THE SCOURGE OF BRITANNIA – KING ALFRED’S

DEFENSEShaun Pour

King Alfred Born 849 A.D. Had several brothers and

sisters Was not in line for the

throne All but one of his brothers

died childless The last of his brothers

had 2 children but they were both children and it was a time of war

Defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington

Kingdom of Wessex Consisted of most

of the southern coast of England

Only Anglo-Saxon Kingdom not conquered by the Vikings

Asser’s Life of King Alfred Welsh Priest who

served in Alfred’s court

Views Alfred’s victory over the vikings as “the will of God”

Eleanor Duckett Claims Alfred won

because his men were more determined

Does not support Asser’s “will of God” argument despite using him as a source

Michael Carr Discusses how the

Vikings would constantly make agreements and then violate them

Alfred was forced to flee his kingdom after a surprise attack

Speculates about the reasons why Alfred kept his people’s loyalty

Alfred P. Smyth Alfred’s victory was

due to a combination of factors

Utilization of Guerilla Warfare

Learned from past mistakes in fighting the vikings

Robin Fleming Discussed the start

of the Viking raids in England and how they increased in frequency.

Alfred’s victory was because he confiscated land from the church to give to his subjects

Katherine Holman Discusses various

pieces of archaeologic evidence about the Vikings

Alfred’s victory believed to be because of an internal dispute within Viking ranks.

Early War with the Vikings A mixture of victory and defeat Loss of troops and morale forced Alfred to

sue for peace in May 871. The Vikings broke their word and

resumed the war in 876. A surprise attack by the Vikings on

Alfred’s residence forced him to flee to the marshes of Somerset.

Victory against the Vikings Rallied his troops

and led a successful guerilla movement against the Vikings.

Won a decisive victory against the Vikings at Edington, forcing them to cede territory and their leader to convert to Christianity.

After Edington Alfred built forts called Burhs all across

Wessex in order to halt the Vikings attempted raids and any future invasions.

Reorganized the army – half the army on active duty and half at home to farm.

Confiscated land from the church to give to nobles in exchange for loyalty and to build his Burhs and other defenses.

Military Reorganization

Sources Asser’s History of King Alfred Alfred the Great – A King and His England

(Duckett) Alfred the Great Strikes Back (Carr) Monastic Lands and England’s Defense

(Fleming) King Alfred the Great (Smyth) The Northern Conquest – Vikings in

Britain and Ireland (Holman)