Alfred's Rise & Reign
A Prince Thrust Into Kingship
When Alfred was born, it was unlikely that he would take the throne. Being the seventh son of a King whose power is not divinely granted and is not passed down through lineage but is democratically elected by a council of elders, during a time of great turmoil, war, subterfuge and treachery is not a winning recipe for success. So perhaps Alfred can be somewhat forgiven for his rulership when he first came to the throne. Whilst an unlikely ruler, the inklings and evidence of a potentially great man lay in the courage of his actions. It is in all likelihood that lesser men in Alfred’s position would have been granted the epitaph ‘the Unready’ or ‘the Deserter’ rather than ‘the Great. Alfred could not have taken the throne of Wessex during a more dire time, but the situation would get much worse before it could get better, and the course of English history would have been very different had Alfred not been the King of Wessex during this time of turmoil.
Æthelberht’s reign was a relatively peaceful one compared to his older brothers. He ruled for five years and died of unknown causes in 865. These five years began and ended with Viking raids, which would prove minor compared to that faced by Alfred. These raids were able to be staved off thanks to Danegeld that was paid to the would-be invaders. Æthelred succeeded Æthelberht, which put Alfred one step closer to the throne of Wessex. The Viking raids experienced during these six years were far greater than any experienced before. An army dubbed ‘The Great Heathen Army’ conquered Northumbria and Anglia and then set their sights on Wessex. There were many casualties during this invasion, and one likely victim was the 25-year old King Æthelred. Shortly after losing the battle for Reading, the penultimate heir of Ecgberht died at Easter. There was one surviving son of Ecgberht who would take the throne during this dark time in the history of Wessex, with the Vikings celebrating a great victory at Reading and word of an even greater heathen army (‘The Great Summery Army’) joining the already Great Heathen Army, and his name was Alfred the Great.
The mirage of power lying in the personality of a ruler was evident to Alfred by the time he took the throne. He had observed how the descendants of the great Charlemagne had led their country into chaos and disrepair at the hands of their own ineptitude and that of the opportunistic Viking raiders. Alfred had also witnessed the morality of his father and all his brothers before he could even lay claim to the throne of Wessex. In Alfred’s translation of Beothius’s The Consolation of Philosophy, this fragility lingers over Alfred’s rule like a guillotine over the guilty.
Oh, how happy the man over whose head no naked sword hangs by a fine thread, as it has ever been hanging over mine!
The naked sword hanging over Alfred’s head was the constant threat of Viking raids and the responsibility that he had as the King of Wessex to the people of Wessex. In the face of this naked sword, Alfred showed great courage and bravery that marked him out as a great man even before he took to the throne. During the final year of Æthelred’s reign (871 AD), the Great Heathen Army had conquered both Northumbria and East Anglia. Just Mercia and Wessex remained, of which Wessex was the target for Halfdan and his Viking army. Following a decisive victory for the Vikings at Reading, they continued to wage a Winter war on the people of Wessex. Æthelred and his army must make a stand to stop the Viking invasion. Æthelred split his force in two to match the aggressors, Æthelred’s would be led by himself and his younger brother Alfred. The Viking shield wall advanced against Alfred’s shield wall. Æthelred’s army was not yet ready to fight and Alfred’s shield war began to be outflanked by the Viking forces. Alfred and his men were alone in the field, defending their nation, with their Prince at the fore. Whilst awaiting for his brother’s arrival, Alfred had but one choice to make, turn and run, or put up and fight. The shield wall closed up and Alfred attacked like a ‘wild boar’. This gave the Vikings the impression that Alfred’s army was the whole army, however, Æthelred and his force joined the fray soon after, taking the Viking army unawares and unprotected, showing their underbelly by trying to outflank Alfred. Thanks to Alfred’s bravery, the Vikings were vulnerable and caught unawares. Many Viking warlords were killed in this battle and it was a decisive victory seeing the heathen army retreat back to Reading. The two remaining sons of Ecgberht had bought their realm some time, and Alfred had earned the name ‘The Wild Boar of Ashdown’.
Alfred as a 9th Century leader was no stranger to violence and death. But he showed remarkable courage and strength in the face of unlikely odds time and time again. It is in these moments that the DNA for a brave and stoic King shows itself. It was soon after the Battle of Ashdown that that Æthelred went the way of the flesh and Alfred ascended to the throne of Wessex. He and his men continued to show great bravery in the face of the Viking terror. With the Great Heathen Army and the now Great Summer Army joined in force at Reading, and Alfred burying his last remaining brother, the fate of Wessex was dark indeed. Guthrum, the ever-present thorn that would nearly be the downfall of Alfred and Wessex arrived with this Great Summer Army. Alfred came face to face in battle with this army just outside Wilton, and after severe and bloody labour against an ever-replenishing force, the men of Wessex managed to fight Guthrum and the Vikings to a stalemate. Alfred and his men had once again stood their ground and showed tremendous courage and bravery. The men of Wessex retreated quickly after this battle, not being able to outnumber this massive force. Ongoing onslaught from Guthrum saw some quick advancements into Alfred’s kingdom, and help from Mercia was called for. When the Vikings had taken Nottingham, the Mercian King called for aid, and Wessex answered. When Wessex faced invasion however, Mercia failed to answer. Yet, the brave men of Alfred and Wessex still fought their enemy to a standstill at Wilton. This tenacity and bravery would mark Alfred out as one of the greatest monarchs of England during his darkest hour, for lights shine brightest when in the darkest nights.
When Guthrum invaded with his Great Summer Army, England was ripe for the taking. A vulnerable country with weak leadership had seen much of it already conquered by Halfdan. The only way the English found themselves feasibly fending off the Vikings was with Danegeld, and even then it was only temporarily. The desperation of Alfred, being a lone King defending his country is shown in some of the deals he made with and payments he made to Guthrum. Alfred and Guthrum swore a peace upon both the Christian and pagan Gods, with Christian and pagan relics. This was a desperate move from a desperate King, risking blasphemy (and a substantial amount of Danegeld) to try and make a lasting deal with the Viking warlord. Unfourtunately, Guthrum felt no desire and need to keep his oath. It had been just a year since Alfred took the throne and Guthrum arrived, and Alfred’s situation was certainly more dire.
A King for the Ages
Perhaps Alfred’s reign seems so mythical to us not just because it comes from the depths and obscurity of time, but because of how mythologically and psychologically profound his story is. King Alfred, whilst valiant in battle, did not show wisdom in peace. This was a lesson that he would have to learn the hard way. But it is a lesson that he would not forget. The courageous King that learns wisdom also is a true force of reckoning, and it is this earned combination of attributes that gives Alfred the right to rule, and the right for veneration in the annals of history. Whilst Alfred had not ruled during peace-time in an effective way to prevent a defeat upon the next invasion, the character he showed in defeat and in exile is one that is worthy of the annals. To continue the fight when all seems lost shows great courage, conviction, and love, which is what makes him a worthy leader. It would also teach him the lessons necessary to go from a brave leader, to a Great leader.
Following the peace agreement Alfred made with Guthrum, where both rulers swore on the Christian God and the pagan gods, Guthrum soon broke the peace by slaughtering the Wessex hostages he held as ransom. Guthrum had been playing for time and had a fleet of Viking ships on the south-coast ready to pincer between Exeter and Wareham. However, be it nature, providence, or some good old-fashioned story-telling, a terrible storm blew as the Viking fleet sailed along the Dorset coast. This storm ravaged the Viking fleet and sent one hundred and forty ships to the bottom of the sea according to one chronicler. Whether a gift from God, looking after his devout Christian son Alfred, whether Thor the Viking storm god was punishing the Viking’s treachery, or whether it was simply the weather, this brought Alfred some time as peace was once again sued for, and the realm was returned to safety. How could one not look upon this moment of reprieve as a blessing or a mark that Alfred’s destiny was still as yet unfulfilled? Alfred was given another chance, but little was done to take advantage of this hiatus in battle. No reforms, no great feats of defensive construction were made. For Alfred, it was business as usual, and it was precisely this nothingness that would lead to his downfall in the Christmas of 878, when the chickens would come home to roost, the Vikings would go a-Viking, and the politicians would scheme.
A great story requires a great betrayal of some sort, and Alfred’s story has a betrayal that would make the King an exile in his own Kingdom. During the Christmas celebration of 878 Guthrum attacked Chippenham and Alfred had to evacuate the throne of Wessex, leaving Guthrum in sole control of the Kingdom. This wasn’t simply a matter of the Viking warlord invading whilst Alfred was vulnerable. Alfred had been outmanoeuvred, outplayed, and found himself and his realm in a vulnerable spot. To the witan and lords of the realm, it must have seemed that defeat was imminent. The only real solution the Kings of England had to staving off the Vikings was to pay them off, and even then it would be a fleeting reprieve that they experienced. The Viking onslaught continued to replenish and the fighting men of the realm were also the working men that sustained the realm. Peace was required for the country to sustain itself. So it is no surprise that the witan were responsible for deposing Alfred. This betrayal may have seemed like a smart move for this council as even the Pope had recently reneged on his support for Alfred. Having a Viking ruler as well would certainly put the nation in a more secure relationship with its now neighbouring Viking rulers in Northumbria and East Anglia. What had Alfred done to better prepare Wessex against the Viking onslaught? Whilst he may have put up brave fights, this was not enough. The only defence mechanism they really had was to fight to the death, pay the Vikings gold (which would be sourced from the witan), sue for peace, then repeat; and so Alfred found himself an exile, and a hunted man in his own lands.
Alfred in exile showed the courage, strength of leadership, and love of his country that he also displayed in his defence at Ashdown and Wilton. Where many rulers in his situation – having your nemesis, the Viking warlord in control of your Kingdom and your witan ousting you from within in favour of this warlord – would have given up hope and lived a pampered life on the continent, safe from the violence of Guthrum; Alfred decided to stay and fight for his Kingdom. Alfred remained a ghostly wraith for Guthrum in Wessex. Launching a guerrilla style warfare, raiding and escaping from the Viking warlord to loudly and symbolically pronounce to the people of Wessex (and to the Viking invaders) that Alfred was still here. He could have escaped like King Burgred who lived out his days in France, he could have become a martyr and launched himself hopelessly against Guthrum in one final act of heroism, or he could vanish into the land he called home, remain agile, and remain a symbol as the rightful ruler of Wessex. The almost ethereal presence of Alfred during this time, harrying and disrupting the occupiers forces and vanishing into the countryside time and time again is the setting in which the tale of Alfred and the burnt cakes takes place. The tale of Alfred burning the cakes begins with Alfred, dressed in rags needing to take refuge in a peasant’s home. In this poor, run-down home, the husband has gone out hunting to provide some dinner. Alfred is left alone with the wife who is cooking some cakes in the fire for them to eat. Alfred is asked to watch over the cakes. Preoccupied with the loss of his Kingdom and his exile, Alfred neglects to look after the cakes which burn and smoke out the room. He is roundly scolded by his matron upon her return. This legend first appears in Asser’s commentary and is dubious. But its mythological significance as a story told about Alfred is incredibly insightful. Alfred, preoccupied with his own thoughts and actions neglected the cakes and therefore the needs of his Kingdom. In the years in which the Great Heathen and then the Great Summer Armies arrived in Wessex, Alfred failed to prepare his Kingdom from the fire that would be the Vikings. Alfred was a King that neglected the needs of his people, and therefore time was his enemy. The scolding by the matron is also a significant element to the story. She doesn’t kick Alfred out of her home, but she does teach him a strongly worded lesson. The story’s structure as an allegory is quite brilliant. It also has that essence of British power structure in which the ruler is given the power by the people, with a lowly peasant powerful enough to scold the rightful King. This scolding signifies the lesson that Alfred must learn from his ordeal in exile. He must better look after his people and home, not himself.
Alfred continues to fight on in exile, establishing a base in his childhood lands around Warminster – a land he knew well. Alfred silently amassed an army of those loyal to him in Wessex. With some clever manoeuvring, Alfred takes to the field in search of battle against Guthrum. He achieves a strategic tailwind at Eddington, at which point battle ensues. Little is described of this momentous battle, but much bloody, and brutal warfare would have taken place between the Anglo-Saxon and Viking shield walls. Towards the evening, the Anglo-Saxons broke through the Viking shield wall at which point the Vikings called a retreat. Fleeing for safety became an effective rout and the majority of the army was put to the slaughter. More importantly though, Guthrum had lost. Whilst Guthrum was one of the few that made it to safety, he had abandoned his throne and right to rule by conquest. Whilst King Alfred the Great, with his strength of character, had not only been granted the right to rule, but he had now earned the right to rule. He has proved himself worthy of his people and now better understands the sacrifice needed to rule a Kingdom. The naked sword of regal responsibility would weight heavily over Alfred still.
The Twice and Future King
The second coming of Alfred marks a significant maturity. He is politically savvy, culturally conscious, militarily dominant, and educationally reformative. This would be what generates his legacy. Peacetime for Alfred would be different this time round. He had learned that he could not simply rely on courage and might to defend his Kingdom. Wisdom should be the benevolent King’s weapon of choice, particularly during peace time.
After vanquishing Guthrum and his armies in 878, Alfred displayed an incredible feat of forgiveness and political savvy. It was really a hallmark of his Christian virtues that Alfred once more proffered the hand of forgiveness to Guthrum and called for a truce. This wouldn’t be like the other times that Alfred and Guthrum sued for peace with one another however. Alfred held all the cards, but he couldn’t kill Guthrum in cold blood. He also had a large realm to rule over, of which his brothers had typically shared responsibility between East and West. A depleted armed force, and the omnipresent threat of other Viking warlords coming to raid the land of Wessex likely also influenced Alfred into this peace. The conditions of this peace were a phenomenal piece of diplomacy. Guthrum must revoke his pagan, warlike gods, be baptised as a Christian, and pledge allegiance to Alfred. In exchange, Guthrum would be given his own vassals and land in the East. Whilst from the outset this may seem like making the same old mistakes, but the subtle difference in Alfred providing lands for Guthrum to rule (as Alfred’s vassal) rather than giving the Viking Danegeld meant that Guthrum now had his own stake in the safety, upkeep, defence, and prosperity of the English Kingdom and its people. The Viking warlord Guthrum was now bound as Godson to King Alfred, and he emerged from the ceremony as Æthelstan. Æthelstan would soon see these mutual incentives and even begin his own mint in London issuing coins in his new Christian name.
Whilst Alfred had now secured his own borders, he soon found them expanding. The Kingdom of Mercia soon came under Alfred’s reign due to a convenient passing of its leadership. In the early 880s, an ealdorman known as Æthelred pledged his allegiance to King Alfred. When the Viking puppet Ceowulf died somewhat suspiciously, Æthelred was the one to take the throne. This effectively made Alfred ruler of Mercia as well. As Alfred’s Kingdom grew, so would his responsibilities. Æthelred’s relationship with Alfred would soon be solidified as Alfred’s daughter would marry Æthelred, and Alfred had already married a Mercian ealdorman’s daughter. As part of this betrothal, Alfred provided the city of London as a dowry to Æthelred. This would turn out to be a wise move for Alfred and demonstrated his inclination to decentralise power. London had a distinct personality to it, even in the 9th Century, primarily due to its Mercian reign and the unique Christian cults that had sprung up around local saints. Whilst Æthelred would be ruler of London, Alfred certainly made sure that it was known he was still in charge, as any dealings with foreign policy, or Viking disruptions would be handled by Alfred, not to mention that he still had his coins minted there.
Whilst the measures of prevention Alfred put in place between his newly resident Vikings show a newfound tactic of forming mutual beneficiaries between conflicting parties, Alfred would also implement a cultural and intellectual revolution in his Kingdoms in order to protect his people from further invasions, and bring them closer to God. The belief in the Divine was so powerful during this time compared to our own that the Viking scourge were considered a punishment from God Himself. This punishment was a message that the English had been negligent in their faith and strayed somewhat from the true path of Christianity. Alfred saw his mission as a ruler to redeem the English people in the eyes of God. He would do this by defeating the Vikings, but would ensure it wouldn't happen again by encouraging literacy amongst his people, this way they could have no qualms about not understanding his writ and God's writ. Alfred encourage a renaissance in learning amongst his people (not the everyday peasant, but the revolution had to start somewhere). This would enforce them to take ownership themselves for understanding the word of God. It would also by proxy, enforce them to understand his rule of law. They could not rely on misinterpretations from messengers, or not understanding the written message. This technology revolution enforced a significant and new tool amongst the people of England. With literacy, the leaders of each town would have clear guidance and communication between their leaders, and faith. Whilst literacy was a somewhat virtual tool, Alfred also implemented more pragmatic measures of decentralisation. Alfred implemented fyrd system amongst his citizenry. The fyrd system was a way that introduced the ability for towns in England to raise their own standing armies of freemen and or mercenaries in the name of the King. It meant that governance, and protection from a military perspective was put in the hands of those who most cared about it, the people who were at risk of being invaded. This was an incredible shift in power from the previous levy system. It also proved to be a successful form of defending those towns from would-be invaders. The strength of the fyrd system, and therefore Alfred's rule was tested when Alfred himself was dealing with Vikings in Devon, his people were able defend themselves in Wiltshire from invading Vikings along the River Severn. The administrative strength that this system held shows in the fact that even the Welsh were willing to side with Alfred’s Kingdom in these battled. Its show of strength against the Viking's and the strength of leadership Alfred showed in defeating them was tantamount to him securing his rule as King of England.
Alfred’s second coming of power in England saw not only the might and courage that we had come to expect from this King. But it also saw a new Alfred that had learned from his previous mistakes. He wouldn’t let the cakes burn this time around, and he began investing in the people and towns of his country. The wisdom to decentralised literacy, and therefore decentralised power, giving power to his citizens, but removing any claims of misunderstanding, put a basis for law into text. It showed that Alfred was not just brave, but wise. It showed that Alfred was great.
The Great
The Viking's story is one of opportunistic hunting and pillaging. Constant treachery, violence, and a lust for gold are the defining features of the Vikings. Once this opportunity was thwarted, they would be defeated. Alfred’s job was to remove the prospect of England as an opportunity for pillaging.
Alfred's story is one as old as time. The King that was never meant to be. The King that was betrayed. The King who had to learn his lessons from exile and from his people. The King who showed the strength and wisdom to defeat his enemies. The King who showed mercy to his greatest nemesis. The King who revolutionised his country by decentralising power and uplifting his citizens. The King who withstood the future tests that would be thrown against his country. It is no surprise that such a King should be revered and earn the epitaph ‘The Great’. In this battle between Alfred and the invading Vikings, good conquers evil in the most profound way. The lessons that we can learn from King Alfred are so powerful, and are also deeply Christian. The mercy that Alfred shows to his nemesis Guthrum is also truly enlightened.
The time in which Alfred lived was a difficult one, where there was really only one leader who managed to defeat and out manoeuvre the Viking menace. This time was one in which securing a dynasty, and showing strength through coordination was paramount in being a successful ruler. In a century of collapse at the hands of the Viking scourge, Alfred was the sole survivor. Not only that but he prospered, by revolutionising England, and decentralising power.
Alfred showed the strength England was capable of by arming each of his cities with weapons and a military. This strength would be tested by future Vikings, but it would pass that test. Alfred secured a dynasty by arming his citizens with education, and giving them ownership over their own governance. This would be proven in his son's retention of the crown and his defeating of insurgent rebellions.
It was Alfred's strength combined with his wisdom that makes him great. His strength established his rule and his kingdom. His wisdom sustained and immortalised it, which is seen in our laws, our cities, and our language.