General Notes

RELI Sources: Microsoft Encarta 1994 ed.He is one of the outstanding figures of English history. On thedeath of his brother Æthelred Alfred became king, coming to thethrone during a Danish invasion.
Although he succeeded in makingpeace with the Danes, they resumed their marauding expeditionsfive years later, and by early 878 they were successful almosteverywhere. About Easter of 878, however,
Alfred establishedhimself at Athelney and began assembling an army. In the middleof that year he defeated the Danes and captured theirstronghold, probably at present-day Edington. During
thefollowing 14 years Alfred was able to devote himself to theinternal affairs of his kingdom. By 886 he had captured the cityof London, and soon afterward he was recognized as the king ofall
England. In 893 the Danes invaded England again, and thefollowing four years were marked by warfare; eventually, theDanes were forced to withdraw from Alfred's domain. The onlyruler to resist Danish
invasions successfully, Alfred made hiskingdom the rallying point for all Saxons, thus laying thefoundation for the unification of England. Alfred was a patronof learning and did much for the
education of his people. Hebegan a court school and invited British and foreign scholars,notably the Welsh monk Asser (flourished 885-909) and theIrish-born philosopher and theologian John Scotus
Erigena, tocome there. Alfred translated such works as The Consolation ofPhilosophy by the Roman statesman and philosopher Boethius, TheHistory of the World by the Spanish priest Paulus Orosius
(circa385-420), and Pastoral Care by Pope Gregory I. Alfred's laws,the first promulgated in more than a century, were the firstthat made no distinction between the English and the
Welshpeoples.


"Alfred," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99.  1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.:  
     Alfred, called The Great (849-899), king of the West Saxons (871-899), and one of the outstanding figures of English history. Born in Wantage in southern England, Alfred was the youngest of five sons of King Ethelwulf. On the death of his brother Ethelred Alfred became king, coming to the throne during a Danish invasion. Although he succeeded in making peace with the Danes, they resumed their marauding expeditions five years later, and by early 878 they were successful almost everywhere. About Easter of 878, however, Alfred established himself at Athelney and began assembling an army. In the middle of that year he defeated the Danes and captured their stronghold, probably at present-day Edington. During the following 14 years Alfred was able to devote himself to the internal affairs of his kingdom. By 886 he had captured the city of London, and soon afterward he was recognized as the king of all England.
In 893 the Danes invaded England again, and the following four years were marked by warfare; eventually, the Danes were forced to withdraw from Alfred's domain. The only ruler to resist Danish invasions successfully, Alfred made his kingdom the rallying point for all Saxons, thus laying the foundation for the unification of England.
Alfred was a patron of learning and did much for the education of his people. He began a court school and invited British and foreign scholars, notably the Welsh monk Asser and the Irish-born philosopher and theologian John Scotus Erigena, to come there. Alfred translated such works as The Consolation of Philosophy by the Roman statesman and philosopher Boethius, The History of the World by the Spanish priest Paulus Orosius, and Pastoral Care by Pope Gregory I. Alfred's laws, the first promulgated in more than a century, were the first that made no distinction between the English and the Welsh peoples.



"Alfred," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99.  1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

B2a:King Alfred and the Danes Egbert's grandson, Alfred, became king of Wessex in one of England's darkest hours. The Danes, part of the Viking forces that had begun to raid the English coasts in the late 8th century, had given up their primary goal of plunder and were now set on conquering England. Wessex and Alfred were all that stood in their way. Alfred at first had to buy a respite, but after his victory at Edington in 878 he forced the Danish king Guthrum to accept baptism and a division of England into two parts, Wessex and what historians later called the Danelaw (Essex, East Anglia, and Northumbria). By creating an English navy, by reorganizing the Anglo-Saxon fyrd, or militia, allowing his warriors to alternate between farming and fighting, and by building strategic forts, Alfred captured London and began to roll back the Danish tide.



"England," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99.  1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

B2b: Alfred's Legacy: Alfred also gave his attention to good government, issuing a set of dooms, or laws, and to scholarship, which had declined in the years since Bede and Alcuin. He promoted, and assisted in, the translation of Latin works into Old English and encouraged the compilation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. For his many accomplishments, Alfred was called The Great, the only English king so acclaimed.
The conquest of the Danelaw was completed by Alfred's son, Edward the Elder, and by his grandson Athelstan, who won a great victory at Brunanburh in 937. Most of the remainder of the century was peaceful. In this atmosphere, Saint Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury from 960 to 988, was able to restore the English church to health and prosperity.

"England," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99.  1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.