

Around the time that he ascended to the throne, the Viking’s infamous Great Heathen Army arrived in England and began its legendary assault on the kingdoms. Æthelberht died in 865 and was succeeded by his brother, Æthelred I. It’s believed that the Vikings began invading the kingdom more frequently during Æthelbald’s reign, but such attacks were still largely limited and unorganized compared to what would come. He refused to give up control when Æthelwulf returned, and the kingdom was formally divided in order to avoid a drawn-out conflict.įollowing Æthelbald’s death in 860, his brother Æthelberht became King and helped to reunite the kingdoms of Wessex and Kent. It was actually Æthelbald who caused that aforementioned power vacuum when Æthelwulf left on his pilgrimage to Rome. Æthelbald’s reign began before the death of Æthelwulf in 858. It was actually highly unlikely that King Alfred would ever become king at all considering that he had three brothers who were ahead of him in the line of succession: Æthelberht, Æthelbald, and Æthelred I. Æthelberht, Æthelbald, and Æthelred I – King Alfred’s Brothers However, most historians agree that the Viking attacks during that time were not nearly as prevalent as they would be during the reigns of Æthelwulf’s sons. In fact, he went on a long pilgrimage to Rome that caused a kind of power vacuum in his kingdom.ĭuring the time of Æthelwulf’s reign, he was generally praised for holding back the Viking hordes and defending his people. However, others criticized him for his sometimes excessive religious devotion. He was a somewhat controversial ruler who was praised for his generosity (he once gave away a great deal of his personal property and wealth to the subjects of the kingdom) and how much his kingdom flourished under his reign. Æthelwulf ruled as the King of Wessex from around 839 to 858. Æthelwulf, King of Wessex – King Alfred’s Father Who was King Alfred, though? Where does he fit into the game’s plot, what does his presence tell us about Valhalla‘s setting and era, and, maybe the most important question of all, is he really the villain of the upcoming game? In order to answer some of these questions, we took a look at the legacy of the real King Alfred in order to give you a better idea of who he was and what role he’ll play in the upcoming sequel. Ubisoft has confirmed that he is King Alfred of Wessex, the real-life monarch who is positioned to be the primary antagonist of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

He’s the King who openly declares war on the Vikings and denounces their efforts to conquer England. Yet, there is one character in the trailer who seems to have generated more discussion than any other. The debut trailer for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla revealed quite a bit about the upcoming game but also left us with questions regarding the game’s setting, characters, time period, and mythology.
