Alfred, the Great
871-899
House of Wessex

Alfred succeeded his brother Ethelred, in accordance with his father's wishes that each son would rule in turn to avoid contention. Even before Alfred began his reign, Viking raids had increased severely, the Danes plundering the English coast and embarking on more daring raids inland. Settlements began to take shape and in 867 the Danish seized York, creating their own kingdom in Southern Northumbria. East Anglia and Mercia also fell to the Danes, their kings tortured or forced to flee their holdings. The only independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom that remained was Alfred's Wessex and in 870 the Danes sought to change that. At the battle of Ashdown, Alfred defeated the Danes in a fierce uphill struggle but this was no clear victory, Wessex faced more battles, more defeats and King Ethelred fell.

In 878, an attack led by King Guthrum drove Alfred into hiding in the tidal marshes of Somerset. The Danes had established a power base in Chippenham, from which they had devastated Wessex and Alfred's forces. Alfred used Athelney to build a fortified base of his own, employing guerrilla tactics and finally defeated Guthrum at the Battle of Eddington. Guthrum received a Christian baptism and the treaty that followed recognized East Anglia and certain portions of Mercia as being under Danish rule. England was split into two main portions. The south and west would be under Saxon law and the north and east would fall under Danish law. The Danish divide was known as the Danelaw and was legally established in the Peace of Wedmore, the official treaty between Alfred and the Danes.

Many of the Danes returned to East Anglia and later Alfred gave his daughter Aethelflaed to be wed to the ealdorman of Mercia to strengthen the peace. Alfred recognized that invasion and attack was still a threat and began to reorganize his forces. The thegns (nobles) and the ffyrd (militia) served on a kind of rota, where they were able to tend their farms and still form a viable military presence, able to defend against raiders quickly. He began building burhs (fortresses) that were fortified market places across his lands. Settlers were given portions of land on the understanding that they would defend under Alfred against invasion and attack. Each settlement was no more than 20 miles from another or that of Alfred's stronghold, creating an elaborate network of safe havens in time of war. He also had a new fleet of fast ships built to protect against sea born attacks.

Alfred also undertook the task of improving literacy. To accomplish this he began translating books from Latin to Anglo-Saxon alongside scholars from Mercia. Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care, Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, Orosius's universal history, and St. Augustine's Soliloquies were translated by him. Bede's Ecclesiastical History is usually attributed to him but because of the differing style, Alfred may not have translated it himself. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a history patriotic to Wessex, was not translated by him but he is accepted as its patron.

The monasteries had been devastated by Viking raiders and Alfred recognized that as a solid network of learning, their destruction had brought about a deterioration of education. He organized a court school, akin to that of Charlemagne, where clerics, youths and elder nobles could be taught alike. This reformation came from bringing together notable scholars of the time including Asser of Wales. Old English literary prose was born and artistic achievement flourished under his reign.

Drawing on laws made by his predecessors and other Anglo-Saxon kings, Alfred established a body of law and reformed administrative justice. He also strengthened the court's finances and minted coinage that extended throughout the network of burhs he'd established. The coins eventually referred to him as King ff the English.

Alfred was married to Ealhswith, daughter of Aethelred Mucill and had five or six children by her. He was succeeded by his son Edward.