Princess of England Alfthryth Of WESSEX

Alfthryth married Baldwin II "the bald" in 884. Baldwin (son of Baldwin I "Bras de Fer" and Judith Of FRANCE) was born between 863 and 865; died in 918. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Aethelwulf Count Of BOULOGNE
2. Arnold I "The Old" was born between 885 and 890; died on 27 Mar 964.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Death: 901

Notes:

Excerpt from"Families Directly Descended from all the Royal Families in Europe": Alfred was King of Wessex, and is famous for founding the British Navy and for bringing culture and civilization to England. He broke the power of the Danes, and kept them subdues during his reign.

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Since Alfred had three older brothers, no one ever expected him to become king, and he was educated for a career in the church.

Slowly, the likely succession to the throne began to change. Aethelbald, Alfred's oldest brother, became king when Aethelwulf abdicated in 855 but then died in 860. Aethelbert, the next brother, was crowned immediately but then died in the late 865 or early 866. Aethelred, Alfred's last older brother, ruled next but was badly wounded in the battle of Meredune and died on 23 April 871.

In 868 Alfred had married St. Ealhswith of Mercia. They would eventually have five children and a very happy marriage, but it would first be necessary for him to save not only his family but also his country.

Wessex seemed doomed when Alfred became king. By the spring of 871, Danish Vikings had already burned half of its towns to ashes. The other half were the las unconquered part of the last Anglo-Saxon kingdom still holding out against the Vikings. By fighting one battle a month from the spring until the end of the year, Alfred brought the Danish invasion to a standstill. As part of a negotiated truce, he then paid the Danes to leave Wessex alone for the next five years.

In retreating, the Danes simply withdrew across the borders of Wessex into the neighboring British kingdoms that they had already conquered. The question was not whether they would return to Wessex but when. During the five-year truce, Alfred devoted himself to strengthening his defenses and building up his army.

A Danish army returned to Wessex in the spring of 876, and for the next two years Alfred was in several battles. The war did not end until the battle of Ethandune in 878. Alfred's triumph there was so complete that it ended the war. Alfred and the men of Wessex had won.

Apart from a brief skirmish with the Danes in 885, Wessex was at peace for the next fifteen years. During this time, Alfred showed that he was much more than a very capable war leader. He gathered scholars at his court and turned it into a center of learning. He personally translated several works from Latin into Old English, including the first 50 Psalms, the 'Consolation of Philosophy' by Boethius, the 'Ecclesiastical History of the English People' by Bede, 'Pastoral Care' by Gregory the Great, the 'Soliloquies' of St. Augustine, and the 'World History' of Orosius. Alfred was determined that all sons of freemen would learn to read and write. His scriptoria produced manuscripts for use in education, and public schools were started.

Alfred was generous to the church and anxious to rule his people justly. He took the law codes of earlier rulers such as Offa of Mercia and Ine of Wessex and used them to create a new legal system for his kingdom. He founded two new monasteries at Athelny and Shaftesbury and also rebuilt other religious communities that had been destroyed during the wars with the Vikings. Alfred himself attended mass daily and was a deeply pious man.

As he did all these things, Alfred never forgot about the Danes. During the long peace that began in 878, Wessex ceased to be a plunderland for Vikings and became a formidable military power thanks to the efforts of Alfred He built a network of twenty five fortified boroughs that covered the whole country. He refortified London. He started a system of troop rotations, where half of his army would be armed and ready at all times while the other half would be dispersed. For designing ships to half a seaborne invasion, Alfred has been called the father of the British navy.

Seen at the end of his reign as the 'Leader of the Christians,' the 'Saviour of the Saxons,' and the model of a Christian ruler, Alfred died on 26 October 899 and was buried in Winchester, which was his capital.

Alfred married Ealhswith Of MERCIA in 868. Ealhswith (daughter of Eadburh Of MERCIA and Aethelred MUCIL) was born about 852 in Mercia, England; died in 904. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]