Alfred the Great

Who was Alfred the Great?

Alfred 'the Great' was king of Wessex, one of the seven kingdoms in England. He defeated the Vikings, and had a dream to unite England as one kingdom.

When was Alfred the Great king?

Alfred the Great was king of Wessex from 871 until 899.

Where was Alfred the Great king?

Alfred the Great was king of Wessex, one of the seven Saxon kingdoms of the Heptarchy. Wessex covered most of southern England, with the River Thames as its northern boundary.

What did Alfred the Great do?

Alfred the Great achieved 6 key things during his reign.

• ❖ He defeated the Viking Guthrum at the Battle of Edington, which saved Wessex from being conquered by the Vikings.
• ❖ He built fortified towns, known as burhs, which defended Wessex from further Viking attacks.
• ❖ He built the first English navy, in order to protect Wessex from Viking attacks by sea.
• ❖ Alfred also encouraged education and learning in Wessex, and himself translated many books from Latin into English. Alongside this, he promoted the use of the law, and introduced a new law code.
• ❖ He was very religious. He protected the Church, and helped to make it more powerful in England.
• ❖ Alfred had a dream of uniting the whole of England as one kingdom, ruled by his descendents. To achieve this, he not only had to stop Viking attacks, but also to drive the Vikings out of England.

What was the significance of Alfred the Great?

These are some of the ways in which Alfred the Great was significant.

• ❖ Alfred saved England from being totally controlled by the Vikings, and began the process of re-claiming England for the Saxons. His dream of uniting England was finally achieved by his grandson, Aethelstan, in the 930s.
• ❖ Alfred promoted education, law and the Church, laying the foundations for a special 'English identity', which continued to develop during the medieval period.
• ❖ Because of his achievements, Alfred is the only English king known as 'the Great'. His descendents continued to rule England to the present day - Queen Elizabeth II is a direct descendent of Alfred.