![]() ![]() The king, however, managed to escape and resorted to guerrilla tactics in his war against the invaders. This was a devastating blow to Alfred, as the Vikings had a secure base from which they could launch further attacks on Wessex. In January 878 AD, Chippenham in Wiltshire was seized by the Vikings. In 876 AD the Vikings turned their attention to the Kingdom of Wessex once more. (Hel-hama / CC BY-SA 3.0 ) The Vikings Seize Chippenham The Vikings then launched a campaign against the Kingdom of Mercia, which lasted until 874 AD.Ī map of the route taken by the Viking Great Heathen Army which arrived in England from Denmark, Norway, and southern Sweden in 865 AD. It is likely that the king paid tribute to the Vikings, who then left Wessex in peace for the next couple of years. Alfred was defeated at Wilton shortly after succeeding his brother and was forced to make peace. The most important matter that Alfred had to deal with as king of Wessex was the problem of the Vikings. Therefore, when Aethelwulf’s fourth son, Aethelred died in 871 AD, Alfred succeeded him, even though the former had two infant sons. In order to ensure the stability of the kingdom after his death, Aethelwulf had the succession of the kingship arranged in such a way that the throne would be passed from older to younger brother, rather than from father to son. At that time, England was under constant attack from the Vikings of Denmark. His oldest son, Aethelstan, had perished before him. (bl.uk / Public Domain ) Alfred’s Father’s Death and the Order of SuccessionĪethelwulf died in 858 AD and was succeeded by his second son Aethelbald. Archaeologists on Mission to Find Remains of Saxon King, ‘Alfred the Great’Īlfred's father King Æthelwulf of Wessex in the early fourteenth-century.Halfdan Ragnarsson: Viking Commander and King of Dublin.Burning, Pillaging, and Carving up the Lands: Viking Raids into England - Part II.Additionally, his mother aroused his interest in English poetry at an early age. For instance, as a young boy, Alfred visited Rome - which may have awakened his interest in Latin learning. Alfred himself seemed to have been more interested in scholarly pursuits than taking the throne. As Alfred had five older brothers, it seemed unlikely that he would inherit his father’s throne. He was the fifth son of Aethelwulf the king of Wessex, one of the seven petty kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. When was Alfred the Great Born?Īlfred the Great was born on April 23, 849 AD in Wantage, Berkshire. Additionally, Alfred encouraged learning and literacy, and the ‘Anglo-Saxon Chronicles ’, an important source of information for the history of Anglo-Saxon England, began during his reign. ![]() In fact, it was thanks to Alfred that England was not completely conquered by the Vikings. The only other English ruler to receive the accolade as ‘the Great’ was Cnut the Great, so Alfred must have done something quite special to receive the honor. He may have earned this title in part by defending his kingdom against the Vikings and for his efforts in improving education.Īlfred is often remembered as one of England’s greatest Anglo-Saxon rulers. Alfred the Great was the first king of the Anglo-Saxons and one of only two English rulers to have been given the epithet ‘the Great’.
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