There’s only one English king called ‘the Great’ and it’s Alfred. But when Alfred was growing up, he would never have expected to become king: he had four older brothers. However, when the Vikings landed in East Anglia in 865, intent on conquest, being king would prove to be a shortcut to an early death.
With three of his brothers dead, Alfred lined up alongside his last remaining brother, King Æthelred, to inflict the first significant defeat on the Great Heathen Army at the Battle of Ashdown on 8 January 871. But by April, Æthelred was dead – possibly from wounds suffered – and Alfred was king. In this year of battles, Alfred fought nine major engagements against the Vikings, losing most of them, but managing to salvage his men and his life. For the Vikings, who fought for profit, Alfred’s resistance was cutting too deeply into their margins. They cut a deal.