The Early Years of Alfred The Great

In 849, Alfred the Great was born in Wantage, berkshire. His mother was named Osburh. She was described as being a deeply religious woman who was the daughter of a man named Oslac who was, according to Alfred's biographer Asser, the cupbearer of king Aethelwulf of Wessex, the man Osburh would marry. Aethelwulf and Osburh would have 6 children, including 5 sons who would all become a king (one brother would become king of Kent, the others Wessex) with Alfred being the youngest.

Times were hard for the Anglo Saxon kingdoms during Alfred's childhood in the 850s. The menace of the Vikings was growing ever stronger. However, this didn’t mean the Anglo Saxons just rolled over, quite the opposite. In 851, when Alfred would have been just a toddler, the Vikings were defeated in battle in Somerset. but the Saxon kingdoms continued to be hard pressed. That same year, the Vikings sacked Canterbury and then London before forcing the king of Mercia into retreat after he had led an army against them and the Vikings continued on their rampage.

It was now the turn of Alfred's father, Aethelwulf, to lead an army against the invaders. Accompanying the king was his second son Aethelbald. They too joined the vikings in battle, at a site in Surrey, where, eventually, they were triumphant and inflicted substantial losses on the Vikings. Aethelwulf was a busy man and in 853, after a request from the king of Mercia, Aethelwulf helped lead a successful expedition into Wales. On the completion of this, he returned home.

By now, Alfred would have been about 5 years old and it was at this point, his father would send the young boy on a remarkable trip to Rome where he would meet Pope Leo IV. Alfred would not make the trip alongside his parents, although he would return to Rome later on alongside his father, but was taken this time by a combined escort of nobles and common people. Whilst at Rome, Alfred was anointed king by the pope which was a largely meaningless gesture. Alfred still had three older brothers (one, Aethelstan, who had been king of Kent had probably died a couple of years earlier, and there was no guarantee Alfred would ever live long enough to become king in his own right anyway. Indeed, even the long journey home would be riddled with danger for the young boy and his guardians.

During Alfred's early years, his mother Osburh died. This would have been a sad blow for the young boy. Evidently, he would have had some memories of her as a story was told how she would read to Alfred and his siblings and, on one occasion, she showed them a book of songs. She challenged her children to memorise it and whoever did so, could keep the book. This would have been done verbally as Alfred was illiterate until later on in his childhood. Despite this, it appears Alfred, the youngest and no older than 5 or 6, won and kept the book. Perhaps Alfred's continued love of learning throughout his life demonstrated both the effectiveness of Osburh taking a keen interest in her sons’ education but is perhaps also an indicator of the fondness of which he remembered his mother, long after she had died.

In 855, Alfred returned to Rome. This time, he was accompanied by his father Aethelwulf. This was because, according to Asser, Alfred was loved more by his father than any of his brothers. In Rome, they remained a year before, on the journey home, there was more excitement for the young Alfred as he and his father stayed at the court of the king of the Franks and future Holy Roman Emperor Charles The Bald. On their eventual return to Wessex, Aethelwulf brought with him Charles’ daughter Judith who would become Alfred’s stepmother for a short period of time before, scandalously, she married Aethelbald, Alfred's brother, on Aethelwulf's death in 858. This second marriage caused widespread controversy.

Aethelbald had proved he was not afraid to cause controversy. Before his father and Alfred had returned from the continent, he went into open rebellion and Aethelwulf agreed to divide Wessex between him and his son. Aethelwulf reigned in the east and Aethelwulf in the west. As mentioned, on Aethelwulf's death, Aethelbald quickly married Judith, his former stepmother, much to the pair’s disgrace. Aethelbald's sole reign however was not a long one and he died in 860 after a period of rule which was full of lawlessness, according to Asser. 

By the time of Aethelbald's death, Alfred would have been about 11 years old. As we’ve already seen examples of, he appears to have had a very good relationship with both his mother and father. Despite Alfred being illiterate until he was 12, he loved poetry and could, as we’ve seen with the story of Alfred and his mother, recite and memorise extremely well. He was also a well mannered child and he conducted himself in a way that was pleasing to both his parents. He was a keen hunter and was highly skilled in the chase where he enjoyed considerable success.

By 860, the 11 year old Alfred's life had changed significantly. Both his parents were dead and two of his brothers had also gone the same way. Although by no means a guarantee, royal power had moved significantly closer to Alfred. When he did eventually succeed as king of Wessex in 871, he would grow to become the most important king in all English history. and his formative years would have been incredibly important in shaping him into the man and king he would become. He would have seen first hand the dangers posed by the Vikings. The lack of loyalty Aethelbald had shown to their father would have also been a good lesson for Alfred to learn and he would have also learned all about the fragility of life in the 9th century. He had only one sister remaining of his immediate family by the time of his succession. Alfred, as king, would have to be brave in this age where death was always close at hand.