Edward the Elder
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Edward the Elder was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death in 924. He was the elder son of Alfred the Great and his wife Ealhswith. When Edward succeeded to the throne, he had to defeat a challenge from his cousin Æthelwold, who had a strong claim to the throne as the son of Alfred's elder brother and predecessor, Æthelred I.
Portrait miniature from a thirteenth-century genealogical scroll depicting Edward
A page from the will of Alfred the Great, headed Testamentum in a later hand, which left the bulk of his estate to Edward
Silver pseudo-coin brooch found at the Villa Wolkonsky in Rome. It is based on a coin of Edward the Elder and is probably contemporary.
Silver penny of Edward the Elder
Alfred the Great
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Alfred the Great was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfred was young. Three of Alfred's brothers, Æthelbald, Æthelberht and Æthelred, reigned in turn before him. Under Alfred's rule, considerable administrative and military reforms were introduced, prompting lasting change in England.
Alfred's father Æthelwulf of Wessex in the early 14th-century Genealogical Roll of the Kings of England
King Alfred's Tower (1772) in Somerset, on the supposed site of Egbert's Stone, the mustering place before the Battle of Edington
A plaque in the City of London noting the restoration of the Roman walled city by Alfred
Alfred the Great silver offering penny, 871–899. Legend: AELFRED REX SAXONUM ('Alfred King of the Saxons').