Whether his brother was involved or not, Alfred was victorious, skillfully leading his forces, and drove the Vikings from the field. The Battle of Ashdown in January 871 CE would prove Alfred's skill in military leadership and his ability to think clearly and act in a crisis. Asser comments how “the Christians were aroused by the grief and shame of this, and four days later, with all their might and in a determined frame of mind, they advanced against the Viking army at a place called Ashdown” (Asser, 37, Keynes & Lapidge, 78). In 870 CE reinforcements for the Great Army arrived from Scandinavia and Halfdane led his forces to take Wallingford, ravage Mercia, and drive on into Wessex the next year.Īethelred and Alfred mobilized their forces and met the Vikings in battle at Reading but were badly defeated. In 868 CE they made constant raids throughout Mercia and by 869 CE had completely overrun East Anglia. ![]() In 866 CE they took the city of York, and in 867 CE they killed the Northumbrian kings Osbert and Aelle and consolidated their control of the region. In 865 CE the Great Army of Vikings led by Halfdane and Ivar the Boneless invaded East Anglia and swiftly defeated any force sent against them. 865-871 CE, alongside his brother and on his own after Aethelred died. If so, they were mistaken as Alfred proved himself a capable leader in battle, between c. It may be that Alfred's family had low expectations of him as a warrior-king as he was more given to books than action and was often ill as a young man (possibly afflicted with Crohn's disease). 865 CE and elevated to the rank of military commander. His frailty in youth and the trip to Rome are also depicted with more or less accuracy but his brothers and their accomplishments are combined and fictionalized in the character of Aethelred (played by Darren Cahill) and elements of Aethelwulf's reign and personality are also significantly altered.Īlfred's brothers each ruled in succession following their father's death until Alfred was officially named successor to his brother Aethelred in c. Although the character of Judith is portrayed as caring and concerned for her son, no mention is made of Alfred's mother's impact on his literacy. ![]() In the show, his mother is Judith, Princess of Northumbria (played by English actress Jennie Jacques) who is married to Aethelwulf but becomes pregnant through an affair with the Christian monk-turned-Viking-turned-cleric, Athelstan (played by English actor George Blagden). The role of his mother in his life, as well as his paternity, are the most significant departures made in Alfred's character arc in the TV series Vikings. He learned poetry by hearing it recited and then repeating it but could not read it himself until sometime in his teenage years and even then could not read Latin in which the most important works of his time were written. Osburh is described in Asser's Life of King Alfred as a religious and intelligent woman who had a significant effect on his life-long interest in learning a characteristic which chiefly defines Alfred and shaped his later accomplishments. Whatever effect the trip to Rome may have had on Alfred's character, it does not seem to be as profound an influence as that of his mother. ![]() He learned poetry by hearing it recited & then repeating it but could not read it himself until sometime in his teenage years.
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