1.1.3 Alfred & Wessex

Question 1

Which kingdom was Alfred the Great king of?

Answer 1

Wessex

Question 2

How long had Alfred the Great been King of Wessex?

Answer 2

From 871

Question 3

By ____, Wessex was the only surviving Anglo-Saxon kingdom (all the others had fully or completely fallen to the Vikings)

Answer 3

878

Question 4

What did Alfred the Great want and how did he plan to achieve this? (2)

Answer 4

• Alfred wanted to unite England as one country and defeat the Vikings
• In 878, Alfred gathered a large army to fight the Vikings, led by Guthrum

Question 5

How did Alfred achieve his plan of uniting England as one country and defeating the Vikings? (3)

Answer 5

• Alfred’s army defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington, and they were forced to surrender
• Guthrum was forced to convert to Christianity
• Alfred had managed to unite most of England as one country, after years of it being ruled as separate kingdoms, or conquered by Vikings

Question 6

How did Alfred strengthen his defences across the country to make his land more secure? (2)

Answer 6

• King Alfred reorganised the English army and established strong fortresses across the country, to protect against further attack
• He created an English navy to protect England, an island nation, from attack by sea (which is how the Vikings had invaded)

Question 7

What did other kingdoms in England acknowledge Alfred to be?

Answer 7

The ‘overlord’

Question 8

What did the Anglo-Saxons call themself under Alfred’s rule?

Answer 8

Angelcynn

Question 9

What happened after Alfred’s death?

Answer 9

His descendants managed to recapture parts of the Danelaw. However, the Viking prescience and influence still remained. By the time Alfred’s great-grandson (Edgar the peaceful) became king in AD959, the country was settled as it had been for generations

Question 10

How did many Vikings and Anglo-Saxons prove to live peacefully with each other? (2)

Answer 10

• People travelled and traded between Wessex and the Danelaw
• There was intermarriage between the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons

Question 11

How did Alfred the Great have an impact on education? (2)

Answer 11

• He reclaimed Anglo-Saxon territory that the Vikings had conquered
• He encouraged education so that the country could be governed effectively: he set up schools and encouraged the nobles to read and study

Question 12

What did Alfred the Great establish as the reigning kingdom in England?

Answer 12

The House of Wessex

Question 13

How is Queen Elizabeth II connected to Alfred the Great?

Answer 13

She is his 32nd great-granddaughter

Question 14

At which battle did Alfred the Great’s army defeat the Vikings?

Answer 14

The Battle of Edington