A biography of King Alfred the Great essays

A biography of King Alfred the Great essays Alfred, also known as Alfred the great, was considered one of the best kings to rule in medieval times. During his life, he achieved many objectives, including fending off Danes, Vikings, and starting important events. Alfred was born in 849 in Wantage, Oxfordshire, SC England, UK. He was the fifth son of Ethelwulf. In 852 he was sent to Rome, where he became the Roman Consul. In 855 he returned to Rome with his father. During Alfreds adolescence, he had very ill health and deep religious devotion, both of which followed him through the rest of his life. There is very little that is known about him during the reign of his two oldest brothers, Ethelbald and Ethelbert, but during the reign of Ethelred, in 865, Alfred became Ethelreds viceroy and aided him in many battles against the Danes. When the Danes assaulted in 870, Alfred and Ethelred fended them off with varying results. When Alfred stepped up to the throne in 871, the Danes had already conquered much of Northumbria, parts of Mercia, and East Anglia, and threatened to subdue Wessex itself. So, Alfred began attempting to regain back land by attacking them. He dealt the first major blow in the battle of Edington, and later on took back the former Mercian town of London. He stole military initiative from the Danes by creating a free standing army, building a navy, and making a network of burhs, a kind of fortress. After the conflicts with the Danes, he preached the peace of Chippenham, by which the Danish leader accepted God into his life. The chance of security gave Alfred time to do necessary things. He reorganized his militia to prevent further Dane attacks. He learned Latin and translated several classics into English. And during this time, he either encouraged or himself made the anglo- saxxon chronicles. Unfortunately, between 892 and 896, Danes attacked Alfred. He received great support from his son Edward The Elder, his daugh...