Brief description of King Alfred of Wessex

1. Wantage, England
„THE GREAT‟
King Alfred of Wessex
Jessica Atkins
ENG 122

2. It is unmistakable that Alfred was
“great.” Russ Foster observed, “At
his death Wessex, which now
included London, was twice as large
as the kingdom he had inherited” (2).
It is assumed when a king is called
“great” is because he has enormous
strength. What kind of strength is
observed for a king that dreamed of
uniting all English speaking citizens
into one kingdom while he created a
larger one? Alfred‟s ideas for Wessex
were radical for his era because of
the Viking raids in Great Britain.
Alfred‟s obvious strength was his
brutal military. This is a common
judgment for a “great king.”
However, Alfred‟s intelligence
persevered, which is Alfred‟s true
A rare High Medieval image of Alfred, 13th century
strength that titled him “great.”

3. WHO WAS ALFRED „THE GREAT‟?
Alfred „The Great‟ was born in 849 and was the fifth son to King
Aethelwulf. King Aethelwulf created a rotation of kingship amongst his sons.
The British Monarchy comments, “At their father's behest and by mutual
agreement, Alfred's elder brothers succeeded to the kingship in turn, rather
than endanger the kingdom by passing it to under-age children” (British
Monarchy). Alfred‟s older brother King Aethelred dies from battle wounds
several days after the battle of Ashdown, and at the age of 21 Alfred becomes
king of Wessex. Alfred rules for 19 years until his death in 899.
King Alfred had a dream of uniting all English speaking citizens into
one kingdom. Alfred had to overcome his sinful indulgences once he was
crowned King while maintaining his authority over his lords. During his
reign, he was constantly threatened by Vikings plundering his lands and
stealing from the Church and Saxon citizens. Alfred was forced to war
against the Vikings making his dream of uniting all English speaking countries
seemingly out of reach, and his endeavors created the ground work of the
making of England making him Alfred „The Great.‟

4. Battle at Ashdown 871
Wessex had an undeniable strong military that
would eventually secure Wessex from the Danish
Vikings. King Alfred was not a stranger to the
Vikings before his kingship. Alfred‟s experience
with battle against the Vikings was before his reign. Wessex
Vikings
One of the most important battles Alfred had part
in was at Ashdown in 871. The Vikings had the
high ground of the hill, while the Saxons had to
climb uphill during the battle. During this battle,
Alfred‟s brother Ethelred was still king. King
Ethelred put Alfred as the commander of the
army. While Ethelred was in prayer at the site of
Ashdown Alfred had to make a decision whether
to somehow suspend the Vikings threat or
progress the army in an uphill battle until Ethelred
had finished his prayers. The Vikings descended
downhill and made the decision for Alfred, he had
to advance his army to attack. Asser recalls,
“There fell in that battle king Bagsac, earl Sidrac
the elder, and earl Sidrac the younger, earl Osborn,
earl Frene, and earl Harold; and the whole pagan
army pursued its flight, not only until night but
until the next day, even until they reached the
stronghold from which they had sallied” (Asser).
By Richard Doyle
www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/doyle/2.html

5. GUTHRUM ASSAULTS WESSEX
In the winter of 878 was a test of Alfred‟s
strength. Guthrum, a Danish Viking, brought his army to
Wiltshire where Alfred assembled his witan for a Christmas
celebration. Guthrum attacked at night and seized
Wiltshire, making Alfred an outlaw and drove him to the
marches of Athelney. The Saxon citizens either
surrendered or escaped. Alfred needed a new tactic to gain
Wessex back under his control. While he was in the
marshes in Athelney he had constructed a “fortified base”
and assessed his allies (British Monarchy). Ealdorman
Aethelnoth of Somerset, men from Wiltshire and
Hampshire were still his allies. Alfred created a guerilla type
resistance and gathered around 4,000 troops to his aid. In
May of 878, Alfred gathered his allied troops in Edington
at Egberts Stone and fought Guthrum. Asser, in his
biography of King Alfred stated, “Alfred attacked the
whole pagan army fighting ferociously in dense order, and
by divine will eventually won the victory, made great
slaughter among them, and pursued them to their
fortress[…] After fourteen days the pagans were brought
to the extreme depths of despair by hunger, cold and fear,
and they sought peace” (Asser). The Saxons were
victorious and Alfred regained control of his kingdom.
The victory at Edington was a turning point for Wessex.
Guthrum surrendered and had a Christian baptism, making
Alfred his Godfather. Alfred gave Guthrum the kingdom
of East Anglia. According to Dr. Nye, a History professor
at Front Range Community College, Alfred gave Guthrum
East Anglia because Alfred did not have the capacity to
govern East Anglia. This created the Wedmore Treaty
which was an alliance between King Alfred of Wessex and
Guthrum of East Anglia. Russ Foster states, “The resulting
victory at Edington proved the most decisive encounter of
his reign (2).

6. Alfred the Great plots the capture of the Danish fleet.
King Alfred used another strategy to strengthen his
military, which was creating ships and a navy. This
tactic was an important detail that was overlooked
until 875. The Vikings had long slender ships that
were very fast on the sea. They would dress their
boats with scary creatures on the ships mast to
scare their enemies watching them from land.
Their ships enabled them to plunder lands and
escape quickly. According to Dr. Nye, Alfred built
ships similar to the Vikings but used a design
created by the Romans. The ships that Alfred built
allowed his navy military to keep no further attacks
by sea from the Vikings, and making it harder to
www.lore-and-saga.co.uk/html/viking_ships.html
raid, plunder and attack Wessex.

7. www.old-print.com/mas_assets/full/N3181912106A.jpg
“He gave orders to his sailors to prevent them from obtaining any supplies by sea; and his sailors were
encountered by a fleet of a hundred and twenty ships full of armed soldiers, who were come to help
their countrymen. As soon as the king’s men knew that they were fitted with pagan soldiers, they
leaped to their arms, and bravely attacked those barbaric tribes; but the pagan, who had now for almost
a month been tossed and almost wrecked among the waves of the sea, fought vainly against them;
their bands were discomfited in a moment, and all were sunk and drowned in the sea” (Asser 16).

8. KING ALFRED ONCE WROTE:
“for every good gift and every power soon grows old and is no more
heard of, if Wisdom be not in them. Without Wisdom no faculty can
be fully brought out, for whatsoever is done unwisely can never be
accounted as skill.”
(Historical Royal Speeches)

9. IT IS CLEAR ALFRED WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO LEAD HIS MILITARY AND CREATE A STRONGER WESSEX, WHILE
DESPERATELY COMFORTING HIS DISEASE WITH PRAYER. HIS WISDOM HOWEVER, PULLS HIS COUNTRY OUT OF DANISH
RULE AND EXPANDS HIS KINGDOM. HIS FATHER AETHELWULF SENT HIM TO ROME WHEN HE WAS FIVE. WHILE HE WAS
IN ROME, HE LEARNED THE ART OF WAR AND PRAYER. MOST INTERESTINGLY HE WAS NOT TAUGHT HOW TO READ OR
WRITE AS A CHILD. HIS EDUCATION CONSISTED OF CLERGY RECITING PSALMS AND ALFRED MEMORIZED THEM. HIS
EDUCATION AT HOME ALSO CONSISTED OF MEMORIZATION. RUSS FOSTER STATES, “THE BEST-KNOWN STORY OF
ALFRED'S EARLY LIFE INVOLVES A BOOK OF POETRY BELONGING TO HIS MOTHER. SHE PROMISED IT TO WHICHEVER
OF HER SONS COULD RECITE IT FIRST. THE YOUNGEST, ALFRED, WON THE PRIZE” (3). AS A CHILD ALFRED WAS THIRSTY
FOR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD.
ALTHOUGH ALFRED DID NOT LEARN TO READ AND WRITE AS A CHILD, HE EVENTUALLY LEARNED AS AN
ADULT. WHILE HE WAS LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE HE WAS ALSO TAUGHT TO READ,
WRITE AND SPEAK LATIN.
By Richard Hook www.magnoliabox.com/art/199514/King_Alfred_was_a_keen_scholar

10. A STATUE OF ALFRED WAS ERECTED IN WANTAGE, ENGLAND.
THE PLAQUE OF THE STATUE CHARACTERIZES ALFRED:
“Alfred found learning dead, and restored it. Education neglected,
and he revived it. The laws powerless, and he gave them force.
The Church debased, and he raised it. The land ravaged by
fearful enemy, from which he delivered it. Alfred‟s name shall
live as long as mankind respects the past.”
(qtd. In Searing 1)

11. Some people may say this is an exaggeration of King Alfred. However, this is a perfect
example of his strengths that titled him “great.” His physical strength in body and of
his military as well as his intelligence created a strong base of what is now England.
His dreams of uniting all English speaking peoples not under Danish rule was in reach
by the time of his death in 899. For a king to be “great” he needs to have the qualities
of physical and mental strength. Alfred proved through his battles and treaties with
the Vikings he had physical strength. Alfred‟s wisdom started with a dream and he
bettered himself and his citizens and delivered Wessex from the eminent threat of
Viking raids, which illustrates Alfred‟s greatest strength was his intelligence.

12. WORKS CITED
• "Alfred 'The Great' (r. 871-899)." The Official Website of the British Monarchy. The Royal Household, n.d.
Web. 23 June 2012.
• "Alfred the Great." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 July 2012. Web. 27 July 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great>.
• Asser, Bishop Of Sherborne., Dorothy Whitelock, and W. H. Stevenson. Life of King Alfred. Oxf.: n.p.,
1904. Print.
• "Battle of Ashdown." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2012. Web. 27 July 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ashdown>.
• Doyle, Richard. Victorianweb. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2012.
• Hook, Richard. "King Alfred Was a Keen Scholar." Magnoliabox. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2012.
• Nye, Bruce. "King Alfred of Wessex." Personal interview. 26 June 2012.
• Of Wessex, King Alfred. "HISTORIC ROYAL SPEECHES AND WRITINGS ALFRED „THE
GREAT‟." The British Monarchy Web Site. British Government, n.d. Web. 23 June 2012.
• "Old Print." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2012. <www.old-print.com>.
• Russ, Foster. ""Alfred The Great."" History Review 70 (2011): 47. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 15 June 2012.
• Searing, Maureen Elizabeth. "Alfred of Wessex a Study in Accidental Greatness." Master's Theses (2009):
1-105. Web. 23 June 2012.
• "Viking Ships." Lore and Saga. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2012.