."
As a young boy, despite not being able to read, Alfred seems to have been a child of singular attractiveness and promise. It is said he desired to own a particular manuscript of Anglo Saxon poems. Alfred managed to borrow it and he promptly gave the manuscript to someone else who read it to him. The young prince had a natural retentive memory and he repeated the whole thing ad verbatim to his mother, who gave him the book.
When Alfred learnt to read at the age of twelve, he fell in love with books. He learnt off by heart, the daily services of the church, Psalms and prayers.
REIGN
Three of Alfred's brothers, Ethelbald, Ethelbert and Ethelred became King of Wessex before him but all died young, leaving Alfred to become king in 871 AD.
As a king, Alfred gained a reputation as a patron of education. He ordered that as an anti Viking strategy, all Wessex youth should be taught to read in English and later in Latin. He believed this would make his subjects holy and wise and stop the Viking raids which were divine punishment for sin.
Throughout his reign Alfred attempted to encourage his people to live by the Word of God. To help with this he had many churches and monasteries, which had been destroyed by the Vikings, rebuilt and the Gospels and many Psalms translated from Latin into English.
Alfred promulgated the first laws in more than a century in England, and rewrote them in common speech. It was said that the king instilled throughout England such respect for the law that it was commonly said that in his day one might leave precious jewels hanging on a roadside bush and no one would venture to take them.
Alfred's laws were the first to make no distinction between the English and Welsh people.
Under the laws of Alfred anyone caught fighting in the presence of a bishop had to pay 100 shillings in compensation. The fine rose to 150 shillings if an archbishop was present.
Alfred was the first king of the Western Saxons to refer to himself as "King of the English."
 |
| King Alfred's statue at Winchester. Hamo Thornycroft's bronze statue erected in 1899.. By Odejea, |
Alfred was the first Englishman to provide horses for his troops.
In 896, Alfred ordered the construction of a small fleet, perhaps a dozen or so longships that, at 60 oars, were twice the size of Viking warships.
He was the only English ruler to resist Danish invasions successfully. Alfred's successes against the Vikings can be attributed to his revamped army, the newly founded navy and the fortified towns. He reorganized military service so that half the home guard were farming and the other half were in the field against invaders.
PERSONAL LIFE
Alfred was clean-shaven, barrel chinned, rather ordinary looking but with a kindly countenance. A weathered and tanned face, it was tanned by the smoke from the central hearths in the places he stayed.
In 868 Alfred married Ealhswith, daughter of a Mercian nobleman, Æthelred Mucel, Ealdorman of the Gaini, which is thought to be an old Mercian tribal group.
Together they had several children, two sons and three daughters of whom survived to adulthood.
Alfred spent most of his time wandering between his 29 burhs. He would spend a few days in each, the king and his retinue being fed and entertained by the locals.
A keen scientist, in an Anglo Saxon sort of way, Alfred invented a candle clock, which was a candle that was marked to tell the time. He used it to divide his day into equal portions of royal duties, study and prayer and rest.
Doing a period of peace between 887-92, Alfred learnt Latin. He then set out with the help of scholars from Mercia to translate The Anglo-Saxon equivalent of best-sellers. They were the first prose to be written in old English; previously all literature had been written in Latin. These included. They included, Bede's History of the English People, Boethus' Consolation of Philosophy, and was working on Pope Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care when he died.
DEATH AND LEGACY
Alfred passed away on October 26, 899. It is unclear what he died of but Crohn’s disease or hemorrhoids seem the most likely.
He was buried, with his wife and son, in a Winchester monastery that was closed during the Reformation. Alfred's resting-place remains a mystery but his bones are believed to have been moved as much as four times since he died. In 2014 a pelvic bone was found that may have been his.
The legend of King Alfred burning a villager’s cakes when in disguise dates only from the 12th century, some 300 years after he lived.
 |
| A Victorian portrayal of the 12th-century legend of Alfred burning the cakes |
The "Great" was bestowed upon King Alfred in the 17th century. He earned the moniker by defending the kingdom from Viking invasions
Source Daily Express
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