King Alfred: His Father, Aethelwulf

Aethelwulf was likely born in the early AD 800s. His father, King Ecgberht, established the independence of the kingdom from the House of Mercia (the kingdom north of Wessex). In his reign (AD 839-858), Aethelwulf extended the control of Wessex in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

The pillaging Vikings were not a major issue in his reign, and during a period of peace, he decided to make a pilgrimage to Rome in AD 855. In preparation, he placed his eldest surviving son, Aethelbald, in charge of Wessex and placed Aethelbert in charge of Kent.

He also gave a decimation to the Wessex ealdormen to ensure their loyalty while he was away. A decimation is where the king would give a tenth of his personal property to the elders of the kingdom.

Alfred, probably aged 6 years old, accompanied the king to Rome and they stayed in the Anglos-Saxon quarter. Today, this is called the Borgo, which is an Italianised version of the the Old English word ‘burh’. It is northeast from the St Peter’s Basilica.

The king, Alfred and Alfred’s brother (Aethelred) stayed in Rome for a year. They were welcomed into the Roman Christian society.

He brought many gifts to the Church, including a gold crown, gold goblets and a sword bound with gold. The Anglo-Saxon king also paid to refurbish the Borgo.

On the way home, the king and his two children stopped at the court of King Charles the Bald. He was the emperor of the Carolingian Kingdom (modern day France and Central Europe). Here Aethelwulf met and married Judith, the daughter of King Charles. At aged 12, it was a shock to the Anglo-Saxon culture. She was only a few years older than Alfred.

When he arrived home, King Aethelbald refused to step down. This might seem unreasonable, but in the past, Anglo-Saxon kings had abdicated and lived out the rest of their days in Rome as a churchmen. Maybe Aethelbald assumed his father had followed this tradition.

Another reason Aethelbald may have resisted his father, was that if a child was produced from the marriage between the elderly king and his young wife, it might represent a threat to the claim on the throne from Aethelbald’s own children.

These concerns were eventually shown to be unfounded. Aethelwulf died in AD 858, two years after his marriage to Judith. And the kingdom was divided between the king’s two sons, Aethelbert and Aethelbald. Judith returned back to her father in France.

I believe the time Alfred spent with his father was important. He would have seen how a devout Christian king acted. How he won favour with other monarchs, through gift giving and building alliances.

Even returning back to England, and witnessing the conflict between his father and brothers. He saw how his father never disinherited his brother, even for betrayal.

On a personal note, we can learn much from our parents and grandparents. Even just through spending time and talking with them. We can even learn from the stories passed down to us through the Family Tree or from our ancestors.

For example, one of my Victorian ancestors lost a Manor House gambling. On a turn of a card, he lost everything. On the other hand, my grandfather paid off the mortgage on his house by placing a bet on a horse. The wisdom I draw from these stories shows the risks associated with gambling and what should and shouldn’t be gambled.

I wonder what stories King Alfred remembered when he was hiding in the marshes, praying for a salvation plan for England. Maybe he recalled the ancient stories of the Roman Emperors, the sacking of Rome by the Barbarian Hordes or, while at the court of King Charles, the exploits of Charlemagne.

Image: King Aethelwulf’s ring