Alfred the great

Did you know that one of the most famous legends of English kings is the one where King Alfred burnt cakes? That’s right, King Alfred the Great, leader of Wessex and defeater of the Danes

Statue of Alfred the Great in Winchester, England

Today is the anniversary of the death in 899 of Alfred the Great, one of the most attractive figures of Anglo-Saxon history. There are all sorts of reasons to love Alfred, 'England's darling' (as he was called by the twelfth century): defender of his kingdom against the Vikings, law-maker, pioneer of the navy, patron of the church - all that good stuff. But I like him most for his educational and literary interests. Any competent king might win battles and make good laws - but how many…

The Last Kingdom – BBC’s historical drama set in the time of Alfred the Great’s war with the Vikings – has returned to our screens for a second series. While most attention will continue to focus on the fictional hero Uhtred, his story is played out against a political background where the main protagonist is the brooding and bookish mastermind Alfred the Great, vividly portrayed in the series by David Dawson.

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King Alfred the Great leading the Anglo-Saxons against Viking invaders

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Anglo-Saxon Monarch. The son of King Aethelwulf and his queen, Osburga. He married Ealswitha of Mercia in 868, and succeeded his brother Aethelred in 871. Known as one of the greatest kings ever to rule mankind, his reign began amidst devasting viking raids. He defended his kingdom effectively, formulated a code of...

To try to locate more of the royal bones, archaeologists may excavate at the site of the city's medieval Abbey where the pelvic fragment was originally found