St. Alfred the Great (849–899 A.D.) was the fifth son of the King of Wessex in England. Legend has it that at the age of four he was sent to Rome to be anointed as king by Pope Leo IV. Alfred rose to the throne in 871 A.D. after the successive deaths of his father and older brothers. As king he fought valiantly against the Danish Viking invaders who threatened the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of...