ALFRED, or /ELFRED, TuE GREAT (849 901). King of Wessex from 871 to 901. He was born at \Vantage, in Berkshire. in 849. His father was _Ethelwnlf, King of the West Saxons. Alfred. the youngest of five sons, succeeded to the throne in 871, on the death of his brother ilahelred. His reign. which lasted more than thirty years, is noteworthy first, because of the wars with the Danish invaders; second, because of the interest which the King took in education. Before discussing his real achieve ments, however. it may he well to speak briefly of some things erroneously attributed to him. In the popular legends he has been rc garded as the author of many reforms and in stitutions which were in no way due to him. His real and great merits have been overlooked because of the actions incorrectly credited to him. Except for the false statements in many seconda ry works. it would be unnecessary to say that lie did not institute trial by jury, and that he was not the founder of the University of oxford. The picturesque tales of his hiding from the Danes, of the burned cakes, and of his visit to the Danish camp disguised as a harper, are inventions of a later age.
Alfred became king in the midst of a Danish invasion. After several battles lie was able to make peace with the enemy, probably by paying them money. In the following years Danish ma rauding expeditions were frequent, and in 878 there was a great invasion. For a few months the Danes were successful almost everywhere, and met with no general' resistance. About Easter, Alfred established himself at Athelney, and gathered there all the forces that he could. Seven weeks afterward lie marched to Brixton, gathering troops as he went, and in the battle of Ethandnu, probably Edington in Wiltshire, he defeated the Danes and captured their stronghold. The Danish King Guth rum was baptized. and the peace of Wedmore followed. There were some less important engagements in the following years. but on the whole, for the next fifteen years Alfred was able to give his time to the internal affairs of his kingdom. In
893 the Danes, who had been driven away by Ar nulf (q.v.), King of Germany, made a descent upon England. For more than four years the warfare went on almost continuously, but at last the Danes were driven out. These Danish inva sions had an important influence on the history of England. By crushing the individual king doms, they worked, unwittingly, for the unity of England. Alfred, by withstanding them success fully, made his kingdom the rallying point for all the Saxons, and prepared the way for the eventual supremacy of his descendants. He died October 28, 901.
Alfred was an enthusiastic scholar and a zealous patron of learning. When he came to the throne, as lie himself wrote, he found little or no interest in education, and few learned men. He invited to his court native and foreign scholars, of whom the hest known are Asset- and John Scotus Erigena. Ile labored himself, and encouraged others to labor, for the education of his people. The composition of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle may have been due to his initiative. He himself translated works which he thought would be useful to his people, and instead of merely translating literally, he expanded or omitted portions in order to make the work more serviceable. His principal works were transla tions of the following: Consolation of Philosophy Orosins, History of the Wor/d; and Gregory the Great, Pastoral Core. Of the last there is an excellent edition in the publica tions of the Early English Text Society. He is said to have translated, or to have had translated, the Soliloquies of St. Augustine. It was believed formerly that Alfred translated Bede's Ecclesias tical History, hut more critical study has shown that the translation is made into the Anglian dialect and not the West Saxon. It was cer tainly not the work of Alfred, although it may have been made under his direction. See Miller, The Old English Version of Bcdc's Ecclesiastical History, Early English Text Society (Loudon, 1890) ; Schipper, Honig Alfreds Uebersetzung von Bedas Kirchengeschichte (Leipzig, 1897).