Alfred, fourth and last son of his father King Athelwulf by his wife Osburh, was never supposed to be king and in fact may have originally been intended for the clergy. Beyond even these hurdles Alfred was sickly and struggled with some sort of gastrointestinal disease that caused him severe discomfort throughout his life. Despite this assortment of personal setbacks, England very well may have ceased to be England without his toil, tenacity, and sacrifice. Alfred’s two eldest brothers died after brief reigns, and in 865 his third eldest brother, Athelred, ascended the throne at the age of 18. Alfred was now suddenly second in line to the throne at the young age of 16. The very same year a joint invasion force of Vikings led by Ivar the Boneless, called the “Great Heathen Army”, invaded England.
England at this time was not in fact England, but a collection of minor kingdoms whose fortunes waxed and waned through the centuries. Wessex was Alfred’s kingdom found in the south of England, where the West Saxons settled. Athelred died in April of 871 after another defeat at the Battle of Merton in March, making Alfred king ...
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