Take a look at some independent reviews of this tour by previous participants here, Take a look at some of the images taken on our most recent tour, document.write('
back'); We explore the remains of Shaftesbury Abbey, built by Alfred around 888, see its fine modern statue, visit the museum with its Saxon exhibits and enjoy stunning views over the Blackmore Vale. Aethelwold is a character people love to hate in The Last Kingdom, known for his scheming and treachery against King Alfred as he eyes the throne for himself. However, he is included on this list as he does have a notable link to medieval history. Copyright © Historic UK Ltd. Company Registered in England No. We continue west to where Alfred was forced into exile into the Somerset Levels. Going back to Cynegils, several kings and consorts of the dynasty were buried at the cathedral in Winchester, first in the Old Minster and then the New Minster. Here in early 878 he built a fortress, reinforcing the existing defences of an earlier Iron Age fort. As a child, he, at the behest of his father, made a trip to Rome in 853, where Pope Leo IV anointed him as the future King of Wessex. The House of Wessex, also known as the House of Cerdic (Cerdicingas in Old English[2]), refers to the family that initially ruled a kingdom in southwest England known as Wessex, from the 6th century under Cerdic of Wessex until the unification of the Kingdoms of England by Alfred the Great and his successors. As The Last Kingdom depicts, he was a well-liked ruler with a reputation among his people for being level-headed and merciful. This was a ferocious battle with no quarter asked or given. One of our many projects here at Odd Days Out is the Once Existed Project. Children are taught the story where Alfred is on the run from the Vikings, taking refuge in the home of a peasant woman. Get your gears turning with hundreds of puzzles, with new ones added each week - and enjoy a seven day free trial! 3, 11, College of Arms MS L.14, dating from the reign of, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=House_of_Wessex&oldid=990518492, Pages using infobox family with unknown parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 24 November 2020, at 22:59. Alfred and his brother, King Aethelred of the West Saxons, met the Viking army at the battle of Ashdown near Reading on January 8th 871. And not without good reason. West Dean has limited parking, so we recommend you park in the forest car park and walk in to the village from there. Alfred was forced to flee with just a small company of men into the Somerset Levels, an area he knew well from his childhood. These trips usually involve us traipsing muddy fields and dodging cows, imagining villages that no longer exist. Return to Winchester for a late-afternoon dispersal. Visiting Anglo-Saxon collections in the Winchester City Museum, we explore the layout of the old Roman city as it was converted to the master plan of a West Saxon burh. Alfred was born in 849 and served as King of Wessex , a Saxon kingdom based in the southwest of modern day England, from 871 to his death on 26th October 899 AD. West Dean is located just east of Friston Forest, down a half-mile lane. Author Bernard Cornwell discovered that he was a descendant of Uhtred the Bold, an Earl of Northumbria who ruled at Bamburgh Castle in the early 10th century. By 870 AD, all the independent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms except Wessex had been overrun by the Vikings. Historians consider her to have been a strong and successful military leader, who was instrumental in capturing Dane-controlled lands. The grounds are just opposite the church. Aelswith married Alfred in 868 and stayed by his side until his death 31 years later. King Alfred's Tower, also known as The Folly of King Alfred the Great or Stourton Tower, is a folly tower. Already have an account with us? Situated in the heart of historic Wessex, we will enjoy stunning scenery, a series of short walks and one or two country pub sandwich lunches. For a family tree of the House of Wessex from Cerdic down to the children of King Alfred the Great, see: A continuation into the 10th and 11th centuries can be found at, A coat of arms was attributed by medieval heralds to the Kings of Wessex.