Historically, he is known as Alfred the Great or Ælfred Micela. Victorian writers later interpreted this as an anticipatory coronation in preparation for his eventual succession … Alfred’s rendering of the Soliloquies of the 5th-century theologian St. Augustine of Hippo, to which he added material from other works of the Fathers of the Church, discussed problems concerning faith and reason and the nature of eternal life. All his life Alfred the Great loved books. Accordingly, Edward the Elder was groomed to assume the crown. Winston Churchill observed that Alfred blended these with the Mosaic Code, the Christian principles of Celto-Brythonic Law and old Anglo-Saxo… Learn more. Among modern accounts see PAULI, Life of Alfred the Great. He directed that all young freemen of adequate means must learn to read English, and, by his own translations and those of his helpers, he made available English versions of “those books most necessary for all men to know,” books that would lead them to wisdom and virtue. He shared the contemporary view that Viking raids were a divine punishment for the people’s sins, and he attributed these to the decline of learning, for only through learning could men acquire wisdom and live in accordance with God’s will. He established the practice of translating classical works from Latin into English, set up public schools, reformed the military, and revised and expanded the law code. Alfred the Great was the youngest of five sons. But observing the rape of his land, he puts away his religious vows, to take up arms against the invaders, leading the English Christians to fight for their country. He scrutinized the administration of justice and took steps to ensure the protection of the weak from oppression by ignorant or corrupt judges. His frailty in youth and the trip to Rome are also depicted with more or less accuracy but his brothers and their accomplishments are combined and fictionalized in the character of Aethelred (played by Darren Cahill) and elements of Aethelwulf's reign and personality are also significantly altered. WRIGHT (1852); LAPPENBERG, England under the Anglo-Saxon Kings, tr. He had a fortress built at Athelney which formed a base of operations and seems to have used this to recruit men as well as to launch raids. When he was four years old, according to … He prevented England from falling to the Danes and promoted learning and literacy. In the show, his mother is Judith, Princess of Northumbria (played by English actress Jennie Jacques) who is married to Aethelwulf but becomes pregnant through an affair with the Christian monk-turned-Viking-turned-cleric, Athelstan (played by English actor George Blagden). World History Encyclopedia. It is during this period that the events related in the legends surrounding Alfred are said to have taken place. Et cela, aussi bien du côté du neuf que des produits Alfred The Great occasion. He learned Latin himself and began to translate Latin books into English in 887. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex.His father died when he was young. While Old England is being ransacked by roving Danes in the ninth century, Alfred is planning to join the priesthood. Under Alfred the Great, the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were consolidated around Wessex, the army was reorganized, a considerable fleet was built, and a number of fortresses were erected. Alfred was born in 849 and served as King of Wessex, a Saxon kingdom based in the southwest of modern day England, from 871 to his death on 26th October 899 AD. How he died is unknown, although he suffered throughout his life with a painful and unpleasant illness. Alfred's Great Music & Musicians, Bk 2: An Overview of Keyboard Composers and Literature, Book & Downloadable MP3s (Premier Piano Course, Bk 2) by Nancy Bachus , Tom Gerou , et al. The Danes refused to give battle, and peace was made. Some of his works were copied as late as the 12th century. After an unsuccessful battle at Wilton he made peace. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-king-of-Wessex, Alfred the Great - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Alfred the Great - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Seven Books of Histories Against the Pagans. He first appeared on active service in 868, when he and his brother, King Aethelred (Ethelred) I, went to help Burgred of Mercia (the kingdom between the Thames and the Humber) against a great Danish army that had landed in East Anglia in 865 and taken possession of Northumbria in 867. In order for each burh to be able to defend itself, it had to be garrisoned, and those men had to be paid, and so Alfred reformed the tax code based on the abundance of crops gathered from a person's land. The Vikings held the high ground and had already fortified their defenses when Alfred arrived on the field and found his brother the king was still at his prayers. While avoiding unnecessary changes in custom, he limited the practice of the blood feud and imposed heavy penalties for breach of oath or pledge. In 866 CE they took the city of York, and in 867 CE they killed the Northumbrian kings Osbert and Aelle and consolidated their control of the region. The Warrior Queen: The Life and Legend of Aethelflaed, Daughter of Alfred... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Alfred was not expected to become King since he had four elder brothers. In 868 CE they made constant raids throughout Mercia and by 869 CE had completely overrun East Anglia. At the age of four, his father sent him to Rome on pilgrimage, where he was confirmed in the faith by the Pope and, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, was anointed as king. Though not Alfred’s work, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, one of the greatest sources of information about Saxon England, which began to be circulated about 890, may have its origin in the intellectual interests awakened by the revival of learning under him. These formed Alfred’s ‘Deemings’ or Doom book (Book of Laws). Based on the account, Alfred the Great was described as a devout Christian. He probably received the education in military arts normal for a young man of rank. He loved books so much that he wanted all of his people to have books, and he wanted every boy (maybe every girl, too) to learn to read. But observing the rape of his land, he puts away his religious vows, to take up arms against the invaders, leading the English Christians to fight for their country. Her ear is removed, and she reveals that the father of her child is Athelstan. During his reign, he repelled the Viking invasions and laid the foundation for what became the Kingdom of England. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. He gathered together many good books and many good teachers. The supremacy of lordship was emphasized throughout as Alfred believed that the king ruled by divine will and, if he were true to his calling, would rule justly in the best interests of his people. In the 18th century CE, Alfred was regarded as the epitome of a noble king, and by the time of the Victorian Period (1837-1901 CE), he was embraced as the founder of the British Empire, father of the British Navy (although he only reformed it), and the greatest king to ever rule England. Alfred successfully defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, and by the time of his death had become the dominant ruler in England. With David Hemmings, Michael York, Prunella Ransome, Colin Blakely. In one of his endeavours, however, Alfred had little success; he tried to revive monasticism, founding a monastery and a nunnery, but there was little enthusiasm in England for the monastic life until after the revivals on the European continent in the next century. These initiatives are known as the Burghal System, in which improved roads linked a series of 33 burhs (fortified settlements) throughout his kingdom. Perhaps a scholar’s life would have contented him. Wessex was never again in such danger. Keynes and Lapidge note that Alfred's victory at London marked “the emergence among the English of a sense of common identity, under a common leader, in a common cause” (38). Le jeu couvre la période de janvier à mai 871 après J.C. lorsque le roi Aethelred (le frère d'Alfred) et le prince Alfred affrontent la puissante armée viking dirigée par les rois Halfdan et Bagsecg. Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, a defender against Viking invasion and a social reformer; just few of the reasons why he is the only English monarch to be known as “the Great”. The Vikings massacred much of the populace, but Alfred escaped with his family and a few men and went into exile. He has taught history, writing, literature, and philosophy at the college level. Corrections? Although a history, it reads like a novel. I hope you enjoy the video! Alfred, however, destroyed all of the crops surrounding the Viking defenses, killed all the men found outside, and took the cattle. Cite This Work Those are both extreme oversimplifications. Hence, in the lull from attack between 878 and 885, he invited scholars to his court from Mercia, Wales, and the European continent. His daughter Aethelflaed of Mercia would continue his war with the Vikings as well as his educational reforms and Burghal System along with her brother Edward of Wessex, who had succeeded Alfred. He prevented England from falling to the Danes and promoted learning and literacy. Latin, could be read and spoken only by church officials and understood by a mere handful of Wessex clergy. He is known as a merciful and learned man who laid emphasis on education. Compilation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle began during his reign, circa 890. He was the first monarch from the British Isles to style himself as 'King of the Anglo-Saxons' and so he is sometimes considered the first English king. Posted on November 14, 2018 Categories Christian Prayer, Prayers of the Middle Ages (Potts) Tags 9th Century, alfred the great Leave a comment on An Acknowledgment of God’s Supremacy For Strength and Guidance. Updates? Alfred rallied his forces and blockaded the Viking fleet at Devon, forcing them to withdraw to Mercia but, by 877 CE, the Vikings were back at the borders and, in early 878 CE, they took Chippenham. Asser comments how “the Christians were aroused by the grief and shame of this, and four days later, with all their might and in a determined frame of mind, they advanced against the Viking army at a place called Ashdown” (Asser, 37, Keynes & Lapidge, 78). By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. This translation deserves to be studied in its own right, as does his rendering of Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy. She was buried in the Old Minster next to Alfred. Later he had larger ships built to his own design for use against the coastal raids that continued even after 896. 17 talking about this. Alfred was born in the village of Wanating, now Wantage, Oxfordshire. Alfred's Burghal System seems to have been adapted from the Carolingian precepts. His success in quelling the attacks was largely due to his superlative defensive strategy. Alfred's terms were lenient: Guthrum and 30 of his chieftains would submit to Christian baptism and renounce their pagan faith, hostages would be provided to ensure compliance, and the Vikings would leave Wessex; all of these conditions were met. Ealhswith survived Alfred by three years and died on December 5, 902. It is spellbinding. In the early 880's Alfred had gained control of Mercia, but the Vikings had settled the region from Northumbria known as the Danelaw and still made incursions into other regions. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. He is the best-known Anglo-Saxon king in British history thanks to his biographer Asser (died c. 909 CE) and that work's impact on later writers. In both works, additions include parallels from contemporary conditions, sometimes revealing his views on the social order and the duties of kingship. World History Encyclopedia, 24 Apr 2018. (Asser, 53, Keynes & Lapidge, 83). King Alfred of Wessex (r.871-99) is probably the best known of all Anglo-Saxon rulers, even if the first thing to come into many peoples minds in connection with him is something to do with burnt confectionery. Athelwulf, Alfred’s father, had married his daughter, Aethelswith, to the Mercian ruler, “King Burgred in 853, and Alfred, later king of Wessex, married Ealhswith, daughter of the Mercian nobleman Aethelred Mucel, in 868 (Higham, 240).” Alfred, however, took the alliance with Mercia past the bounds of familiarity and overlordship. Alfred is featured in the TV series Vikings where he is played by Irish actor Ferdia Walsh-Peelo. King Alfred the Great was born in 849, the 5th son of King Aethelwulf of Wessex and Osburh at Wantage, Berkshire. Alfred the Great’s most enduring work was his legal Code, reconciling the long established laws of the Christian kingdoms of Kent, Mercia and Wessex. For Alfred's writings see BOSWORTH, The Works of Alfred the Great (Jubilee edition, 1858, 2 vols.). And not without good reason. The 10th century Welsh scholar and bishop Asser described the life of Alfred the Great. A second trip to Rome two years later with his father and Alfred in! 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