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Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great

849 CE899 CE · Winchester

Alfred the Great became king of Wessex in 871 as Viking armies overran much of England. After a low point in 878 he defeated the Danes at Edington and secured a treaty that halted their conquest, later retaking London. He reorganized defenses with fortified towns (burhs), reformed the law, and promoted learning and the translation of key works into English. His work laid the groundwork for the later unification of England under his descendants, and he is the only English king traditionally called 'the Great.'

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Stop 1 of 1Seat Of Power

Winchester

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Thinkers, teachers, and rulers whose lives overlapped with Alfred the Great’s — a glimpse of the wider world they lived in. Drawn purely from recorded birth and death years.

Works

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