1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Medieval History

Alfred the Great

By Melissa Snell, About.com

Alfred the Great

Image of Alfred from Makers of History

Public Domain
This profile of Alfred the Great is part of
Who's Who in Medieval History

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Alfred the Great was also known as: Alfred of Wessex; also spelled Aelfred
Alfred the Great was noted for: Resisting the Danes and uniting the various English kingdoms under one rule. A promoter of learning as well as a skillful military leader and administrator, Alfred is the only English king to be labeled "the Great."
Occupations:
    King
    Military Leader
Places of Residence and Influence:
    England
Important Dates:
    Born: 849
    Died: 899
Quotation from Alfred the Great:
    "I desired to live worthily as long as I lived, and to leave after my life, to the men who should come after me, the memory of me in good works."

    -- an interpolation by Alfred in his translation of Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, chapter 17
Achievements of Alfred the Great:
  • Successfully resisted the Danes in a series of battles
  • Strengthened and reorganized Wessex defenses and armed forces
  • Established friendly diplomatic relations with other English kingdoms and the Welsh
  • Issued laws limiting the practice of blood feuds
  • Promoted learning and literature, inviting scholars from neighboring nations and Europe to his court
  • Encouraged his subjects to learn to read English
  • Learned Latin and translated some important works into English himself
  • Fostered an atmosphere of literary endeavor, and may have been responsible for the creation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Biography of Alfred the Great :

For a concise introduction to Alfred's life story, visit your Guide's Biography of Alfred the Great.

Explore Medieval History

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Medieval History
  4. People & Places
  5. Britain
  6. Dark Age Britain
  7. Dark Age People
  8. Alfred the Great - King Alfred the Great of Wessex and All England

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.