Person

Alfred the Great

849–899 · 9th century · Also known as Alfred of Wessex

Alfred the Great was king of Wessex from 871 to 899. After defeating the Danish Great Heathen Army at Edington in 878, he built fortified burhs, reorganised the army and a fleet, and promoted learning and translation into English. His biographer Asser records that several Welsh kings, including those of Dyfed, Brycheiniog and Gwent, submitted to him for protection against their neighbours.

Alfred the Great
Image: CNG - Classical Numismatic Group · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 4 profiles

Kingdom of WessexGovernance, SummaryKingdom of MerciaImpact, DeclineCounty of FlandersFoundationKingdom of EnglandFoundation

Mentioned in 4 state histories

Kingdom of DyfedKingdom of BrycheiniogKingdom of GwentHålogaland

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Alfred the Great. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/alfred-the-great
MLA
“Alfred the Great.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/alfred-the-great. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Alfred the Great.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/alfred-the-great.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Alfred the Great’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/alfred-the-great (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻