Alfred the Great (King of the Anglo-Saxons)
Monarchs, Kings & Royalty • Historical Archive • 🇬🇧 United Kingdom • 7 views

Alfred the Great (King of the Anglo-Saxons) 🇬🇧

Ælfred se Micela (Alfred the Great) (Known as "Alfred the Great")
King of Wessex, Defender of England Against the Great Heathen Army, Creator of the Burh System
Born c. 849 CE 🇬🇧 Wantage (Berkshire), United Kingdom
Passed Away 26 October 899 CE Winchester, United Kingdom
Lifespan ~50 years old
7 views
Notice / Correction
"I desired to live worthily as long as I lived, and after my life, to leave to those who should come after me my memory in good works."

Archival Overview

King of Wessex and the only English monarch accorded the epithet "the Great." Defended Anglo-Saxon England against Viking conquest at the Battle of Edington (878), fortified the kingdom with the burh fortress network, and personally translated Latin classics into Old English.

Biographical Record

Forced into hiding in the Somerset marshes of Athelney after a surprise Viking assault, Alfred rallied Wessex forces to victory, compelling the Danish leader Guthrum to accept baptism and the Treaty of Wedmore. He constructed the first English naval fleet and organized defensive fortified towns (Burhs).

A passionate scholar who learned Latin in adulthood, he lamented the decline of learning, translating Gregory's Pastoral Care, Boethius, and Bede into vernacular Old English so common clergy and freemen could read.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Hyde Abbey Memorial Grounds (Original Burial)
Winchester, United Kingdom
GPS: 51.0683, -1.3125
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