Who was Alfred the Great, and why is his reputation too exaggerated?
Alfred the Great was an anglo Saxon whose ancestors invaded Britain in 450 AD. His Ancestors founded Wessex south of England. He was the fifth son, so he wasn’t expected to take the throne.
He was born around 871 and was a sickly child. He trained in military combat and went to war on different occasions. He also loved learning and was a devout Catholic. He admired Charlemagne because he started the Carolingian Renaissance.
Alfred is an interesting character in history because nearly everyone has heard of this man before in Britain. He is like a national celebrity that is never forgotten. Even though there are countless of Anglo Saxon kings whose feats are more impressive than that of this man, he is well known more than others.
Vikings in Britain
Alfred greatest endeavour was his war with bloodthirsty Vikings. The kingdoms of Britain had paid the Vikings so they would stop raiding and return to their lands. However, when the Vikings came back, they came to conquer and settle. Later on, out of the four kingdoms, only one was left intact and that was Wessex.
Wessex was attacked in 871 just like the other kingdoms however Alfred now king after his last brother died, made peace with them by paying them Danegeld. The Viking did not attack for over 5 years because Alfred improved the defence of his kingdom.
A King with no Kingdom
A Viking army led by Guthrum (Alfred greatest rival at that time) invaded Wessex only to fail and return to his base. However a year later he attacked Chippenham (Alfred’s palace) by surprise. Alfred managed to survive. Nonetheless, Wessex was conquered and Alfred had to retreat to the Somerset marshes. There he planned, raided and murdered all the anglo-Saxon nobles who sided with the Vikings. This type of guerrilla warfare was similar to the Vikings and sparked fear among the nobles and the Vikings.
This inspired Anglo-Saxons who hated the Vikings to rally under Alfred’s banner. With this, he assembled an army that defeated the Vikings and made their leader Guthrum a catholic. Guthrum would later become king of East Anglia and supported Alfred as his Viking aid.
Great Administrator
Alfred was a great scholar who saw a decline in learning across Britain so he brought scholars and monks from all around Europe to his court. Encouraging them to write and copy important historical texts that may be helpful in the future. He was mostly inspired by the Carolingian renaissance which took place in his era. He allowed a welsh monk by the name Asser to write a biography about him. This was the main reason we know so much about him.
He was also an astonishing administrator, who was able to stabilise his kingdom in a time of turmoil. His made sure his thanes (nobles) were taxed properly, he also made sure it was easier to raise soldiers for war and he made laws which protected the main public (peasants) from unfair charges against them. He rebuilt the old navy to make sure that Wessex was ready for another invasion. He also built a defensive system known as the borough which were fortified towns around the kingdom which made it hard for the Vikings to conquer Wessex.
Is He really a Great King?
A lot of historians has debated whether or not Alfred deserves his title as ‘ The Great’ something only he officially possesses in the entire history of Britain. Yes, he managed to keep his kingdom from being overrun by the Vikings however his situation could be considered as lucky.
Most of the Viking invasions were focused on the eastern part of England. Guthrum’s army was also a small division of the main Viking army and the reinforcement that was meant to provide support never came.
He was also able to raise an army easily because the Vikings were unpopular and there was a strong sense of loyalty between the Anglo-Saxons.
There was a massive amount of luck behind Alfred’s story and people tend to believe he achieved all his feats without having the advantage.
The biography written by Asser is also quite unreliable because he was an admirer of Alfred so he might have missed some parts on purpose and try to make Alfred greater than he is. The only reason he was able to gain such recognition from historians is also due to his biography. In other words, if other Anglo-Saxon kings had a biography he would only be seen as a good king, not a great one. Don’t get me wrong Alfred was one of a kind genius who accomplished great things however without luck neither Wessex or him would have survived.
Thanks for reading My Article on King Alfred the Great and the link below takes you to my article about Charlemagne.
https://medium.com/@fsdamilaresaliufs/charlemagne-great-emperor-or-tyrant-7d71d510af00
