The story of the greatest nations; a comprehensive history, extending from the earliest times to the present, founded on the most modern authorities, and including chronological summaries and (14597413838)

Identifier: storyofgreatestn06elli (find matches)
Title: The story of the greatest nations; a comprehensive history, extending from the earliest times to the present, founded on the most modern authorities, and including chronological summaries and pronouncing vocabularies for each nation; and the world's famous events, told in a series of brief sketches forming a single continuous story of history and illumined by a complete series of notable illustrations from the great historic paintings of all lands
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Ellis, Edward Sylvester, 1840-1916 Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis), 1870-1942
Subjects: World history
Publisher: New York : Niglutsch
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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er of Baldwin V. of Flanders, who became the wife of Williamthe Conqueror. Alfreds daughter married Judiths son, and thus was framedthe link which binds King Edward VH. to his illustrious predecessor of morethan a thousand years ago. iEthelwulf set up for the first time in English history the claim to be-queath the crown as he chose. He willed that at his death it should pass toiEthelstan, his eldest son, then to iF!thelbald, to ^thelred, and thence toAlfred, the children of each being excluded, ^thelbert, standing in order ofage between Ethelbald and ^thelred, was to remain after his fathers deathunder-king of Kent. While this arrangement suited the persons chiefly concerned, it by nomeans suited the Witan, who, seeing the need of a united kingdom as a protec-tion against the Danes, set the will aside, and decided to take their kings inorder from the royal family. A condition as unparalleled as it was fortunatewas that there was not a spark of jealousy among the brothers. Whoever was
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England—Alfreds Early Days 973 king was certain to receive the loyal support of the others. When yEthelbalddied in 860, ^thelbert was called from Kent, and his rule extended over boththat province and Wessex. Six years later, yEthelred, his brother, succeeded.Alfred was at that time seventeen years old, and was emphatically the right-handman of the king, serving as his chief of staff in war, as chief minister in peace,and signing all royal warrants next to the king,—and all this without a taint ofenvy or lukewarmness. Fortunate indeed it was that such was the case, fora momentous crisis in the history of England was at hand. During the firstthree years of ^thelreds reign, the Danes swarmed over Northumbria and EastAnglia, and were preparing to overrun Mercia and Wessex. The first ei^.counter of Alfred with the Danes took place in 868, before hewas yet king, and when he was in his twentieth year. About the same timehe was married to the daughter of Ethelred Mucil, Earl of the Gaina