Reign of King Alfred the Great

Historical Context Essay

David Robert Pratt (University of Cambridge)

Ed. by Richard William Dance, University of Cambridge
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.01: English Writing and Culture: Old English, 500-1066.
Vol. editors: Richard William Dance (University of Cambridge), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast)

Domains

Changes of government, elections and reigns

Dates

Date of occurrence 871-04-23-899-10-26

Places

England (Location)

Resources

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The reign of the West Saxon king, Alfred (871-99) was decisive in sealing the long-term survival, in the face of Viking attacks, of a kingdom under West Saxon rule; it also witnessed a wide range of political, economic and cultural changes, many of which left a lasting legacy. Alfred's reign is unusually well documented among Anglo-Saxon kings, owing to a flowering of literary culture centred on his household and patronage; central products include the

Life of King Alfred

by the king's Welsh assistant Asser and the

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

, ensuring that Alfred's rule must be reconstructed from narrative sources largely admiring of his achievements.

Alfred was born at Wantage in 849; as the fifth and youngest son of King Æthelwulf (839-58), his prospects of becoming king were limited. The

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1593 words

Citation: Pratt, David Robert. "Reign of King Alfred the Great". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 April 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1427, accessed 23 April 2024.]

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