Individual Details
Alfred the Great
(Abt 848 - 28 Oct 901)
thePeerage.com
Ælfræd, King of Wessex1,2
M, #102606, b. between 846 and 849, d. between 25 October 899 and 28 October 899
Last Edited=6 Apr 2007
Alfred the Great, King of England3
Ælfræd, King of Wessex was born between 846 and 849 at Wantage, Oxfordshire, England.4 He was the son of Æðelwulf, King of Wessex and Osburga (?). He married Eahlwið, Princess of Mercia, daughter of Æthelred 'Mucil', Ealdorman of the Gainas and Eadburga, Princess of Mercia, between 868 and 869.5 He died between 25 October 899 and 28 October 899.6 He was buried at Newminster Abbey, Winchester, Hampshire, England.6
Ælfræd, King of Wessex also went by the nick-name of Alfred 'the Great' (?).7 He succeeded to the title of King Ælfræd of Wessex on 23 April 871.5 He succeeded to the title of King Ælfræd of Mercia on 23 April 871.5
He helped his brother gain a great victory over the Danes at Ashdown in 871. Alfred organised the army and was the founder of the English Navy. By 877 the Danes had occupied London and reached Gloucester and Exeter, but they lost 120 supply ships in a fierce storm off Swanage. In 878 he was forced to hide in Somerset and it was there arose the legend of the burned cakes. He renewed the fight and won a famous victory at Edington in Wiltshire the same year. After, the Danes agreed that their king, Guthrum, should be baptised and Alfred was godfather. Afterwards Guthrum ruled Mercia but acknowledged Alfred as Overlord. The Mercian settlement developed over the next 100 years into the body known as Danelaw. Before that, in 879 at Fulham and also near Rochester in 884, other Norse armies landed. Alfred continued fighting until he was the acknowledged champion of the English against the Danes. Alfred was scholarly, a writer, law-maker, pious and also a valiant fighter. Additionally he had a good knowledge of geography. He was a most able administrator and also instituted educational programmes. He founded monasteries and gave a large part of his income to charities.
Children of Ælfræd, King of Wessex and Eahlwið, Princess of Mercia
Æthelgifu (?)8 d. c 896
Elfleda (?)9
Æthelflæd, Queen of Mercia+9 b. c 869, d. 12 Jun 918
Edmund (?)6 b. c 870
Eadweard I, King of Wessex+ b. c 871, d. 17 Jul 924
Ælfthryth, Princess of Wessex+9 b. 875, d. 7 Jun 929
Æthelweard (?)+9 b. c 880, d. 26 Oct 922
Citations
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 11. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Families.
[S215] Unknown article title, Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Chobham, Surrey, U.K., volume 1, issue 6, page 409. Hereinafter cited as Foundation for Medieval Genealogy.
[S130] Wikipedia, online http;//www.wikipedia.org. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia.
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families, page 8.
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families, page 9.
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families, page 10.
[S215] Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, volume 1, issue 6, page 407.
[S58] E. B. Fryde, D. E. Greenway, S. Porter and I. Roy, editors, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd edition (London, U.K.: Royal Historical Society, 1986), page 24. Hereinafter cited as Handbook of British Chronology.
[S52] G. S. P. Freeman-Grenville, The Queen's Lineage: from A.D. 495 to the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (London , U.K.: Rex Collings, 1977), page 4. Hereinafter cited as The Queen's Lineage.
*************
Sources for Alfred the Great
1 Hemingway, Patricia S., The Hemingways: Past and Present and Allied Families, Rev. Ed., Baltimore: Gateway Press, Inc. (1988), 4.
2 Wikipedia, "Alfred the Great", (accessed 02/23/2010).
Ælfræd, King of Wessex1,2
M, #102606, b. between 846 and 849, d. between 25 October 899 and 28 October 899
Last Edited=6 Apr 2007
Alfred the Great, King of England3
Ælfræd, King of Wessex was born between 846 and 849 at Wantage, Oxfordshire, England.4 He was the son of Æðelwulf, King of Wessex and Osburga (?). He married Eahlwið, Princess of Mercia, daughter of Æthelred 'Mucil', Ealdorman of the Gainas and Eadburga, Princess of Mercia, between 868 and 869.5 He died between 25 October 899 and 28 October 899.6 He was buried at Newminster Abbey, Winchester, Hampshire, England.6
Ælfræd, King of Wessex also went by the nick-name of Alfred 'the Great' (?).7 He succeeded to the title of King Ælfræd of Wessex on 23 April 871.5 He succeeded to the title of King Ælfræd of Mercia on 23 April 871.5
He helped his brother gain a great victory over the Danes at Ashdown in 871. Alfred organised the army and was the founder of the English Navy. By 877 the Danes had occupied London and reached Gloucester and Exeter, but they lost 120 supply ships in a fierce storm off Swanage. In 878 he was forced to hide in Somerset and it was there arose the legend of the burned cakes. He renewed the fight and won a famous victory at Edington in Wiltshire the same year. After, the Danes agreed that their king, Guthrum, should be baptised and Alfred was godfather. Afterwards Guthrum ruled Mercia but acknowledged Alfred as Overlord. The Mercian settlement developed over the next 100 years into the body known as Danelaw. Before that, in 879 at Fulham and also near Rochester in 884, other Norse armies landed. Alfred continued fighting until he was the acknowledged champion of the English against the Danes. Alfred was scholarly, a writer, law-maker, pious and also a valiant fighter. Additionally he had a good knowledge of geography. He was a most able administrator and also instituted educational programmes. He founded monasteries and gave a large part of his income to charities.
Children of Ælfræd, King of Wessex and Eahlwið, Princess of Mercia
Æthelgifu (?)8 d. c 896
Elfleda (?)9
Æthelflæd, Queen of Mercia+9 b. c 869, d. 12 Jun 918
Edmund (?)6 b. c 870
Eadweard I, King of Wessex+ b. c 871, d. 17 Jul 924
Ælfthryth, Princess of Wessex+9 b. 875, d. 7 Jun 929
Æthelweard (?)+9 b. c 880, d. 26 Oct 922
Citations
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 11. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Families.
[S215] Unknown article title, Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Chobham, Surrey, U.K., volume 1, issue 6, page 409. Hereinafter cited as Foundation for Medieval Genealogy.
[S130] Wikipedia, online http;//www.wikipedia.org. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia.
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families, page 8.
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families, page 9.
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families, page 10.
[S215] Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, volume 1, issue 6, page 407.
[S58] E. B. Fryde, D. E. Greenway, S. Porter and I. Roy, editors, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd edition (London, U.K.: Royal Historical Society, 1986), page 24. Hereinafter cited as Handbook of British Chronology.
[S52] G. S. P. Freeman-Grenville, The Queen's Lineage: from A.D. 495 to the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (London , U.K.: Rex Collings, 1977), page 4. Hereinafter cited as The Queen's Lineage.
*************
Sources for Alfred the Great
1 Hemingway, Patricia S., The Hemingways: Past and Present and Allied Families, Rev. Ed., Baltimore: Gateway Press, Inc. (1988), 4.
2 Wikipedia, "Alfred the Great", (accessed 02/23/2010).
Events
| Birth | Abt 848 | Wantage, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, England | |||
| Marriage | Abt 868 | Ealhswith of Mercia | |||
| Title (Nobility) | 23 Apr 871 | King of Wessex | |||
| Title (Nobility) | 23 Apr 871 | King of Mercia | |||
| Death | 28 Oct 901 | ||||
| Alt name | Ælfræd, King of Wessex |
Families
| Spouse | Ealhswith of Mercia (852 - 905) |
| Child | AElfthryth of Wessex (875 - 921) |
| Father | AEthelwulf of Wessex (797 - 858) |
| Mother | Osburh ( - 853) |