Alfred the Great (849-99)

• Alfred was born in Wantage in Oxfordshire

• He became king of Wessex in 871

• By this time the Danes had already conquered much of Northumbria, parts of Mercia, and East Anglia, and threatened to subdue Wessex itself

• Alfred inflicted on them their first major reverse at the Battle of Edington (878)

• Alfred began to win back Danish-occupied territory by capturing the former Mercian town of London (886)

• Alfred stole the military initiative from the Danes by reorganizing his forces into a standing army, building a navy, and establishing a network of burhs (fortified centres)

• He forged close ties with other English peoples not under Danish rule

• He provided his successors with the means to reconquer the Danelaw and secure the unity of England

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