We continue our series on famous British historical figures with a profile of Alfred The Great, already mentioned in this issue.
Despite inauspicious beginnings Alfred became one of the finest rulers in England.
His taming of the threat from the Danes, his groundwork for his dream of a united England and his sponsorship of education and culture all endeared him to future generations gave him the title ‘Great’.
EARLY LIFE
Alfred was born in 849 in the medieval kingdom of Wessex – now Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex – the f ifth son of Æthelwulf, King of the West Saxons.
He never expected to be King, as he had four older brothers and seemed to be content with a scholar’s life.
However Aethelwulf decided that each of his sons, Æthelbald, Æthelberht, Æthelred.and Alfred, would rule in turn.
Little is known of the reigns of Æthelbald and Æthelberht, other than they were short.
His oldest brother Æthelred is known to have reigned for longer, fighting alongside Alfred against the Danes.
But on Æthelred’s death in 871, Alfred took the throne.
THE DANES

Alfred’s reign was dominated by a long running war with the Danes, who ruled much of the north of what would become England, and who wished to push south.
Alfred and his brothers suffered several defeats to them in the 860s-70s .
The battles at Merton, Wilton and Chippenham were all lost, resulting in Alfred to relocate to Athelney in the Somerset Marshes.
Athelney was the perfect spot to hide out, being an island surrounded by swampland. It was therefore easy to defend giving Alfred the time to regroup.
He was able to rally the local militias and mount several what would now be called guerrilla attacks on the Danes.
This in turn allowed time to recruit a army, which defeated the Danes at the Battle of Edington in 878.
Further skirmishes ensued – especially over the ownership of London – but Wessex and Alfred’s forces were never under existential threat again.
(Quiz Answers: 1. Salisbury; 2. Lincoln; 3. York; 4. Gloucester; 5. Ely; 6. Durham; 7. Canterbury; 8. Wells; 9. York; 10. Lichfield; 11. Canterbury; 12. Ripon; 13. Lincoln; 14. Exeter; 15. Durham; 16. Wells; 17. Winchester; 18. Durham; 19. Truro; 20 York)
DANELAW

The Edington victory was used by Alfred to negotiate a settlement with Danes.
England was divided into two with the Danes ruling a territory that was known as the ‘Danelaw’.
This spanned an area from London in the south, through the Midlands to west coast and up to the north of the country.
Alfred and his allies ruled the remaining areas including, critically, Wessex which was now secure and West Mercia.
Northumbria in the North East of England remained ‘neutral’ and not part of the settlement.
The agreement secured Wessex’s future and brought about a much welcomed period of peace to the country.
AN ENGLISH IDENTITY
The Danelaw / Wessex split not only produced peace, it also started a mingling of the two sides so that in due course they started to see themselves as one people.
In addition the English started to be used more widely in administrative documents and books, rather than the traditional Latin, as we mention later.
These were two of the factors of, for the first time, an English identity.
This was encouraged by Alfred who dreamed of a cross England alliance of the Angle and Saxon peoples (incorporating the Danes).
It was during this time that the idea, if not the actual country, of England was born.
EDUCATION
In addition to Alfred’s political and military exploits, he also sponsored a resurgence in learning, art, culture and scholarship, perhaps as a result to his rather bookish nature.
He is known to have started several schools, one for his own court, and promoted the use of English rather than latin for use in the written word – the first time the language had been used so widely in print.
Indeed he is known to have translated many works himself -including Pope Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Care, a popular book at the time.
One piece of evidence for Alfred’s love of books is the so called Alfred Jewel now held in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The reading aid is inscribed with the phrase ‘Alfred ordered me to be made’.
Whether this is true or not, it does suggest that Alfred was closely associated with learning during his reign.
THE LAW

The peace with the Danes allowed Alfred to codify Saxon law.
In the Domboc (or Doom Book) he set out his law code, deriving his new laws from the various existing Saxon codes, the Bible and his own scholarship.
Just as important was Alfred’s reputation as a just leader who would rule with justice and fairness. Indeed he often presided in trials and court proceedings himself.
LEGACY
Alfred was a wise, fair and educated leader who brought peace to the Saxons.
He also promoted the idea of a unified England which earned the respect of future generations, who were only too glad to call him Great.