Alfred the Great
Date: May 878
Alfred the Great was a medieval king of England. There is a lot of historical data on Alfred and his reign because he had many monks recording the events during his reign. Alfred was a pious man who believed in education and was known as a merciful king. Nevertheless he also fought a lot of Viking invasions.
Probably his biggest battle took place around may 878 where he fought a huge Viking army led by the Viking leader Guthrum. This is called "The Battle of Edington". After a first skirmish he surrounded the Viking army and tried to starve the invaders. After two weeks the Viking army surrendered and Guthrum was even baptized.
To show that Alfred was a merciful king, he gave the invaders a sizable piece of land on the condition that the Vikings would leave the English alone. They didn't of course!
Alfred the Great was a medieval king of England. There is a lot of historical data on Alfred and his reign because he had many monks recording the events during his reign. Alfred was a pious man who believed in education and was known as a merciful king. Nevertheless he also fought a lot of Viking invasions.
Probably his biggest battle took place around may 878 where he fought a huge Viking army led by the Viking leader Guthrum. This is called "The Battle of Edington". After a first skirmish he surrounded the Viking army and tried to starve the invaders. After two weeks the Viking army surrendered and Guthrum was even baptized.
To show that Alfred was a merciful king, he gave the invaders a sizable piece of land on the condition that the Vikings would leave the English alone. They didn't of course!
Did you know?
Alfred the Great was a brave and intelligent man but wasn't a great warrior. He was very sickly and physically weak. Historians think he might have sufferd from Crohn's disease.
Alfred the Great was a brave and intelligent man but wasn't a great warrior. He was very sickly and physically weak. Historians think he might have sufferd from Crohn's disease.
Location:
Edington, England
Edington, England
