Alfred the Great (Old English: Æ lfr d, Æ lfr ǣ d, English: Alfred the Great; 849-October 26, 899) was the king of the Wessex Kingdom during the Anglo Saxon period of England (871-October 26, 899), and the first person in British history to call himself the "King of the Anglo Saxons" and live up to his name.
At the age of 19, Alfred fought against the Danish army with his brother Ethelred I and succeeded to the throne after his brother's death in 871. After ascending to the throne, he paid tribute to weaken the control of the Danes while carrying out extensive military reforms, repairing forts, establishing cavalry teams to cooperate with infantry composed of free peasants, and building naval fleets. Finally, in the Battle of Eddington in 878, he defeated the Danish King of East Anglia, Guthrin, and forced him to sign the Treaty of Widmore, bringing most of England back to Anglo Saxon rule, earning him the title of "Great". He was also the only monarch in England to be granted this title so far. Later generations also respectfully referred to him as the "Father of England". In 899, Alfred passed away due to illness. Through his and his descendants' efforts, the rule of the Saxons was fully revived in England. [4] [22]
Alfred encouraged education, translated a large number of classical classics, and compiled the Anglo Saxon Chronicles, vigorously improving the legal system and military structure of the Wessex countries. As an outstanding ruler and wise legislator, Alfred has been widely commemorated. [15] Some Catholics consider him a saint, and the Anglican Church of England respects him as a Catholic hero.

Childhood period
In 849, Alfred (also known as Alfred, Alfred) was born in Wanting Village, Berkshire (now Vantage, Oxfordshire, England). He was the fifth and youngest son born to the King of Wessex and his first wife Osbourh. [7]
At the age of 5, Alfred was sent to Rome. According to the Annals of Anglo Saxon, Pope Leo IV performed a ceremony of consolation for him and granted him the title of Roman consul. Victorian scholars believed that this was to acknowledge Alfred's identity as the heir to the Kingdom of Wessex. However, as Alfred still has three brothers alive, it is still unknown whether he can truly inherit the throne. [15]
From 854 to 855, Alfred stayed in the court of Bald Charles in the Kingdom of West Francia for another year before returning to Rome. In 856, he accompanied his father, Eselwald, who was on a pilgrimage to Rome, back to England. [15] In the same year, Ethelwald of Wessex, the second son of Ethelwald, conspired to usurp the throne, and Wessex was shrouded in the shadow of the civil war. Eventually, the nobles in the country did not support the war and reached the following agreement in the meeting: Ethelwald would rule the east, mainly including newly occupied land; Under the rule of Ethelbad in the west, which was the territory of the former Kingdom of Wessex. Esselwalf passed away in 858, and Wessex once again became a unified kingdom, inherited by Alfred's three older brothers in succession.
In 868, Alfred married Earhswith, the daughter of Æ thelred Mucil. According to Abbot Axel of the Saint Dai Repair Monastery, although Alfred was physically weak, he was a famous hunter.

Before succession
He was not mentioned during the brief reign of Alfred's two elder brothers, Ethelbad and Ethelbert. His political career began during the reign of his third brother, Eselred I, who ascended to the throne in 866. During this period, as the heir to the throne, he fully assisted his brother. Many historians believe that this relationship was decided by Alfred's father or the Wise Council of Wessex as a whole to prevent the kingdom from falling into disputes over inheritance rights after the death of King Ethered.
The two brothers are not jealous of each other, but their personalities are vastly different. Ethelred leans towards the religious perspective, believing that piety and prayer are the main ways to defeat heretics; Although Alfred was also devout, he emphasized the importance of force and strategy even more. [16]
In 868, Alfred assisted Etherede in fighting alongside the neighboring Kingdom of Mercia, hoping to stop the invasion of the Danes (Vikings) here, but ultimately failed. In the following two years, the Danish army did not take any further military action against Wessex, giving the Anglo Saxon society centered around Wessex a precious two-year peace period. [15] [21]
But the good times didn't last long. In 870, Danish kings Hafdain and Bagsayi led their army along the border of Mercia and Wessex into Wessex. The vanguard forces clashed with Wessex defenders on December 31 of that year in Engelfield near Reading. In 871, a large army of pagans who had already conquered the entire territory of East Anglia entered the Kingdom of West Saxon and built a fortress in the Reading area during the first confrontation between the two sides. The Western Saxons won their first battle, and four days later (January 5th), the Western Saxon army, led by Ethelred, advanced towards Reading. However, they were caught in internal and external attacks by the Viking army and ultimately lost the battle. On January 9th, Eselred reorganized his army and continued to fight the Danes in Ashdown. He divided his army with Alfred into two routes, one corresponding to the King's Legion led by Havedan and Bagsayi, and the other corresponding to the Earl's Legion composed of many Danish earls. Under the joint leadership of Ethelred and Alfred, the British launched a counterattack from unfavorable terrain, and the battle lasted from day to night. This time, Wessex achieved a great victory, with Bagsayi and his five counts killed, and the Danes abandoned a large number of bodies and temporarily evacuated from the battlefield. [16] This was a brilliant victory that Alfred was proud of for his life. But the momentum of Danes making a comeback far exceeds Eselred's imagination. Two weeks later, the reorganized forces of Havedan and Wessex went to war in Bessing, and the Wessex army was defeated in fierce fighting. On April 22nd, the two sides engaged in another battle at Meryton, during which Ethelred was shot.

be entrusted with a mission at a critical and difficult moment
Main entry: Battle of Eddington
In August 871, Ethelred passed away due to a gunshot wound, and Alfred succeeded as King of Wessex. [15] Although his older brother left behind two young sons, according to the inheritance system of the younger brother and the situation of the Danish army's pressure on the border, Alfred successfully inherited the throne and also shouldered the responsibility of defending the Danes.
The entire year 871 was known as the "Alfred's year of battles", during which the Wessex people, under the joint leadership of Ethered and Alfred, engaged in nine wars of all sizes with the Danes. [16]
While Alfred was busy with his funeral, the Danes launched a war against England and achieved victory, and soon won again in the second battle in Wilton with Alfred's participation. After the Battle of Wilton, Alfred completely lost hope of expelling the Danes from England and could only negotiate peace with them before military strength remained. The Anglo Saxon Chronicles succinctly states: "The Saxons made peace with the pagans on the condition that they withdrew from their territory, and the pagans withdrew." In the autumn of 871, the Danes retreated from Reading to the small town of London, where Mercia belonged, to spend the winter. [15-16]
Although neither the bishop nor the Anglo Saxon chronicles mention it, archaeological discoveries suggest that Alfred may have paid the Danes a sum of money to retreat. In the following five years, the Danes occupied most of England's land outside of the Kingdom of Wessex. And through this shameful agreement and tenacious battle, Alfred also won time to strengthen his own strength.

In the last twenty years of the 9th century, profound changes occurred within the Danish people. The fact has proven that the resistance of Alfred and the Kingdom of Wessex is tenacious, demonstrating that it is difficult to easily conquer. Therefore, some Danes hope to live and work in the areas they have already controlled, while others advocate continuing to fight at the appropriate time until the entire England is conquered. [16] After 876 AD, the new leader of the Danes, Guthrim (also known as Guthrim or Guthrim), led them to bypass the British defense and occupy Wilhelm in the southern county of Dorset, England. Despite Alfred's blockade of Gutron and his army, he was still unable to recapture Vilham. Under the stalemate, both sides agreed to reconcile. The reconciliation included exchanging hostages and swearing to stop the war against the Danish people's Holy Ring. However, the Danes immediately broke their promise and, after killing all the hostages, moved overnight to Exeter in Devonshire. There, Alfred once again imposed a blockade on the Danes, and due to the destruction of the supply ships by the storm, the Danes had to surrender. They retreated from Mercia, but in January 878, they once again raided the castle in Chippenham, where Alfred was staying after Christmas. The Danes killed most of the people, and Alfred fled with a small team through the woods and swamps. After Easter, he built a fortress on the small island of Atherney near North Petherton in the swamps of Somerset County and continued to fight against the enemy from there. By forming alliances with local military forces in Somerset, Wilt, and Hampshire, Alfred was able to make effective defensive actions from his fortress. [16] [24-25]
In the spring of 878, Alfred regrouped and mobilized troops from Somerset, Wiltshire, and Hampshire to attack the Vikings, defeating the Danish army in Edington. Subsequently, Alfred launched a timely pursuit of the fleeing enemy and implemented a strategy of clearing the enemy's walls and fields, successfully cutting off the enemy's connection with the outside world and providing a second psychological blow to the enemy. 14 days later, the Danes withdrew from Wessex and agreed to maintain permanent peace.

However, the agreement signed between Alfred and the Danish Vikings, the Treaty of Widmore, also included compensation for the Danes. According to the treaty, the Danes will officially control large areas of northern and eastern England, from the mouth of the Thames to the Irish Sea, spanning diagonally across England. This area is known as the "Danish legal district". The Danes ruled over a vast area of 25000 square miles, making it the widest and most prosperous colony developed by the Vikings outside of Scandinavia. In the agreement, Guterren also made concessions. He not only accepted the baptism of Christianity, but also made Alfred his godfather. This event foreshadowed that the Danish Vikings who moved to the "Danish legal district" would merge with the locals. [4] At the same time, he used his clever strategy of "dividing land and governing" to ultimately force Gutron to accept the agreement, thereby giving Alfred the right to rule over his own country and neighboring Mercia.
Alfred's policy of both struggle and compromise towards the Danes in the Danish region not only aimed to divide the enemy, enabling him to concentrate his efforts on the invasion from across the European continent, but also paved the way for the gradual elimination of hostility and peaceful coexistence between the Danes and the English on the island, leading to later assimilation and reunification. [22]
expand sb.'s influence
After the Battle of Eddington, there were still some Danes who refused to make peace. In 885, the Danes in East Anglia broke peace. When fighting against them, Alfred extended his authority to the north and east of England. In 886, London, the commercial center of England, was restored. From then on, London began to become the capital of the country. The Anglo Saxon Chronicles declare: "King Alfred regained London, and all Saxons, who were not enslaved by the Danes, stood on his side." After this victory, he organized the citizens of the city into effective defensive forces and reinforced the city walls. [4] [16]
Shortly thereafter, Alfred signed a new treaty, which stipulated that both sides would respectively occupy a portion of England. The new boundary line ends at the mouth of the Thames River, passes through the north of London and leads directly to Bedford, then crosses the entire England diagonally to Chester. The northeast of this line is ruled by Gutron, while the southwest is governed by Alfred. [4] From then on, most of the southern and southwestern regions of Britain were under his rule.

In 892, another Danish army attacked England from the European continent, and Alfred launched a fierce attack. The Danes saw it difficult to win, so they had to stop fighting and withdraw from the pirate team. The Danes were unable to launch another attack, mainly due to Alfred's extremely secure defensive measures during the conflict. He reinforced the old fortress and built new ones in strategic locations. Under his leadership, England now had larger warships and well-trained sailors. [4]
In order to further expand his influence, he married his daughter Ethelfred (translated as Ethelfred, c. 869-918) to the king of Mercia in the north, Ethelfred, and formed an alliance with Mercia. [4] At this time, Alfred had basically taken control of all areas of England except for the "Danish legal district" (the area where Danish law is enforced).
Late death
On October 26, 899, Alfred passed away due to illness at the age of 50 (some say 51). Modern medical research suggests that he may have died from Crohn's disease or hemorrhoids. [30-31]
After leaving a will, Alfred passed on the kingdom to his eldest son and elder Edward. Edward inherited Alfred's achievements and expanded upon them, ultimately becoming the co owner of all Britain. Since Alfred, his descendants have been five consecutive warrior kings, defeating the invading Vikings and reviving Saxon rule in England.

Politics
Alfred restored order in the areas ruled and destroyed by the Danes, and paid great attention to judicial administration work. He once formulated valuable laws from previous codes such as the Ini Code and the Ov Code into codes, namely the Alfred Code, in order to replace the rigid parts of the previous codes. This code brings together most of the fair laws from previous generations and adds provisions to protect vulnerable members of society from oppression. [4] But the code is still chaotic, with no distinction between civil and criminal, procedural and substantive. The Code eliminates outdated habits, seeks restrictions on family revenge, and provides compensation for general violations and personal injury, with severe punishment for violations of oaths and guarantees. [8]
Due to the continuous enrichment of successive kings in later generations, the Alfred Code developed into the St. Edward's (Confessor) Code enforced by various county and district courts, which was respected by kings of Normandy descent and gradually developed into the foundation of English customary law. [16]
Economics
In order to maintain a durable defense system, Alfred introduced a tax and conscription system based on tenant farming land production. The government evaluates the obligations of tenant farmers based on leather, and landowners provide corresponding obligations based on the amount of leather they own.

military
Main entry: Alfred Reform
Alfred systematized the recruitment process for the army. He abolished the compulsory military service system and used land grants to strengthen control over the army, which was the embryonic form of feudal knights later on. In order to protect against the Viking invasion, he carried out comprehensive military reforms. [21]
Military reform
Alfred extensively recruited troops to cope with the defense of various regions. At the same time, some individuals were selected as soldiers for the battlefield troops, who fought together with selected troops composed of military nobles and wealthy merchants and attendants. Alfred divided his selected troops into two parts to solve the problem of long-term defense: one was on the battlefield to respond to enemy attacks at any time, while the other remained at home, and these troops rotated regularly and on time. He also mobilized the private armed forces of wealthy businessmen according to the same pattern. [16]
Alfred expanded his naval force by constructing special warships to resist Viking attacks on sea and land, using ships with 60 oars as standard warships. In 896, Alfred drew on the advantages of the Frisian and Viking ships to build a new type of warship, forming the first regular navy in English history. Little is known about Alfred's navy, but it is known that he himself designed ships that were larger, faster, and more stable than enemy ships, defeated the Vikings twice at sea, and enhanced the defense capabilities of the West Saxon coastline. [4] By 900, Wessex had a fleet of 160 ships. [27]
Building defensive works
Starting from 880, Alfred also successfully constructed, rebuilt, and repaired a considerable number of defensive works. Some were repaired on the basis of old Roman cities with stone walls and trenches, while others were completely new temporary strongholds and towns. Each fortress is 20 miles apart and can provide shelter for residents in the surrounding area. [17] The defense system established as a result not only effectively improved the security situation of the Western Saxon Kingdom, but also reduced the invasion of the Viking army into the inland areas. At the same time, these fortresses also serve as guarantees for stable local governance. These fortresses later became mostly commercial centers and strategic locations, as the presence of city walls and armies ensured the production of craftsmen and the safety of merchants. [4] [18-19]
Alfred built a similarly sized garrison in 33 military towns defending Wessex, which was funded by military funds. Local residents are dispatched to defend the towns they live in and are responsible for repairing the city walls. In addition, regional defense continues to be maintained by widely recruited teams and selected troops.
Culture
Religion
Alfred loved the Christian Church and donated half of his income to the church, inviting the bishop to the court to assist him in governing. In addition, he vigorously revived the monastery activities that were destroyed by a century long attack by the Danes. [4]
learning
Among all his efforts, Alfred's most outstanding achievement was his strong promotion of academia. [4] Alfred himself is also a scholar and strongly supports academic pursuits. [2]
In the 9th century, the eras of Bede (673-735), Boniface (approximately 675-754), and Alkun (735-804) had long passed. The Vikings destroyed all the monasteries in England, and at that time, almost no one could speak Latin, a language that led to classical culture. In response, Alfred decided to significantly increase literacy rates in both religious and secular contexts, while translating Latin works into Anglo Saxon. Alfred gathered a group of knowledgeable scholars to England to help him with his translation work. He also occasionally participated in specific translation work (he himself studied Latin diligently) and translated many works. [4]
Alfred translated Bishop Gregory's "Code of Conduct for Priests", which he referred to as the "Handbook of the Shepherd" (also known as "The Shepherd's Care"). He said that his purpose in translating this book was to help "the sons of young English liberals and property owners devote themselves to learning before they are employed at a young age, so that they can first learn the ability to read English works." In his preface to the Handbook of the Shepherd, he wrote nostalgically, "Before everything was destroyed and burned down, England's churches were piled up with wealth and books." For thousands of years, this canon served as a guide for bishops. Then, he asked Werfeth to translate Gregorian Dialogues, hoping to revive the monastery system with the story of Saint Benedict. [4]
Alfred believed that in order for young people to have knowledge, they should first have an understanding of past history. He and scholars translated two historical works in succession:
Bide's "Ecclesiastic History of the English Nation" can be attributed to its translation for future generations to understand the general history of England during the Anglo Saxon era.
The History Against the Pagans by Spanish historian and theologian Aurosius. This work narrates the history from the founding of Babylon to the invasion of Rome by Alaric.

Alfred added a wealth of geographical knowledge about Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, showcasing his broad interests and strong curiosity. He finally began translating two philosophical works: the consolation of philosophy by the Roman philosopher Boethius (475-525), who claimed that the pursuit of wisdom was the consolation of the wise; Saint Augustine's Soli'l-oquies suggests that silent prayer can prevent rulers from falling into the sin of arrogance. For Alfred, life is meaningless without knowledge and thought. [2] [4]
Alfred may have also led the writing of the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, which chronicles events as far back as 450 years on an unprecedented scale (even earlier, as the book also commented on the birth of Christ). This Chronicle was continued by later generations until 1154. This is the first historical work written in Anglo Saxon language (Old English), which records major events of each year and is a must read book for future historians to study that era. [2]
Alfred did not see the Wessex royal family unify England during his lifetime, but his laws, translated works, and the Anglo Saxon Chronicles, which he encouraged to write, all laid the ideological foundation for the unification of England. [4]
education
Alfred's project to revive academia was not limited to translating works, but also included establishing schools, such as the University College of Oxford, which is said to have been founded by him. His own mansion became a school that provided education for aristocratic and commoner children. [4]
Between 878 and 885, Alfred invited many famous scholars from Mercia, Wales, and even the European continent to his palace, which was always filled with high society. John Scott, the author of "On the Distinction of Nature," was hired by Alfred to serve as the abbot of the Monastery of Mamzbury and the Abbey of Asseleny in England.

International Relations
In his later years, Alfred focused on contacting all countries that could be contacted, forming alliances based on shared interests to deal with Viking attacks. [2] He maintains a friendly relationship with Mercia; The rulers of Wales sought his support and provided some troops for his army in 893.