Transcript of Alfred the Great THE ANGLO-SAXONS CHILDHOOD Alfred (849-99), king of Wessex (871-99). A popular...
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- Alfred the Great THE ANGLO-SAXONS
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- CHILDHOOD Alfred (849-99), king of Wessex (871-99). A popular
image of Alfred is of national superman; destined by his father's
(thelwulf) will to be king, despite having three surviving older
brothers (thelbald, thelbert, and thelred I); saviour of the
English from the Vikings; architect of a united England; founder of
the navy, reformer of the army, town-planner; patron of the church;
promoter of universal education and father of English prose;
saintly, and easy to know. father
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- The quality of his own writings suggests that he had a sound
education in Latin. He assisted thelred against the great army
which invaded in 865, and his accession in 871 was most likely not
a certainty. The 870s saw continuing war against the Danes, who
were numerous, skilled, treacherous, well led, wanting conquest and
settlement. In 878, surprised by Guthrum at Chippenham, Alfred fled
to Athelney (Somerset), but defeated the Danes in a desperate
last-stand battle at Edington. The results were the treaty of
Wedmore, Guthrum's baptism and retirement to be king of East
Anglia.
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- The West Saxon dynasty was the only one to survive the Viking
threat and Alfred gained authority over all the English outside
Danish control. Mercia (under Burgred) had been an ally, and was
handled tactfully. Alfred married his daughter thelfleda to
Ealdorman thelred, probably of Mercian royal stock, allowed him to
operate as subking, and ceded London after its recapture from the
Danes (886).
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- Alfred's government was expensive. It is probable that he
bought peace with heavy payments to the Danes, for example in 896.
Wealth was necessary to ensure aristocratic support, for building,
against Vikings, and also against dynastic rivals. Alfred's nephews
thelhelm and thelwold challenged his disposition of thelred's
property before the witan and could be expected to challenge his
son Edward for the kingship. Asser asserts that Alfred spent
lavishly on art, architecture, alms, and gifts to the church. His
coinage shows he was not short of silver, and his will that he was
hugely wealthy in 899.
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- Alfred's relationship with the church seems superficially
harmonious. Ninth- cent. West Saxon kings seem not to have
pressured the church economically: the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
records Alfred sending alms to Rome, and receiving gifts from Pope
Marinus, and Asser recounts his foundation of monasteries at
Athelney and Shaftesbury (for women). Yet evidence from Abingdon
suggests Alfred was resented there as a despoiler, other evidence
that he appropriated monastic properties right across Wessex, and
it is as a threat to the church that he appears in a papal letter
in 878.
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- ALFRED'S LAW CODE REFERRED TO THE LAWS OF THELBERT OF KENT AND
OFFA OF MERCIA, AND INCLUDED INE'S, PERHAPS TO APPEAL TO KENTISH
AND MERCIAN SENTIMENT The code's purpose was to promote the king as
lawgiver, rather than to serve as a handbook, and Alfred's preface
offers a history of law beginning with the Ten Commandments,
suggesting that his people were a new people of God. The Chronicle
was perhaps composed in 896-7 under Alfred's direction, its content
and structure suggesting that it was commissioned to tie Alfred
into West Saxon history and Wessex into world history
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- Alfred proposed, in his prose preface to his translation of
Pope Gregory I's Pastoral Rule, a programme of translation of books
most necessary for all men to know. He complained that clerical
knowledge of Latin and educational standards generally had greatly
declined. Alfred also translated two contemplative works, Boethius'
Consolation of Philosophy and Augustine's Soliloquies, and a number
of psalms.
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- The West Saxon take-over of England, 10th-century economic
development, the burghs as sites of mints and centres of
administration, can all be traced back to Alfred. Though vernacular
literature failed to take off, the education of bishops may have
contributed to the 10th-century reform movement since its leaders
were bishops. Alfred's legal innovations may have laid a foundation
for the English common law of Henry II's time.
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- Timeline for King Alfred the Great 871 Alfred becomes King of
Wessex following the death of his brother Aethelred 872 London
falls to Viking raiders 878 Guthrum's Danish army invades Wessex,
and Alfred takes refuge on the isle of Athelney. 878 Treaty of
Wedmore divides England into two. 884 Alfred defeats the Danes at
Rochester 885 Alfred imposes rules on South Wales 886 Alfred takes
London from the Danes. 890 Alfred establishes a permanent army and
navy 891 Anglo Saxon Chronicle, source of much early British
History, begun 893 Asser, Bishop of Sherborne, completes his book
The Life of Alfred the Great 894 Northumbrian and East Angles swear
allegiance to Alfred, but promptly break the truce 899 Alfred dies
and is buried at Winchester. His son Edward becomes king.
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- King Alfred, named "Great", died in Winchester on October 26,
899. He was succeeded by his son Edward the Elder.