King Alfred

By Sarah Hogan

Statue of King Alfred in Winchester - image by Ewen and Donabel

King Alfred, or Alfred the Great, ruled the House of Wessex for 18 years. He became King of Wessex in 871 and was the first King to call himself King of the Anglo Saxons.

His reign was full of battles with the Vikings, on land and sea. He defended southern parts of England from invasion from his base in Winchester. Winchester became more prominent under the Wessex kings, King Alfred was buried there and a statue of him can be found in the Hampshire town.

King Alfred is now a central character in a new book from Denny Bradbury, Borvo. It is set in Winchester and tells the story of a pagan boy who comes to the aid of the great King.

Learning and culture was said to be of great importance to King Alfred. It’s thought that he encouraged English to be used as a written language. Under his rule, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle was begun, a huge source of early English history.

King Alfred is also said to be the founder of the Royal Navy. It most likely did exist in some before him, but he took it upon himself to greatly improve ships and defences across the Wessex kingdom.

It’s recorded in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle that Alfred died in 901. Although that could not necessarily be true as many different scholars and sources contributed to the Chronicle. He was initially buried in Winchester Cathedral, but his remains were moved to Hyde Abbey in 1110. When Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536, the Abbey was demolished and his remains have never been found.

He is Elizabeth II’s 32^nd great – grandfather.

King Alfred is known as the great Anglo Saxon ruler. In Borvo, Denny Bradbury explores how this eminent King needs help from a lowly pagan boy.

To find out more about Winchester Cathedral please click here.

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.