The Scourge of Britannia – King Alfred’s Defense
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Transcript of The Scourge of Britannia – King Alfred’s Defense
THE SCOURGE OF BRITANNIA – KING ALFRED’S
DEFENSEShaun Pour
King Alfred Born 849 A.D. Had several brothers and
sisters Was not in line for the
throne All but one of his brothers
died childless The last of his brothers
had 2 children but they were both children and it was a time of war
Defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington
Kingdom of Wessex Consisted of most
of the southern coast of England
Only Anglo-Saxon Kingdom not conquered by the Vikings
Asser’s Life of King Alfred Welsh Priest who
served in Alfred’s court
Views Alfred’s victory over the vikings as “the will of God”
Eleanor Duckett Claims Alfred won
because his men were more determined
Does not support Asser’s “will of God” argument despite using him as a source
Michael Carr Discusses how the
Vikings would constantly make agreements and then violate them
Alfred was forced to flee his kingdom after a surprise attack
Speculates about the reasons why Alfred kept his people’s loyalty
Alfred P. Smyth Alfred’s victory was
due to a combination of factors
Utilization of Guerilla Warfare
Learned from past mistakes in fighting the vikings
Robin Fleming Discussed the start
of the Viking raids in England and how they increased in frequency.
Alfred’s victory was because he confiscated land from the church to give to his subjects
Katherine Holman Discusses various
pieces of archaeologic evidence about the Vikings
Alfred’s victory believed to be because of an internal dispute within Viking ranks.
Early War with the Vikings A mixture of victory and defeat Loss of troops and morale forced Alfred to
sue for peace in May 871. The Vikings broke their word and
resumed the war in 876. A surprise attack by the Vikings on
Alfred’s residence forced him to flee to the marshes of Somerset.
Victory against the Vikings Rallied his troops
and led a successful guerilla movement against the Vikings.
Won a decisive victory against the Vikings at Edington, forcing them to cede territory and their leader to convert to Christianity.
After Edington Alfred built forts called Burhs all across
Wessex in order to halt the Vikings attempted raids and any future invasions.
Reorganized the army – half the army on active duty and half at home to farm.
Confiscated land from the church to give to nobles in exchange for loyalty and to build his Burhs and other defenses.
Military Reorganization
Sources Asser’s History of King Alfred Alfred the Great – A King and His England
(Duckett) Alfred the Great Strikes Back (Carr) Monastic Lands and England’s Defense
(Fleming) King Alfred the Great (Smyth) The Northern Conquest – Vikings in
Britain and Ireland (Holman)