King Alfred is often called "Alfred the Great," or "The Scholar-King" for his devotion to learning and literacy. Surprisingly, he did not learn to read until after he became king.
In his lifetime he was successful in defending his kingdom from invasion by the Danish, and captured London in a move that united all the English under his rule. He is therefore considered to be the first King of England.
A biography written by his contemporary, the Welsh scholar Asser, asserts that Alfred suffered a painful, recurrent illness throughout his lifetime. It is now suspected that the scholar-king suffered from Crohn's Disease.
