Alfred the Great was a great Saxon King and a Christian Hero. He is also the only English monarch to be called “The Great.” When he was four years old, he was anointed king by the pope of Rome even though he had three older brothers. But, over time his brothers died and he was crowned king in 871. His reign got off to a shaky start because, the Danes invaded Wessex. Luckily, Alfred eventually held the Danes off. Meanwhile, the Danish king, Gurthrum, converted to Christianity in a peace treaty. Some of this was Alfred’s responsibility but it was very profitable because, this strengthened the ties between their two territories. Because of this, it made the country of England. In 886, Alfred marched on to London and reclaimed it. This act unified Southern Europe. Alfred the great is famous for several things, reorganizing the military, establishing a fleet of Longships, writing a 120 chapter long law code and, reviving education -which is his greatest achievement. He believed that every man – poor or rich- should receive an education. He found it important that for his country to succeed, it would have to rely on a good Christian education and faith. Alfred dealt with a lot of illness throughout his life which lead to his death in 899. He was succeeded by his son, Edward. It wasn’t till history writers in the 16th century added “the Great” to his name.
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