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Alfred the Great THE ANGLO-SAXONS

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CHILDHOOD Alfred (849-99), king of Wessex (871-99). A popular image of Alfred is of national superman; destined by his father's (thelwulf) will to be king, despite having three surviving older brothers (thelbald, thelbert, and thelred I); saviour of the English from the Vikings; architect of a united England; founder of the navy, reformer of the army, town-planner; patron of the church; promoter of universal education and father of English prose; saintly, and easy to know. father

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The quality of his own writings suggests that he had a sound education in Latin. He assisted thelred against the great army which invaded in 865, and his accession in 871 was most likely not a certainty. The 870s saw continuing war against the Danes, who were numerous, skilled, treacherous, well led, wanting conquest and settlement. In 878, surprised by Guthrum at Chippenham, Alfred fled to Athelney (Somerset), but defeated the Danes in a desperate last-stand battle at Edington. The results were the treaty of Wedmore, Guthrum's baptism and retirement to be king of East Anglia.

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The West Saxon dynasty was the only one to survive the Viking threat and Alfred gained authority over all the English outside Danish control. Mercia (under Burgred) had been an ally, and was handled tactfully. Alfred married his daughter thelfleda to Ealdorman thelred, probably of Mercian royal stock, allowed him to operate as subking, and ceded London after its recapture from the Danes (886).

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Alfred's government was expensive. It is probable that he bought peace with heavy payments to the Danes, for example in 896. Wealth was necessary to ensure aristocratic support, for building, against Vikings, and also against dynastic rivals. Alfred's nephews thelhelm and thelwold challenged his disposition of thelred's property before the witan and could be expected to challenge his son Edward for the kingship. Asser asserts that Alfred spent lavishly on art, architecture, alms, and gifts to the church. His coinage shows he was not short of silver, and his will that he was hugely wealthy in 899.

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Alfred's relationship with the church seems superficially harmonious. Ninth- cent. West Saxon kings seem not to have pressured the church economically: the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records Alfred sending alms to Rome, and receiving gifts from Pope Marinus, and Asser recounts his foundation of monasteries at Athelney and Shaftesbury (for women). Yet evidence from Abingdon suggests Alfred was resented there as a despoiler, other evidence that he appropriated monastic properties right across Wessex, and it is as a threat to the church that he appears in a papal letter in 878.

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ALFRED'S LAW CODE REFERRED TO THE LAWS OF THELBERT OF KENT AND OFFA OF MERCIA, AND INCLUDED INE'S, PERHAPS TO APPEAL TO KENTISH AND MERCIAN SENTIMENT The code's purpose was to promote the king as lawgiver, rather than to serve as a handbook, and Alfred's preface offers a history of law beginning with the Ten Commandments, suggesting that his people were a new people of God. The Chronicle was perhaps composed in 896-7 under Alfred's direction, its content and structure suggesting that it was commissioned to tie Alfred into West Saxon history and Wessex into world history

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Alfred proposed, in his prose preface to his translation of Pope Gregory I's Pastoral Rule, a programme of translation of books most necessary for all men to know. He complained that clerical knowledge of Latin and educational standards generally had greatly declined. Alfred also translated two contemplative works, Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy and Augustine's Soliloquies, and a number of psalms.

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The West Saxon take-over of England, 10th-century economic development, the burghs as sites of mints and centres of administration, can all be traced back to Alfred. Though vernacular literature failed to take off, the education of bishops may have contributed to the 10th-century reform movement since its leaders were bishops. Alfred's legal innovations may have laid a foundation for the English common law of Henry II's time.

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Timeline for King Alfred the Great 871 Alfred becomes King of Wessex following the death of his brother Aethelred 872 London falls to Viking raiders 878 Guthrum's Danish army invades Wessex, and Alfred takes refuge on the isle of Athelney. 878 Treaty of Wedmore divides England into two. 884 Alfred defeats the Danes at Rochester 885 Alfred imposes rules on South Wales 886 Alfred takes London from the Danes. 890 Alfred establishes a permanent army and navy 891 Anglo Saxon Chronicle, source of much early British History, begun 893 Asser, Bishop of Sherborne, completes his book The Life of Alfred the Great 894 Northumbrian and East Angles swear allegiance to Alfred, but promptly break the truce 899 Alfred dies and is buried at Winchester. His son Edward becomes king.

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King Alfred, named "Great", died in Winchester on October 26, 899. He was succeeded by his son Edward the Elder.