Why was King Alfred called the Great?

Well, he was not called ‘the Great’ because he was a tall man; he was not. Alfred became king of Wessex (a small British kingdom including what is now Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire) in AD 871, at a time when the Vikings ruled over large parts of England. The king was determined to defeat the pagans, under their king, Guthrum, and he succeeded. By the time of his death in 899, almost all of England was under his rule, and the Viking armies were defeated in many battles. Alfred was a Christian, and when he was young he had been sent to Rome to be blessed by the Pope. But despite his faith Alfred, like most kings of his time, was proud of the fact that he was descended from pagan gods like Wooden. There is one legend about Alfred which everyone knows that while hiding in a woman’s cottage in Athelney marshes, Somerset, at a time when the Vikings seemed to be wining, Alfred was supposed to be looking after some cakes, so that they did not burn. Thinking deeply about the state of his country, he forgot the cakes, and they burned. When she came back, the woman scolded him, Alfred apologised and paid for the cakes.

It is very doubtful whether this ever happened, but what it shows us is that people believed Alfred to be a kind and humble man, and we know that they willingly followed their brave and wise leader into battle against the invading Vikings.