My Relationship to Alfred 'The Great' King of England
Alfred the Great King of England is my 33d great grandfather, if we follow the line back through his eldest son, Edward I "the Elder" King of England.
(Interestingly, he is also the 33d great grandfather of Prince Charles)
However, if we follow the line through his daughter, Elfrida Princess of England, he then becomes my 33rd great grandfather.
Also, if we follow the line back through King Harald 'Bluetooth' Gormsson of Denmark, he then becomes my 33 times great uncle.
Relationship to Alfred the Great King of England via Edward I "the Elder" King of England.
33rd great grandfather
Alfred the Great King of England b: Abt. 846 AD Wantage, Berkshire, England d: 26 Oct 901 AD Winchester, Hampshire
32nd great grandfather
Edward I "the Elder" King of England b: 875 AD Wessex, England d: 17 Jul 924 AD Farndon-On-Dee, Cheshire
31st great grandfather
Edmund I "the Magnificent" King of England b: 921 AD Wessex, England d: 26 May 946 AD Pucklechurch, Dorset
30th great grandfather
Edgar I "the Peaceful" King of England b: 943 AD Wessex, England d: 08 Jul 975 AD Winchester, England
29th great grandfather
Ethelred the Unready II King of England b: Abt. 968 AD Wessex, England d: 23 Apr 1010 London, Middlesex, England
28th great grandmother
Goda (Godgifu) of England b: Abt. 1004 Wessexd: 1049 England
27th great grandfather
Ralph de Gael de Montfort b: 1035 d: Unknown
26th great grandmother
Amice de Montfort b: 1080 d: Unknown
25th great grandmother
Eleanor De BEAUMONT-LE-ROGER b: 1100 Cheshire, , England d: 1157
24th great grandfather
Hamon III Sir of Dunham Massey b: 1129 Dunham Massey d: 1216
(Please see 'The Massey's - where do I fit in?' for the rest of this chart)
Relationship to Alfred The Great King of England via his daughter, Elfida, Princess of England
33rd great grandfather
Alfred the Great King of England b: Abt. 846 AD Wantage, Berkshire, England d: 26 Oct 901 AD Winchester, Hampshire
32nd great grandmother
Elfrida Princess of England b: Abt. 877 AD Wessex, England d: 920 AD
31st great grandfather
Arnoul I Comte de Flandres b: Abt. 889 AD Flandres d: 27 Mar 964 AD
30th great grandfather
Baudouin III Count of Flanders b: Abt. 933 AD Flandres, France d: 01 Nov 962 AD
29th great grandfather
Jean de Conteville b: Abt. 963 AD Conteville, France d:
28th great grandmother
Oda de Conteville b: Abt. 994 AD Mellent, Normandy, France d:
27th great grandmother
Adeliza (Adeline) Meulent b: Abt. 1014 Ponteaudemer, Normandy, France d: 1081
26th great grandfather
Count Robert I De BEAUMONT-LE-ROGER
25th great grandmother
Eleanor De BEAUMONT-LE-ROGER b: 1100 Cheshire, , England d: 1157
24th great grandfather
Hamon III Sir of Dunham Massey b: 1129 Dunham Massey d: 1216
( Please see 'The Massey's - where do I fit in?' for the rest of this chart)
Relationship to Alfred The Great King of England via King Harald Gormsson Of DENMARK
34th great grandfather
Ethelwulf Under King of Kent b: 790 AD Wessex, England d: Bet. 13 Jan 856 AD–857 AD Winchester, England 33rd great grandfather
Ethelred I King of Kent & Wessex b: 840 AD d: 23 Apr 871 AD Merton And Alfred the Great King of England
32nd great grandmother
Elgiva of England b: Abt. 870 AD d: Bet. 888 AD–964 AD
31st great grandfather
Gorm Del Gammel "the Old" King b: Abt. 840 AD Denmark d: 936 AD Jelling, Denmark
30th great grandfather
King Harald Gormsson Of DENMARK b: 910 AD Blauzahan, Germany d: 01 Nov 986 AD Jomsborg, Denmark
29th great grandfather
Duchess Wevia Senfrie) De CREPON
28th great grandfather
D' HARCOURT Humphrey D' HARCOURT
27th great grandfather
Roger De BEAUMONT-LE-ROGER
26th great grandfather
Count Robert I De BEAUMONT-LE-ROGER
25th great grandmother
Eleanor De BEAUMONT-LE-ROGER b: 1100 Cheshire, , England d: 1157
24th great grandfather
Hamon III Sir of Dunham Massey b: 1129 Dunham Massey d: 1216
( Please see 'The Massey's - where do I fit in?' for the rest of this chart)
Alfred the Great
King Alfred's struggle. By 870 the Danes had overthrown the kingdoms of East Anglia, Northumbria, and Mercia, and were preparing to do the same to Wessex. Standing in their way was a young king of Wessex, Alfred by name. At first the fight went badly for Alfred; some of his allies found it more expedient to cooperate with the Danes, and in 877 he was pushed back to a small corner of the marshes around Athelney, in Somerset.
Saxon SoldiersThe tale of the griddle-cakes. It is this time, at the low ebb of Anglo-Saxon resistance to the Danes, that is commemorated in the folk tale of Alfred and the griddle cakes. The story goes that Alfred was so low in his fortunes that he was forced to travel anonymously and seek lodging in a peasant woman's hut. Told to mind the cakes cooking on the fire, Alfred let his thoughts wander to his troubles. The cakes burned, and the peasant woman gave her king a good scolding for his carelessness. True or not, (probably not, but it sounds good), the story illustrates the depth to which the young Alfred had sunk in his battle with the Danish invaders. From that point on, however, things began to look up.
Alfred's triumph. Alfred came out of the Athelney marshes and surprised the Danes under Guthrum at Edington, in Wiltshire. After a thorough victory for Alfred, Guthrum was chased back to his base at Chippenham, where he was besieged for two weeks. Eventually Guthrum surrendered, and agreed to retreat from Wessex, and also to accept baptism as a Christian. This baptism was solemnized at Wedmore, in Somerset, some weeks later, giving us what is known as the Peace of Wedmore. The Danes retreated to East Anglia, and Alfred got on with consolidating his gains.
Alfred's Towns. Alfred was an innovator and a thinker, as well as a successful warrior. He began a policy encouraging the formation of fortified towns, or burhs, throughout his lands, such that no place in Wessex was more than 20 miles from a town. In exchange for free plots of land within the towns, settlers provided a defense force. The burhs were also encouraged to become centres of commerce and local government. (See our article on Saxon towns)
The Danelaw. Alfred built a new and improved navy to better meet the sea-faring Danes on their own terms. He wrested London from Danish control and reached the agreement by which England was divided into two zones; the south and west, where Saxon law would apply, and the north and east, where Danish law ruled. This second territory became known as the Danelaw.
Alfred's Legacy. Alfred also did his bit on the cultural front. He established schools and encouraged the dissemination of knowledge. He is said to have personally translated several books from Latin into the Anglo-Saxon tongue. An untraceable myth has it that he established the first university at Oxford. From the depths of despair in 877, Alfred brought Anglo-Saxon England into a golden age of social stability and artistic accomplishment. He was one of the first kings who seems to have looked beyond his own personal glory to a vision of the future well-being of the nation he ruled. He has every right to be remembered as Alfred "The Great".
Saxon SoldiersThe tale of the griddle-cakes. It is this time, at the low ebb of Anglo-Saxon resistance to the Danes, that is commemorated in the folk tale of Alfred and the griddle cakes. The story goes that Alfred was so low in his fortunes that he was forced to travel anonymously and seek lodging in a peasant woman's hut. Told to mind the cakes cooking on the fire, Alfred let his thoughts wander to his troubles. The cakes burned, and the peasant woman gave her king a good scolding for his carelessness. True or not, (probably not, but it sounds good), the story illustrates the depth to which the young Alfred had sunk in his battle with the Danish invaders. From that point on, however, things began to look up.
Alfred's triumph. Alfred came out of the Athelney marshes and surprised the Danes under Guthrum at Edington, in Wiltshire. After a thorough victory for Alfred, Guthrum was chased back to his base at Chippenham, where he was besieged for two weeks. Eventually Guthrum surrendered, and agreed to retreat from Wessex, and also to accept baptism as a Christian. This baptism was solemnized at Wedmore, in Somerset, some weeks later, giving us what is known as the Peace of Wedmore. The Danes retreated to East Anglia, and Alfred got on with consolidating his gains.
Alfred's Towns. Alfred was an innovator and a thinker, as well as a successful warrior. He began a policy encouraging the formation of fortified towns, or burhs, throughout his lands, such that no place in Wessex was more than 20 miles from a town. In exchange for free plots of land within the towns, settlers provided a defense force. The burhs were also encouraged to become centres of commerce and local government. (See our article on Saxon towns)
The Danelaw. Alfred built a new and improved navy to better meet the sea-faring Danes on their own terms. He wrested London from Danish control and reached the agreement by which England was divided into two zones; the south and west, where Saxon law would apply, and the north and east, where Danish law ruled. This second territory became known as the Danelaw.
Alfred's Legacy. Alfred also did his bit on the cultural front. He established schools and encouraged the dissemination of knowledge. He is said to have personally translated several books from Latin into the Anglo-Saxon tongue. An untraceable myth has it that he established the first university at Oxford. From the depths of despair in 877, Alfred brought Anglo-Saxon England into a golden age of social stability and artistic accomplishment. He was one of the first kings who seems to have looked beyond his own personal glory to a vision of the future well-being of the nation he ruled. He has every right to be remembered as Alfred "The Great".
More information on Alfred the Great
Follow this link to Wikipedia to find out more about Alfred the Great