Alfred the Great his craving for what he desired the most, namely the liberal arts; for, as he used to say, there were no good scholars in the entire kingdom of the West Saxons at that time". In 868, Alfred married Ealhswith, daughter of a Mercian nobleman, Æthelred Mucel, Ealdorman of the Gaini. The Gaini were probably one of the tribal groups of the Mercians. Ealhswith's mother, Eadburh, was a member of the Mercian royal family. They had five or six children together including: Edward the Elder who succeeded his father as king; Æthelflæd who became Lady (ruler) of the Mercians in her
The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons caution, "The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons" was almost not shown because of concerns about inflaming pro-revolutionary passions. The public's insistence was too great, however, and the authorities were forced to give in. After its first exhibition, David's friend, the actor François-Joseph Talma, played the title role in Voltaire's "Brutus" and added in a scene in which the stage direction exactly replicated the composition of the already famous painting. Contemporaneously with David, the painter Angelica Kauffmann (1741–1807) was commissioned by Polish royalty to create a work she entitled "Brutus Condemning His Sons to Death for Treason".