Alfred the Great, the kingdom of Wessex….and a few Vikings

The inscription on the Hamo Thornycroft statue of Alfred the Great in Winchester reads 'To the founder of the kingdom and nation'. But how much do we know about this famous monarch?

Rebecca Rideal speaks with Professor Ryan Lavelle about Alfred's life to discover more about Alfred the Great, the most acclaimed of all the Anglo-Saxon kings. He was known as a just and fair ruler, and successfully defended his kingdom against the Vikings and accomplished far more besides. But what earned him the title of 'the Great' and why is Wessex known as the last kingdom?

Find out in this recording of a Zoom Webinar held during the 2020 Winchester Heritage Open Days festival.

Rebecca Rideal is a specialist factual television producer and writer. She is the author of 1666: PLAGUE, WAR AND HELLFIRE and has written extensively for the press and BBC History Magazine. Founder of the popular history festival and events company, HistFest, Rebecca is also creator of the podcast Killing Time.

Ryan Lavelle is Professor of Early Medieval History at Winchester University. His publications include biographies of the Viking Age rulers Aethelred 'the Unready' and Cnut 'the Great', as well as books on Anglo-Saxon warfare and royal estates. His latest book is Places of Contested Power: Conflict and Rebellion in England and France, 830-1150. He has also acted as historical advisor on the BBC/Netflix TV series, The Last Kingdom.