Alfred’s childhood King Alfred Alfred was born in Wantage in today’s Oxfordshire in the Great is AD849. He was the lively youngest son of Aethelwulf, considered the king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. One to be one story tells how Alfred’s mother promised a poetry of greatest the Battle of Edington in Wiltshire. Alfred the educator book to the fi rst of her children Exhausted and beaten, Guthrum Alfred was a keen reader and writer who could memorise it. Alfred kings in English agreed to convert to Christianity and believed education should immediately rose to the challenge and to allow the English to rule the play a large part in his kingdom. and quickly learned every poem – history. But South and the Vikings the North. He translated Latin texts into old and won the book. English and encouraged other what was so Alfred the defender scholars and teachers to do the Alfred the warrior prince Alfred did not want to risk another same. He wanted his people to By AD866, his fourth brother, special about Viking invasion so he defended be able to read texts in their own Aethelred, was the king of Wessex. this Anglo-Saxon leader? his kingdom by building new forts language as well as in traditional Alfred helped him defend Wessex around towns, called burhs. He also Latin. against their great threat – the Alfred’s escape improved the army and built larger Why was Vikings. In AD871, a large To stop the Viking raids, ships to stop coastal raids. Alfred great?

Viking army arrived in Alfred reluctantly agreed KING © PHOTOS.COM/JUPITERIMAGES © LEO BROWN/BEEHIVE ILLUSTRATION; ILLUSTRATION King Alfred died around AD900. Wessex. Even though to pay them money every Alfred the lawmaker To his people, he was a brave and the Anglo-Saxons won year. However, this changed It was here that Alfred was said Alfred believed that law and order inspirational leader. His increased the Battle of Ashdown in AD878 when the Viking leader, to have burned the cakes of a was very important for his people. defences not only stopped Viking raids, on the Berkshire Guthrum, decided to attack peasant woman. He established a code of laws they helped develop towns. This, along Downs, the Vikings Wessex. In January, as the Saxons based on the Old Testament and with his new laws and development kept attacking. By were enjoying Christmas in their Alfred’s victory on laws used by other Anglo-Saxon of education, laid the the end of the year, homes, the Vikings struck. Many In the marshes, Alfred built a fort leaders. He liked to keep an eye foundations of our English Aethelred had been Saxons were killed but Alfred and and secretly began to gather up on the judgements that were being nation. killed and Alfred a few of his followers escaped and his Saxon troops. By spring the made, to check that his people was king. hid in the marshes of Somerset. Saxons had crushed the Vikings at were being treated fairly. Alison Milford

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