Then I paid them Danegeld to keep the peaceĪs a scholar, you’d say I was distinguished I fought with the Vikings for many a year When you hear me coming play a big fanfare! He is still the only English king to be given the title ‘Great’.Īnd fought with the Vikings from over the sea. Narrator: Alfred put his plans into action: soon that army was trained, those ships were built and new towns, with castles to defend them, sprang up all over Wessex.Īlfred may have been ill for much of his life but he is remembered as one of the strongest kings. Till we have a fleet of ships, till we have built towns which we can defend. Guthrum, the Viking leader, promised that he would never attack Wessex again… and in return Alfred gave the Vikings land to the east of Britain, which became known as the Danelaw.Īlfred: We have won a great victory, but we can never be safe until we have trained a proper army. The Anglo-Saxon army defeated the Vikings. Narrator: Soon after - at the Battle of Edington - Alfred was as good as his word. and from all over Wessex people came to join him, ready to fight the Vikings.Īlfred: Now we have an army! This time we will take the Vikings by surprise and this time we will win! Narrator: When Alfred was ready to leave the marshes he took off his disguise and dressed once more as king… And next time I am given a job I will not fail. Woman: Yes! The fool who burnt my loaves!Īlfred: No.

Woman: I told you to watch my loaves and now they’re burnt to a cinder! Narrator: Alfred forgot about the loaves of bread and when the old woman returned. Narrator: But Alfred was too busy thinking about the Vikings, too busy trying to work out how he might defeat them…Īlfred: We’ll need more men to fight. Understand?Īlfred: Yes of course - I promise to watch your bread. When the loaves are ready be sure to take them out. Woman: Hey! Make yourself useful! Keep an eye on the stove. Alfred was disguised as a poor man so that she had no idea the King was living in her house. It was said that for many weeks he stayed in the house of an old woman. Years later a story was told of the time when Alfred was in hiding. Narrator: Alfred escaped from the Vikings and with a small group of followers, hid in a village surrounded by marshes. Thane: Sire, please! We need you to live.to lead us to fight another day! The Vikings left Wessex in peace but then in 878 the Viking leader - Guthrum - launched a surprise attack on Alfred.įX: Sounds of battle, horses, cries of men, clash of metal on metalĪlfred: No, I will fight and die here alongside my soldiers. They agreed not to attack Wessex in return for money. Narrator: And ‘buy time’ is exactly what Alfred did.

We are outnumbered.Īlfred: Time if only we had a bit more time to gather our strength. Thane: But sire - they are stronger than us, they have better weapons. Thane: King Alfred, the Vikings are advancing again. The greatest challenge the young king faced came from the Vikings, who had invaded in the north and were moving south… Narrator: Alfred was in his early 20s when he became king and although it was true that he was often ill, he certainly wasn’t ‘weak’. Voice 3: We must have kings who can read as well as lead us into battle! Our new king should be Alfred!įX: Other voices ‘I am for Alfred’ / ‘Alfred for king!’ etc He would prefer to spend his time reading books than preparing for battle! Voice 1: Alfred has fought bravely in battle. Voice 2: Some days he is so ill he cannot ride his horse. Voice 3: It is true that Alfred is often ill, but he is not weak. Voice 2: Not Alfred, Alfred is weak! He’s always ill. Voice 1: And who, my lord, would you suggest? Voice 3: But Aethelwald is young, no more than a boy. Voice 2: I propose Ethelred’s eldest son, Aethelwald! He’s the obvious choice! Voice 1: My lords! Ethelred is dead and we are still at war with the Viking invaders. Ethelred - king of the Anglo-Saxon land of Wessex – has died fighting the Viking invaders.

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