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Alfred the Great (Old English: Aelfrēd; c. 849 – 899), also known as Alfred of Wessex and by his pseudonym of A Poor-Fellow Soldier of Christ, was King of Wessex from 871 to 886 and later King of the Anglo-Saxons from c. 886 to 899. During his reign, he repelled the Viking invasions of the British Isles and laid the foundation for what became the Kingdom of England.
Secretly, Alfred was also the Grand Maegester of the Order of the Ancients in England, a position he inherited from his late elder brother Æthelred I, who in turn had adopted it after the death of their father Æthelwulf. Seeing the role's required polytheistic worship of the Isu to be blasphemous and a defilement to his Christian beliefs, Alfred worked to eliminate the Order from within, though the Viking invasions delayed his plans.
After the Viking Eivor Varinsdottir, with the aid of her Hidden One allies, eradicated the Order's prominent agents in England, surreptitiously aided by the Grand Maegester himself, Alfred abandoned the Order's remnants. Over the following years, he focused his attention on building a new "universal order" to replace it, one that was more compatible with his religious principles and which would rapidly develop into the Templar Order.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Alfred was born circa 849 to King Æthelwulf of Wessex and his wife Osburh. In 853,[1] he accompanied his father's pilgrimage to Rome, where he met and was blessed by Pope Leo IV. The pope recounted to Alfred his victory against Saracen pirates at the battle of Ostia in 849, which made a lasting impression on the boy. As the youngest of three living sons,[2] his eldest brother Æthelstan of Kent having died just before the trip to Rome,[3] the odds of Alfred being crowned king were thought to be slim, so he devoted himself to learning and scholarly pursuits.[2]
In 858, Æthelwulf passed away, leaving Wessex to Alfred's older brother Æthelbald.[4] He ruled only a few years before dying and passing the throne to Æthelberht, who in turn had an equally brief reign.[5] This near-total elimination of the patrilineal line in short order soon put Æthelred on the throne and advanced Alfred's own status as an ætheling, a prince in position of immediate succession.[1]
Fighting the Vikings[]
Alfred and his brother, King Æthelred I
In the late 860s, Vikings from the Great Heathen Army stationed in northern England began subjecting Wessex to raids as part of their wider incursions into the country. In response, Alfred joined forces with the newly-crowned Æthelred, and together they endeavored to push the Norse back through military might. Alfred quickly proved himself a capable commander on the battlefield, earning a victory at Reading[2] despite heavy losses,[6] and again at Ashdown,[2] where many Viking jarls and their warriors fell.[7][6] Although the subsequent Battle of Wilton was a loss, the magnitude of Alfred's successes in resisting the Vikings eclipsed the result such that it became a much-storied event to the public.[2]
In late March 871, Alfred and Æthelred met a Viking force led by jarls Guthrum and Halfdan Ragnarsson[8] at the Battle of Meretun.[2] Unbeknownst to the other commanders, Guthrum was wearing the Ring of Eden Hnituðr, which granted its bearer near-invincibility[9] against weapons made with ferromagnetic metals like steel or iron.[10]
During the battle, Guthrum charged the Anglo-Saxons' front line and shocked the army when he carved his way unharmed to reach the back lines from where Æthelred commanded the troops. Seeing a crucial opportunity to rid the army of both leadership and their king, Guthrum grabbed a spear and threw it into Æthelred's stomach, forcing his men to retreat from the field. From here, the battle devolved into another loss for Alfred which he was unable to recover from, and he was forced to sue Guthrum and Halfdan for peace.[11]
Kingship and Grand Maegester[]
Once Æthelred died from his wound,[2][11] Alfred became king and in turn, assumed his brother's leadership of the Order of the Ancients. Unlike his father and brother, however, Alfred disagreed with and deeply reviled the Order's ideals and beliefs, believing them to be sacrilegious to the one God preached by Christianity. Thus, he devised a plan to rid England of the Order and developed an alias for his vendetta. By posing as a spy under the pseudonym of "A Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ", Alfred recruited the reeve of Wincestre Goodwin as his personal informant to scout England for information while using a study in The Old Minster as a base of operations. To maintain his charade of service to the Order, Alfred continued in his role as Grand Maegester with Palatinus Fulke as his personal attendant,[12] but also adopted another pseudonym of "The Father" when exchanging correspondence with Order members to keep his identity a secret.[13]
With his Order activities in affair, Alfred pivoted to settle his first trial as a king following his defeat at Meretun and sent the priest John as an envoy to the Norse offering peace terms. When John returned, Alfred met with the Viking leaders. After drafting and signing a peace accord, a clause of which set out that Danes were forbidden from crossing past the Avon River, the Viking army left Wessex.[11]
Despite the peace terms, Alfred's plans to undermine the Order in the interlude were stymied by the Vikings' continued activities across England, particularly when they received help from the unexpected arrival of the third-party Raven Clan based in Ledecestrescire.[14] Perhaps most concerning to the new king, in 873, the clan's jarl Sigurd Styrbjornsson and his foster sister Eivor Varinsdottir aided the Sons of Ragnar[14] in deposing his sister[15] Æthelswith[16] and his brother-in-law Burgred from Mercia's thrones and installing Ceolwulf as ruler.[14][17] Not only did this raise the very real threat of the Vikings succeesfully removing him from power, it also threatened to expose his secret identity as Grand Maegester, since Burgred had written one letter to Alfred requesting the Order's resources for aid,[14] and another saying that he had called on the Order's fanatical Zealots to hunt the Danes responsible for sacking Tamworth Fortress.[18]
Fortunately, Alfred later learned that the Hidden One Hytham ran his group's operations from within the Raven Clan's settlement of Ravensthorpe, and on Goodwin's suggestion, Alfred made use of Hytham's affiliation with Eivor to unwittingly assist in his plans to destroy their mutual enemy: the Order.[12] Under his "Poor Fellow-Soldier" pseudonym, Alfred sent a letter to Hytham listing the Order's plans in the city of Lunden led by The Compass, The Arrow, and The Leech.[19] Over the next few years, Eivor aided Hytham and Alfred by proxy in eliminating the Order members throughout England.[13]
Encounter with the Raven Clan[]
- Sigurd: "As I understand, King Aelfred, your name is not spoken with affection here in Mercia."
- Alfred: "Yet I am close enough to Wessex to hear myself praised from morn 'til twilight."
- Sigurd: "Return to your singing subjects then! And leave the affairs of Mercia to the Danes."
- Alfred: "Not 'til your pagan war songs are safely out of hearing."
- —Alfred's meeting with Sigurd, c. 874.[src]-[m]
Alfred meeting with Eivor, Sigurd and Basim
Circa 874, Alfred received a request for an alliance from Lady Eadwyn, the wife of the late ealdorman Theodric of Oxenefordscire who had been killed by Guthrum's army. Alfred accepted the request and personally led a force to assist the noble lady and meet her at the stronghold of Cyne Belle Castle. By the time his army arrived, the castle had already fallen to forces sworn to the rebel thegn Geadric, Sigurd, Eivor, and an undercover Fulke operating for her own goals. As his army surrounded the castle keep, the rebels called for a parlay, with both Eivor and Sigurd meeting Alfred himself.[20]
Left with little options, Sigurd proposed a prisoner exchange as a token of peace between Mercia and Wessex. Alfred accepted and offered his war thegn Wolfrich in exchange for Sigurd's associate, the Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq. However, this exchange was interrupted by Fulke's arrival, revealing her true allegiance. Fulke suggested that Alfred take Sigurd instead, given his status as jarl and accusing him of being a heretic. Alfred accepted the suggestion and thus took Sigurd prisoner, leaving him in Fulke's care.[20]
Some time after these events, Alfred used his Poor Fellow-Soldier moniker to deliver yet another letter to Hytham and Eivor, sending the shieldmaiden to deal with the Order in Jorvik led by The Vault, The Needle, and The Firebrand.[21]
Hunted by the Order[]
- Eivor: "You risk your life, Aelfred King."
- Alfred: "I have invited you here to speak on equal terms. Do the Danes laws of hospitality not apply in Wessex?"
- Eivor: "You gifted my jarl to that whelp from The Order of Ancients, the warrior Fulke."
- Alfred: "Fulke was an enemy of Wessex. But it seems someone has already removed her threat from my lands."
- —Alfred meeting with Eivor after the events in Oxenefordscire, c. 877.[src]-[m]
Circa 875, Fulke was able to uncover Alfred's "association" with the Poor Fellow-Soldier via a marked seal on the letters exchanged between them. Learning that the king was possibly responsible for the eradication of the Order in both Lunden and Jorvik, she sought to eliminate Alfred and uncover the Poor Fellow-Soldier, unaware of his double identity.[22] Unable to personally deal with Alfred due to her work in Suthsexe researching Sigurd's nature,[23] Fulke contacted three Order members operating in Wincestre – The Gallows, The Quill, and The Seax – and tasked them to ensure the king was "burned to ash" for his betrayal.[22]
Alfred requesting Eivor's help to eliminate the Order in Wincestre
By 877, Alfred had learned about the Order's plot to assassinate him, as well as Fulke's death, which was a crippling blow to the Order. Unable to deal with the threat looming over him without exposing his identity, he decided to contact Hytham and Eivor once again, instructing the latter to meet with his associate Sigebeald in the Old Minster to initiate a secret meeting.[24]
When Eivor arrived, she was initially surprised to discover Alfred was her contact and recalled their brief encounter in Oxenefordscire three years prior. She then informed Alfred that she had been responsible for Fulke's death, to which the king congratulated the shieldmaiden before explaining the reason he had summoned her. He gave Eivor a letter, signed by the Poor Fellow-Soldier, which named The Gallows, The Quill and The Seax as the three Order members trying to eliminate him.[24]
Alfred had already identified The Seax as Bishop Ealhferth, who was supposedly dead, and instructed Eivor to meet with Goodwin, who had recently gone missing, in order to track down the other two Order members.[24] After rescuing Goodwin from the Wincestre Garrison, Eivor was able to identify Wincestre's reeve Selwyn as The Gallows with his help and assassinated him.[25] She then reported to Alfred and Goodwin at The Nun's Minster, where she watched a brief exchange between the king and a young girl.[26]
Eivor, Alfred and Goodwin discussing The Quill
After the girl left, Alfred briefly scolded Eivor for bringing chaos to his city with her public assassination of Selwyn, before the group discussed The Quill, who was running a network made up of Wincestre's orphaned children. Eivor decided to speak with several children in the hopes they would lead her to the Order member, to which Goodwin advised her to try not to scare them. To this, Eivor, while looking at Alfred, stated that she could not promise anything as Norse people like herself were the "monsters" of bedtime stories told by Anglo-Saxon mothers to their children.[26]
After their conversation, Alfred and Goodwin left the Nun's Minster, leaving Eivor to carry out her investigation of The Quill's activities. Ultimately, the shieldmaiden was able to identify a woman named Hilda as the Order member and kill her at her hideout, ending her exploitation of Wincestre's children.[26]
With only Ealhferth left, Eivor doubted Alfred and Goodwin's claim that the bishop was dead and decided to attend his funeral at Saint Peter's Church. There, her suspicions were confirmed, as she discovered that Ealhferth had faked his death and was planning to assassinate Alfred while the king delivered a speech at the Witan Hall. Rushing to the hall, Eivor listened to Alfred's speech about installing a new Bishop of Wincestre and tried to locate Ealhferth, who was hidden among the crowd.[22]
Alfred thanking Eivor for saving his life
When The Seax revealed himself as he prepared to make his attempt on Alfred's life, Eivor intervened and killed Ealhferth, saving the king. With the last of the Ancients in Wincestre dead, Alfred thanked Eivor, claiming that he owed the shieldmaiden his life, before retreating to the Old Minister alongside Goodwin for his own protection.[22]
Eivor joined them at the cathedral not long after, though as she entered she found herself surrounded by soldiers. Alfred then told the shieldmaiden not to mistake necessity for friendship and that now that their agreement was done, she was no longer welcome in Wincestre. However, in accordance to his Christian beliefs, he was willing to give Eivor a chance to "save her soul" by converting to Christianity.[22]
As Goodwin presented Eivor with a silver cross, the shieldmaiden accepted the gift but turned down Alfred's offer of conversion, causing the king to tell Goodwin that he had been wrong about Eivor and that the Viking was "beyond saving". The two then left the church as the guards attacked Eivor, though the shieldmaiden was able to defeat the soldiers and subsequently fled the city.[22]
Fighting Guthrum[]
In late 877, as the Viking threat continued to grow, Alfred sent an order for all soldiers across the nation to join him in fighting the Danes, an instruction that left many small towns such as Abingdon and his birthplace of Wanating practically defenseless as Alfred's forces grew.[27] However, Alfred was well aware of the tactical importance his old home would hold if captured by the enemy and so had purposefully left Wanating unguarded yet fully stocked with food as bait.[28]
The king's gamble proved to be correct when the Norse warrior Geirmund Hjörrsson and his Hel-hides learned how close they were to the city while on a mission from Guthrum to raise havoc and draw Alfred's attention from the Viking army. When Alfred got word that the Hel-hides occupied the city, he personally marched 3,000 soldiers through the night to arrive on the doorstep and begin a surprise siege the day after the Vikings had entered and feasted.[28]
Despite having far superior numbers, Alfred initially could not retake the town and the Hel-hides held strong, though they suffered a few causalities.[28] Just when it seemed the Hel-Hides would break after running out of supplies, Alfred and his troops abruptly left and quickly marched west[29] to intercept Ubba Ragnarsson and his men who were reported near Uffentune along the Avon River[30] as they moved to meet Guthrum's force and coordinate a pronged strike.[31]
Alfred did not fight the Ragnarson, though, instead giving Devon county's ealdorman Odda command of a sizeable detachment with instructions to show no quarter against the Dane.[30] Odda and his men proved soundly victorious in what was later called the Battle of Cynwit,[32] where the Saxons slew Ubba,[33][30] claimed his raven banner, and nearly annihilated the Vikings.[32] In the meantime, Alfred left for his Christmas feast in Chippenham and resumed correspondences with Guthrum, asking for peace in return for delivering Hnituðr.[34]
Battle of Chippenham[]
- Goodwin: "Aelfred is long gone. And this good Christian feast, a cup of honey-wine to trap some wasps."
- Eivor: "Where is he?"
- Goodwin: "Calling his allies to his side. All those who wish to see Wessex under one God. You cannot win England with your sorry crew of deluded farmers and godless fools."
- —Goodwin informing Eivor of Alfred's escape, 878.[src]-[m]
Alfred and Goodwin negotiating with the Vikings in Wareham
In January 878, as the Vikings prepared to take the town of Wareham to aid their invasion of Wessex, Alfred, accompanied by Goodwin and his men, met with Guthrum's army to secure a peace treaty, offering a large Danegeld in exchange for the Vikings leaving Wareham. Although Guthrum accepted Alfred's terms, the negotiations quickly turned into a heated argument between the jarl, who was joined by Eivor, and the Saxons, especially after Alfred mocked the Vikings by mentioning Ubba Ragnarsson's death.[33]
Once Alfred and his army left Wareham, Eivor recalled the king's treachery in Wincestre and the Vikings decided to go back on the treaty's terms by burning Wareham. They also rescued Guthrum's men who had been captured by Alfred's soldiers, and continued marching towards Wincestre.[33] Alfred's army met them at Chippenham, though the Saxon forces were ultimately defeated and the king was forced to flee, with Goodwin volunteering to stay behind and buy him time to escape, resulting in his death.[30]
Exile and revelation[]
Following his defeat at Cippanhamm, Alfred found himself being escorted to Sumorsæte by thirty soldiers, but was tracked by Geirmund Hjörrsson and his warriors. He maintained his communications with Guthrum even as he mustered up his forces.[35]
Alfred giving his Order medallion to Eivor
While in exile, Alfred lived as a commoner in the village of Athelnay in the west of Hamtunscire. After Eivor had eliminated the entirety of the Order save for its Grand Maegester, Alfred sent a final letter to Hytham under his Poor Fellow-Solder alias and invited Eivor to the village to discuss the secret society.[36] Eivor accepted the invitation and upon arriving at Athelnay, she met Alfred and was told of his identity as the Poor Fellow-Soldier.[12]
When the shieldmaiden inquired what he knew of the Grand Maegester's identity, Alfred showed her his medallion, revealing that the person she sought was himself and elaborated on his motives for bringing down the Order. After thanking Eivor for her efforts, he gave her a key to his Old Minster study and declared his intentions to make a new group inspired by God and dedicated for the betterment of man that would replace the Order he had broken. He then bade Eivor farewell and returned to his duties as a commoner in the village.[12]
During this time, Alfred continued sending John to Guthrum for weeks as they arranged for Guthrum's agreed-upon surrender, baptismal, and his relinquishing of Hnituðr. However, his plans were again disrupted by Geirmund when he confronted Guthrum about hiding his capitulation from the Norse, defeated him in single combat, and walked away with Hnituðr. Left without the ring, Guthrum could only follow through with his original plan of surrender.[37]
Later life and death[]
- Eivor: "Have no fear. This is not a new chapter in our conflict. I am leaving these lands for distant shores. You'll have no more trouble from me."
- Alfred: "In search of new wars? Fresh lands to conquer?"
- Eivor: "In search of myself."
- Alfred: "Ah. The most difficult destination on Earth. I wish you well then. God be with you on your journey."
- —Eivor informing Alfred of her intentions to leave England for good, c. 889.[src]-[m]
Eventually, Alfred returned from exile and rallied another army to defeat Guthrum's force at the Battle of Edington. This led to the Treaty of Wedmore, which saw Guthrum's conversion to Christianity and departure from Wessex, and the official establishment of Danelaw in eastern and northern England.[1]
Sometime after his return from exile, Alfred tasked the monk Ecbert to infiltrate a sect led by Saint Columba the Reborn in Loch Ness, Scotland, and recover an artifact in their possession: the Codex of Eden. Although Ecbert ultimately failed in his mission due to his death at the hands of the Hidden One Adelaïde, his younger brother Edward managed to recover the Codex's fragments after the artifact was destroyed and brought them to Alfred. The king then invited Edward to join his burgeoning organization formed from the remnants of the Order of the Ancients, and the young monk accepted.[38]
Alfred's final meeting with Eivor
Circa 889, Alfred called on Eivor to meet him at the Old Minster in Wincestre, where he disclosed to her that Guthrum had indeed surrendered and sworn a treaty. He then extended her an offer to serve him and Christ as a lord of Mercia and join his rapidly growing Order, but Eivor politely turned him down and returned the cross he had given her years ago. After allaying his initial fears of a Viking reprisal, she explained that she would be leaving the country on a journey of self-discovery. Having had a similar experience living as a commoner, Alfred wished her farewell and they parted ways for the last time.[39]
As Eivor had passed on his offer, the title of Lord of the Mercians remained with Alfred's son-in-law, Æthelred, who alongside Alfred and Alfred's own heir Edward repelled renewed Viking invasions led by Hastein.[40] Alfred remained king and continued to defend Wessex against Viking raids over the next few decades. A key focus of his during his reign was ensuring that the populace, particularly young nobility, were literate in Latin and Old English.[41] Alfred died on 26 October 899, and his reign laid the groundwork for his grandson Æthelstan to found the Kingdom of England.[1]
Personality and traits[]
As the king of the Anglo-Saxons, Alfred always stood tall, fearless, and proud even in the face of enemies who were more powerful than him. Inspired by his childhood visit with Pope Leo IV, Alfred was deeply devoted to his faith in God and rigorously pursued scholarly activities, turning himself into a highly educated man.[2] When he summoned Eivor to his study in Winchestre, Alfred displayed immense charisma, hospitality, patience, thoughtfulness, and a strong vocabulary. These personality traits had helped him persuade Eivor, a woman who despised him at the time, to aid him in ridding Wincestre of the Order of the Ancients.[24] Even Guthrum admired him and secretly confided to Eivor how they both were envious of Alfred's inner strength which was fueled by faith.[30]
Alfred explaining his reasons for betraying the Order to Eivor
Upon discovering the existence of the Order of the Ancients, especially their theological beliefs, Alfred came to secretly despise the Order and even his own role as their Grand Maegester. Despite his repulsion of the Order, Alfred took a strong reverence for the Father of Understanding, whom he believed to be another name for God. In accordance with his staunch monotheism, Alfred displayed little to no tolerance for pagans, whether they were Viking invaders in northern England or druids in the west.[12]
Despite his actions in undermining the Order, Alfred still saw the value in having a secluded organization with a vast network, and sought to create his own secret order, one guided by his strict Christian principles and a strict reverence for the Father of Understanding.[12] This new secret order rapidly developed into the Templar Order.[39]
Gallery[]
Behind the scenes[]
Alfred the Great is a historical figure first introduced in the 2020 Echoes of History podcast episodes on Vikings, though his voice actor is uncredited. He later featured in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, where he is voiced by Tom Lewis. According to the game's narrative director Darby McDevitt, Alfred was meant to be an antagonist in the game, but not be the central antagonist.[42]
When creating Alfred's digital model, the art department had to take care that his appearance reflected historical documents. While Alfred had to carry himself in a stately manner as was befitting for a king, he also suffered from Chron's disease, which often left him in a weakened condition that he could ill-afford for enemies to see lest they think him unfit to rule and an easy target. To that end, artists made use of heavy contrasts to ensure that Alfred's clothes as a king were juxtaposed his facial features as a man.[43]
Appearances[]
- Echoes of History – Vikings (voice only)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers
- Discovery Tour: Viking Age
- Assassin's Creed: Where's the Assassin? (non-canon)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Hidden Codex
- The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One (mentioned only)
References[]
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