Page "Alfred the Great" Paragraph 3

In 853, at the age of four, Alfred is said to have been sent to Rome where, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he was confirmed by Pope Leo IV who " anointed him as king ".

Victorian writers interpreted this as an anticipatory coronation in preparation for his ultimate succession to the throne of Wessex.

However, his succession could not have been foreseen at the time, as Alfred had three living elder brothers.

A letter of Leo IV shows that Alfred was made a " consul "; a misinterpretation of this investiture, deliberate or accidental, could explain later confusion.

It may also be based on Alfred's later having accompanied his father on a pilgrimage to Rome where he spent some time at the court of Charles the Bald, King of the Franks, around 854 – 855.