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Alfred the Great

By Melissa Snell, About.com Guide

Alfred the Great

Image of Alfred from Makers of History

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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.

More Alfred Resources:

Biography of Alfred the Great
Encyclopedia Article about Alfred the Great
Portrait of Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great in Print
Alfred the Great on the Web


Medieval & Renaissance Monarchs of England
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Dark-Age Britain



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