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Notes for King of England, *Alfred "The Great" | ||||||||||||
228Alfred From the late 8th century, attacks by Vikings from Scandinavia increased. After a major invasion in 865, the kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia were rapidly overrun, and in 871 the Danish army attacked Wessex. The Wessex forces under the command of Alfred (reigned 871-99), then aged 21, defeated the Danes at the Battle of Edington in 878. The Danes withdrew to an area north of a frontier running from London to Chester and known as 'Danelaw'. This victory did not finish the Danish threat, and Alfred reorganised the Wessex defences by organising his army on a rota basis, so he could raise a 'rapid reaction force' to deal with raiders whilst still enabling his thegns and peasants to tend their farms. Second, Alfred started a building programme of well-defended settlements across southern England as a defence in depth against Danish raiders. Alfred also ordered the building of a navy of new fast ships to patrol the coasts and meet invaders before they penetrated inland. Other reforms included establishing a legal code (assembled from the laws of his predecessors and of the kingdoms of Mercia and Kent), and reforming the coinage. Illiterate in Latin until the age of 38, Alfred promoted literacy, religion and education, and directed the translation of works of religious instruction, philosophy and history into the vernacular; this was partly so that people could read his orders and legislation. The energetic royal authority demonstrated in Alfred's policies presaged the Wessex kings' rule of all England during the next century. -------------------------------------------------- For some genealogy info. go to http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-bin/gedlkup/n=royal?royal01964 -------------------------------------------------- For a short Bio. on him, go to http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon6.html -------------------------------------------------- Alfred was the fifth son of Aethelwulf, King of the West Saxons. Child's History of England by Charles Dickens ** ( CHAPTER III ) ** "I pause to think with admiration, of the noble king who, in his single person, possessed all the Saxon virtues. Whom misfortune could not subdue, whom prosperity could not spoil, whose perseverance nothing could shake. Who was hopeful in defeat, and generous in success. Who loved justice, freedom, truth, and knowledge. Who, in his care to instruct his people, probably did more to preserve the beautiful old Saxon language, than I can imagine. Without whom, the English tongue in which I tell this story might have wanted half its meaning. As it is said that his spirit still inspires some of our best English laws, so, let you and I pray that it may animate our English hearts, at least to this - to resolve, when we see any of our fellow-creatures left in ignorance, that we will do our best, while life is in us, to have them taught; and to tell those rulers whose duty it is to teach them, and who neglect their duty, that they have profited very little by all the years that have rolled away since the year nine hundred and one, and that they are far behind the bright example of KING ALFRED THE GREAT." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 224Alfred's patronage of learning meant that foreign scholars and learned regugees were welcomed at his court. Alfred translated Bede's History, and Consolatio by Orosius and Boethius into the vernacular. To provide trained administrators, he established schools for the sons of thegns (thanes) and nobles. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was started. | ||||||||||||
Last Modified 21 May 2001 | Created 23 Feb 2017 by EasyTree for Windows95 |