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→Key Characters and Significance
In the 890s, Alfred's weak health has begun to catch up to him and he knew it. He began to groom his son Edward and prepare him for the challenges that were ahead. First, fighting to secure the crown, then keeping the Danes and Viking raids at bay, and finally expand and forge the dream of England that Alfred possessed. While the first two goals were clear and having the burh and military system created by Wessex could prove effective, uniting a country was more complex, as now one had to convince other Anglo-Saxons to accept the idea of England. Alfred did begin to make plans for this by marrying his daughter to the Mercian lord and placing that lord under him, but creating something larger was a challenge.
Æthelwald is portrayed as a character often drunk and largely incompetent, although this could largely be an artifact of history where he ultimately did not rule the crown. He was given great wealth by Alfred on his deathbed but Æthelwald always wanted the crown and he saw his chance during a period of renewed Dane and Viking attacks. He did not anticipate perhaps that his nephew would also be willing to fight so hard for his claim to the crown and this mistake could have cost him his life.
==Historical Accuracy==
