(849–899). As king of Wessex in southwestern England, Alfred saved part of England from falling under the control of Denmark. At the time, England was divided into several small kingdoms and Wessex was one of those. Although the other kingdoms fell to the Danish, Wessex remained free. Alfred also made many contributions to learning. One of England's best-loved kings, he is known as Alfred the Great.

Early life

Alfred was born in 849. He was the youngest son of Aethelwulf, the king of Wessex. Young Alfred was devoted to book learning and poetry, but his country was at war and he was drawn into the fighting.

Warrior

Alfred's people, the Saxons, had come to Britain from Germany several hundred years earlier, along with the Angles and Jutes. All were now threatened by a powerful new wave of invaders from northern Europe: the Danes, also called Vikings. Alfred first proved himself in combat in 868, in the service of his brother, King Aethelred. In 871 Aethelred died and Alfred became king.

The kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, and East Anglia already had fallen to the Danes. After a battle at Wilton, Alfred made peace with the invaders for five years. When the Danes again attacked Wessex in 876, the Saxons found courage under Alfred's leadership. He forced the Danes from the kingdom in 877. They attacked again in the following year, but once again Alfred's forces defeated the Danes.

In 886 Alfred captured London. All the English people who were not ruled by Danes then accepted Alfred as their king. Danish attacks continued throughout his reign, but his son and grandsons eventually gained control over all of England. Alfred's success was due not only to his leadership on the battlefield but also to the way he reorganized the army, built forts, used ships, and arranged alliances.

Lawgiver and scholar

Alfred was a wise administrator who took steps to protect the weak from ignorant or corrupt judges. He gave his people a new code of laws and reorganized the finances of his kingdom.

Alfred's great love of learning sets him apart from most of history's other successful rulers. He read historical and religious works in the original Latin. For the benefit of his people, he called in scholars to translate many of these works into English. Sometimes he did the translating himself. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a record of the early history of England, was begun in his reign. He also encouraged art and architecture in his kingdom. Alfred died in 899.