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.
What a great story! I always think of King Alfred as depicted in "The Last Kingdom."