Alfred, the Great
Youngest son of King Æthelwulf, Alfred became King of Wessex during a time of constant Viking attack. He was driven into hiding by a Viking raid into Wessex, led by the Dane, Guthorm, and took refuge in the Athelney marshes in Somerset. There, he recovered sufficient strength to be able
to defeat the Danes decisively at the battle of Eddington. As a condition
of the peace treaty which followed, Guthorm received Christian baptism and
withdrew his forces from Wessex, with Alfred recognizing the Danish control
over East Anglia and parts of Mercia. This partition of England, called
the "Danelaw", was formalized by the Peace of Wedmore.
Alfred created a series of fortifications whose purpose was to surround
his kingdom and provide needed security from invasion. The Anglo-Saxon word
for these forts, "burhs", has come down to us in the common place-name
suffix, "bury." He also constructed a fleet of ships to augment
his other defenses, and in the doing became known as the "Father of
the English Navy." The reign of Alfred was known for more than military
success. He was a codifier of law, a promoter of education and a supporter
of the arts. He, himself, was a scholar and translated Latin books into
the Anglo-Saxon tongue. The definitive contemporary work on Alfred's life
is an unfinished account in Latin by Asser, a Welshman, bishop of Sherbourne
and Alfred's counsellor. After his death, he was buried in his capital city
of Winchester, and is the only English monarch in history to carry the title,
"the Great."
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