Published on jun 5, 2014 alfred the great is said to be the founder of what would become the english monarchy. Alfred, also spelled aelfred, byname alfred the great, born 849died 899, king of wessex 871899, a saxon kingdom in southwestern england. Alfred the great was the first king of the anglosaxons and one of only two english rulers to have been given the epithet the great. King alfred biography and achievements king alfred the great 849899 ad alfred was king of wessex from 871899.
This particular variant chronicles the events alfred the great, king of wessex, experienced during the viking invasions of the ninth century. Jun 05, 2014 alfred the great is said to be the founder of what would become the english monarchy. Compared with, say, julius caesar or with alfred s nearcontemporary charlemagne, king alfred was hardly great. Alfred the great simple english wikipedia, the free.
King alfred s monument, athelney island, somerset, england the viking king guthrum ruled the danelaw northern england and parts of mercia and northumbria in the lateninth century. He is the only english monarch to be accorded the epithet the great. These books covered history, geography, philosophy and gregory the greats pastoral care a handbook for bishops, and copies of these books were sent to all the bishops of the kingdom. Having great in his name should give you a hint that he was important to their history. Her mother was eadburh, a member of the mercian royal family, and according to the historian cyril hart she was a descendant of king coenwulf of mercia. Kurtz 1 called king alfred the greatest and noblest of all the monarchs england has ever had. He was the elder son of alfred the great and his wife ealhswith. It was not a title given by political supporters, not the sycophantic gift of an official biographer, nor a selfstyled title.
Du garde peach, with superb illustrations by john kenney was first published they bring history alive for children, and are filled with fascinating information. For in prosperity a man is often puffed up with pride, whereas tribulations chasten and humble him through suffering and sorrow. It was late in the year 871 when the 23yearold alfred, newlyappointed king of the last free saxon kingdom in britain, sat down for peace talks with two sons of ragnar lothbrok and other leaders of the great heathen army. Although written by monks, the anglosaxon chronicle is relatively unbiased in its portrayal of events. Life of alfred the great audio book by asser, bishop of sherborne, translated by j. The only variation is that the second commandment is omitted from its rightful place.
Alfred was born at wantage in oxfordshire in 849, fourth or fifth son of aethelwulf, king of the west saxons. Warrior, lawgiver, and scholar, alfred the great was an extraordinarily gifted and highly successful king, pushing back the vikings to preserve what is now thought of as the heart of england. Filled with drama and action, here is the story of the ninthcentury life and times of alfredwarrior, conqueror, lawmaker, scholar, and the only king whom england has ever called the great. The other kingdoms in england mercia, northumbria and east anglia and all been occupied and taken by the danes, or if you prefer, the vikings. Alfred is the only english king ever to be called great. Adam tells the story of king alfred the great from our book history through stories.
Alfred, king of wessex 871899, a saxon kingdom in southwestern england. King alfred the great, viking fighter and father of. He was called king of the english, the first to take that title. Every man had to save himself in the best way he could. Alfred the great 849899 was the most famous of the anglosaxon kings.
We will explore alfred s life, the anglo saxon and viking background, and the wars alfred won to establish his. A life of king alfred of england originally composed in latin, possibly sometime around 888 a. Oct 25, 2018 king alfred, exhausted and lost in the woods after beating the danes in a vicious pitched battle, stumbles, bedraggled, upon a herdsmans hut. Kurtz1 called king alfred the greatest and noblest of all the monarchs england has ever had. Following the wishes of their father, the sons succeeded to the kingship in turn. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Mar 21, 2016 king alfreds book of dooms judgments alfreds book of dooms judgments 2009 american law was established upon english common law. Alfred the great 849 ad 899 ad alfred the great king of the southern anglosaxon kingdom of wessex and one of the outstanding figures of english history, as much for his social and. This book provides a chronological examination of the muchdisputed medieval biography of king alfred, attributed to the king s tutor, asser. Bishop asser tells the story of how, as a child, alfred won a book of saxon poems, offered as a prize by his mother to the first of her children able to. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This is a remarkable and rich book on aethelflaed, daughter and eldest child of king alfred, and which in many respects adapted his policies in mercia, first.
Historical fiction on alfred the great fuzzy history. An educated and cultured man, he fought viking invaders to secure greater security and a sense of identity for anglosaxon england. The book, alfred the great, contains an introduction that explains the details of alfred s life. While discussing it, a question about the historical accuracy of the characterization of king alfred came up. Theres not a lot of biographies about alfred the great, at least for ereaders. The statue of king alfred the great, high up on king alfred s tower, somerset. In his early reign, he was defeated by the vikings and forced to escape into the marshes of somerset. Alfred was patron of the anglosaxon chronicle which was copied and supplemented up to 1154. Page 376 i have carefully and regularly perused these holy scriptures, and am of opinion, that the volume, independently of its divine origin, contains more.
Memorial to athelney island, home of alfred the great. Bernard cornwells the last kingdom was book of the month in july. Compilation of the anglosaxon chronicle began during his reign, circa 890. It may be that alfreds family had low expectations of him as a warriorking as he was more given to books than action and was often ill as a young.
Life of alfred the great by asser, bishop of sherborne. With preliminary essays, illustrative of the history, arts, and manners, of the ninth century. King alfreds book of dooms judgments from the trenches. In the midst of prosperity the mind is elated, and in prosperity a man forgets himself. What made alfred great was what he did for english culture and the rule of law. Our understanding of the literary achievements of king alfred depend very much upon what we believe about his early education. Lee in 1892, the famous german church historian rev. His father died when he was young and three of alfreds brothers. He may have earned this title in part by defending his kingdom against the vikings and for his efforts in improving education. Why was alfred the great one of only two kings named. After ascending the throne, alfred spent several years fighting viking invasions. It would be great if you could support this project by purchasing a copy. Alfred, also spelled aelfred, byname alfred the great, born 849died 899. Despite overwhelming odds he successfully defended his kingdom, wessex, against the vikings.
This is a remarkable and rich book on aethelflaed, daughter and eldest child of king alfred, and which in many respects adapted his policies in mercia, first together with her husband andor in his name and then on her own for seven years and up to ad 918, following her husbands death. Alfred the great was king of wessex from 871 till his death in 899, and without him there would never have been an england. Ealhswith or ealswitha died 5 december 902 was the wife of king alfred the great. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. This book provides a reassessment of the famous ruler of wessex, informed by current scholarship, both on the king as a man in history, and the king as a subsequent legendary construct. We will explore alfreds life, the anglo saxon and viking background, and the wars. From the evidence available, it is, however, difficult to define the location of king alfred s tower as east of, or in the eastern part of, selwood, which is required to fit the description given by asser and the anglosaxon chronicles. There is this jewel, however, that reads like a novel, partly because he had such an interesting and meaningful life. King alfred david horspool harvard university press. Soldier, statesman and scholar, alfred the great is celebrated as one of britains most successful and heroic kings.
The huntsmans wife invites him in, and not recognising him, just assumes he is merely a soldier of wessex, not the king. At last, after a great battle, the english army was broken up and scattered. There are numerous lovely villages in oxfordshire, and this is certainly one of them. There were many famous anglosaxon kings, but the most famous of all was alfred, one of the only kings in british history to be called great. Its packed full of source material enough to get the curious. The lawcode of king alfred the great 871 99 is one of the largest and most ambitious legislative enactments to survive from anglosaxon england. In this biography, professor smyth explores the life of a remarkable man. King alfred the great hardcover 16 nov 1995 by alfred p.
The research is thorough and clearly underpins the book, but it is worn so lightly that the reader is never made to feel lectured in a tiresome way. The medieval life of king alfred the great a translation and. He was the first monarch from the british isles to style himself as king of the anglosaxons and so he is sometimes considered the first english king. King alfreds code, or alfreds dooms as it was called, begins with an almost literal transcript of the decalogue. Yet his historic vision for his people, personal courage, spiritual devotion, and treatment of his enemies, offer profound wisdom for political leaders of any age including our own. The doom book, domboc, code of alfred or legal code of. He prevented england from falling to the danes and promoted learning and literacy. Alfred the great is a wonderful book about the late ninth century king who saved wessex the last standing anglosaxon kingdom in britain from viking rule. It is also the source of most of contemporary historians knowledge of alfred s life and rule. Even the books title is erroneous, as alfred was not king of england, he was king of wessex. King alfred the lato sir walter besants little book on. Many stories were written about alfred that showed his smarts and humanness. The book evokes the time in which alfred lived, and the roles that he played in.
He also introduced wideranging reforms including defence measures, reform of the law and of coinage. Synopsis alfred is the only english king ever to be called great. According to screenrant, the last kingdom is set in ninthcentury england when alfred the great was king and in the show, alfred is based on him. Jun 29, 2006 because he was a great military leader. Dont buy this unless youre genuinely and deeply interested in king alfred the great. Lee, australia i n 1892, the famous german church historian rev.
Very well written book about alfred the great, a remarkable medieval king. Alfred the great for children king alfred ks2 homework help. The reading list below comes out of a discussion in the historical fiction forum at. Buy king alfred the great 1st edition by smyth, alfred p. Asser is most famous for his the life of king alfred, written in 893, which is one of the first biographies of a ruler in english history. It has been speculated that this is where alfred married continue reading sutton courtenay.
He then set his sights on the anglosaxon kingdom of wessex, ruled by alfred the great. King alfred biography and achievements biography online. Alfred successfully defended his kingdom against the viking attempt at conquest, and by his death had become the dominant ruler in england. Soldier, statesman, and scholar, alfred the great was a fascinating and highly successful king, pushing back the vikings to command what is now thought of as the heart of england as ruler of wessex from 871899. The most famous king of the anglosaxons was alfred the great. She kindly offers him rest and nourishment, as she has just put some cakes in. This is a great book to get hold of if you are interested in the anglosaxons or early medieval history. King alfred the lato sir walter besants little book on the. Alfred p smyth warrior, lawgiver, and scholar, alfred the great was an extraordinarily gifted and highly successful king, pushing back the vikings to preserve what is now thought of as the heart of england. Alfred the great for children king alfred ks2 homework. It came to be known as sea domboc the law or judgement book, and was cited using that appellation in the lawcodes of alfred s tenthcentury successors. For young alfred, it would be impossible not to feel intimidated by the situation. The main sources for investigating king alfred are the anglosaxon chronicles and the life of king alfred, written by probably asser.
King alfred fled alone, in great haste, through the woods and swamps. Barbara yorke considers the reputation of king alfred the great, and the. This biography of king alfred the great is endlessly enjoyable, thrilling and excellently researched. Sep 19, 2019 it seems that king alfred retained the upper hand in both london and western mercia. Alfred was patron of the anglosaxon chronicle which was copied and supplemented up. Growing up he never knew a time when his world wasnt being ravaged by vikings, who regularly took slaves and destroyed everything in their wake. King alfred the great, a ladybird, adventure from history book, by l. Alfred laid the foundations of a united e this is the most underresearched and offtopic history book ive read to date. The book evokes the time in which alfred lived, and the roles that he played in shaping the future of what was to become england. The context is wonderfully presented, making it a joy to read throughout. The author provides a detailed examination of the muchdisputed medieval biography of king alfred, attributed to the king s tutor, asser. Feb 21, 2018 adam tells the story of king alfred the great from our book history through stories.
He reigned between ad925 and ad939 and was the very first king of all england. King alfred was a late 8th century anglosaxon king, he wasnt king of england, because england was not yet joined into one united cohesive country, alfred was king of wessex. He fought against the viking invaders and he oversaw a revival of learning and writing in old english. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. He was a particularly wily military commander, successfully keeping the danes at bay, and he wisely shored up defenses when the enemies of his kingdom were occupied elsewhere. He was very tired and hungry, and he begged the woodcutters wife to give him something to eat and a place to sleep in her hut. Alfred was extraordinary for an early medieval king in several respects.
He did prevent danish invaders from overrunning england, but that alone isnt what made him great. Assers life of king alfred, written in 893, is a revealing account of one of the greatest of medieval kings. Arthur wallower a biography of the ninth century english king who saved his country from raiding northmen, and led a revival of literature and learning. I have contrasted the appropriate selections of mosaic law with king alfreds book of dooms. Alfred is the only english king honoured with this name and is credited with various successes the. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. He is the bestknown anglo saxon king in british history thanks to his biographer asser died c. In ad897 king alfreds navy was put to the test, when a fleet of danish boats sailed up the solent. King alfred the great alfred the great 849 26 october 899 was king of wessex from 871 to 899. Burnt cakes and other legends is one of the best texts on alfred the great available and a careful demonstration of how histories should be done. King alfred the great 849899 ad alfred was king of wessex from 871899.
He won a decisive victory in the battle of edington in 878 and made an agreement with the vikings, creating what was known. It was excellently written, although i must say, incredibly boring as well. King alfred in a stained glass window in st andrews church, aller, somerset. The danes were eventually defeated and those captured taken to winchester where alfred had them hung as pirates. The following excerpts are from alfred the great who proclaims the law of moses as the foundation of anglo saxon law and administration. Sep 04, 2009 alfred, renowned saxon lawgiver and administration place divine origin in the forefront of saxon law.
King alfred the lato sir walter besants little book on the great founder of the english realm. Alfred s ships sailed out to confront them and a major battle ensued with great losses on both sides. Alfred the great is a rare historical figure from the early middle ages, in that he retains a popular image. King alfreds book of dooms judgments alfred the great 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. If we are content to accept the stories of asser, the famous biographer of alfred, that he reached his twelfth birthday before he learned to read keynes 75, then we must reckon his literary career. King alfred the great and our common law the ensign. King alfred the great and our common law the ensign message. Justin pollards enthralling, authoritative account befits alfred a. It may be hard to understand how something can be interesting yet boring, but trust me, it is.
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