Chapter I, Asser's Life of King Alfred, Paragraphs 1 - 32 Summary and Analysis

Asser's Life of King Alfred begins with Asser's dedication of the work to Alfred "ruler of all the Christians of the island of Britain, King of the Angles and Saxons." It is divided into paragraphs. In the first paragraph, Asser notes that Alfred was born in 849 at the royal estate named Wantage within the Berkshire district. He then gives Alfred's lineage all the way back to Adam, reproduced as follows.

Alfred was the son of King Aethewulf, the son of Egbest, who was in turn the son of Ealhmund, son of Eafa, son of Eoppa, son of Inglid. Inglid and Ine, the king of the West Saxons, were brothers. Both men were sons of Cenred, the son of Ceolwold, the son of Cutha, son of...