In Alfred's time, the 9th century, the Vikings were a constant threat to Britain. They dominated the north and east of the country by the middle of the century, and made periodic incursions into the south and west. The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria had been conquered and there was a real risk of a total Viking conquest of the English kingdoms.

Alfred inherited the throne of Wessex in 871 he was only 22. A devout Christian, he attended mass daily and observed the canonical hours. He devoted half his income and half his time to the service of religion. But from becoming king until the battle of Edington in 878, he was almost completely occupied with the defense of his kingdom. His defeat of the Vikings at Edington brought more settled conditions. Then many of the Danes who had settled in England were converted to Christianity. Alfred even persuaded Guthrum, whom he defeated at Edington, to accept baptism.

Following the depredations of the war years, Alfred set about rebuilding the kingdom. He was determined to reconstruct the learning and scholarship that had been lost, so he brought in the best foreign scholars he could find from neighboring kingdoms and the continent. Alfred, having been well-educated himself, took a leading part in this intellectual revival, looking not only to his clergy but his leading laymen as well. The king’s scheme included the translation of various classic works into the common tongue, a task that he assisted with himself. At the end of his last work he wrote:

“He is a very foolish man, who will not increase his understanding while he is still in this world, and long to reach that endless life where all shall be made clear.”

The money for the church was given to the poor, to religious foundations and the re-establishment of monasteries, to the court school, and to various churches. Alfred clearly saw the church as the servant of the people. The legal code Alfred produced was to be interpreted in a Christian spirit of compassion, and the code itself recognized the place of the church in society.

Alfred was buried in the Old Minster, Winchester Because of his courage and his Christian virtues, he has been called “the Great”, the only English monarch to be given that title.

BORN: 849 AD, Wantage, England

DIED: 26 October 899 AD, Winchester, England

There is an hour long Documentary about King Alfred and the Vikings. The subject matter is not for those of a nervous disposition or children - which is why it is at Matins