Cultural Focus: King Alfred the Great

Alfred, who is the only English King named "Great", was the youngest son of King Ethelwulf of Wessex. When he was a little child, men and women around him were constantly talking about the Danish raids and invaders. During the short reigns of Alfred's two elder brothers nothing was heard of him. His public life began with the accession of a third brother, Ethelred in 866. For more than ten years of his reign Alfred was side by side with elder brother in public and on the field of battle.

Alfred succeeded his brother in 871, at the time of national crisis. The Danes, who had before come in scattered groups, now came in big numbers, determined to conquer and occupy England. That year of Alfred's reign was called "Alfred's year of battles", when young Alfred with his army showed the resistance to the Danes. The Danes, who used lightning-speed attack, won some decisive battles, and pushed Alfred to the island of Athelney, where he took refuge.

On Athelney Alfred gathered a bigger army, trained it to imitate the enemy's strategy and tactics and rearmed it. Finally he dressed up as minstrel and spent a week in the enemy's camp, spying and taking careful note of the Danes' defenses. These preparations showed the result — in 879, a peace treaty was signed to divide the country into the Danelaw and England proper. Now Alfred saw the defects in the English defensive system. So he built a fleet of ships, which were longer, higher and faster than Danish ships — all the ships were built according to the King's own designs. Alfred also fortified the country with a net of permanent fortifications; he created peasant militia, who could defend their villages and liides. All these arrangements allowed the English to live and work in peace.

Together with military achievements Alfred took great care of other state matters — he revived a practice of law giving and in 890, the first code of England's Common Law, "Truth", was complied. These laws, based upon earlier Anglo-Saxon codes, helped to stabilise the society that was badly shaken by Danish raids.

Next Alfred's task was revival of learning — for establishing court school he imported scholars from various parts of Britain and from the Continent. Alfred's main wish was to disseminate the elements of learning all over England.

Alfred himself helped to translate important books of the time from Latin into English and disseminate them in the country. Among others, he translated "Ecclesiastical History of the English People" which the Venerable Bede had written in Latin. He also tried to collect and arrange earlier facts of the English race into the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle", which became a source of information for many later historians. The Chronicle was continued for 250 years after the death of King Alfred.

Task 11. All these word combinations are often used to characterise Alfred the Great. Explain why he is called so and choose the variant, which, to your opinion, characterises this great King best of all. Prove your choice:

• the founder of the English fleet;

• the King who burnt cakes in a woman's cottage;

• the King, who stopped the Danes;

• the first English translator from Latin;

• many-sided genius.