What makes King Alfred the Great one of thegreatest rulers of English History?
By Henri Robben
What makes King Alfred the Great one of the
greatest rulers of English History?
King Alfred the Great can, in many ways, be considered one of the greatest rulers of England. His defeat of the Danes, unification of England, many successful reforms and insistence upon the restoration of ecclesiastical culture are the result of his superior leadership and command. The epithet, "The Great," attached to his name by writers of the sixteenth century and given to no other English king is another reflection of the kind of ruler he was.1 A twelfth century writer notes the prestige that was given to Alfred when he wrote, He reigned for twenty and eight years; there are few such men living: for he was wise and a good warrior; he knew well how to curb his enemies; there was not a better scholar than he, for he had learned in his infancy. He caused an English book to be written of deeds, and laws, of battles in the land, and of the kings who made war; and he caused many books to be written, which the learned men often went to read. May God and the kind lady Saint Mary have mercy on his soul!2
Born the fourth son of King Ethelwulf and his wife, Osburgh in 849 AD at Wantage in Berkshire, Alfred was brought up in a time of constant war. The various kingdoms of England had been at war for a long time. England had previously consisted of seven kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex. At the time of Alfred's birth, England was made up of four separate kingdoms, Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia and Wessex. Alfred's grandfather, King Egbert, had conquered Kent, Sussex and Wessex, expanding the territory of Wessex.3 Alfred's family was one who was involved in politics and war for quite some time. King Alfred was involved in his kingdom from a very early age. In 853 he played his first role in politics and diplomacy. At the age of four, Alfred was sent to Rome by his father to represent him at a papal court. Even at such a young age, Alfred was taking part in the politics of his country. At four years old Alfred took part in a legal ceremony at his father's court and at age five he was a witness to a series of charters given to churches by his father.4 Alfred took part in many of the political activities in his father's court. Because of Alfred's active role in the diplomacy of his father's kingdom, he had a different education than one would expect a future king to have. He spent his youth taking part in his father's court and hunting. Through his hunting, he learned the land of his father's kingdom, which would become an advantage against the Viking invaders during his reign.5 Alfred did not have a literate education as a young boy. He remained illiterate in Anglo-Saxon until his teen years and in Latin until much later in his life.6 However, his literacy made no difference in his ability to lead a country against attack. As the fourth son of a king, it is quite an oddity that Alfred took the throne in 871. However, with the deaths of all of his brothers, Alfred was able to lead his kingdom to victory over the Vikings. At a battle in 878 against the Viking leader Guthrum Alfred was able to defeat the Vikings at Athelney. The result of this victory was Alfred's insistence that Guthrum accept Christianity and leave Wessex forever. Alfred's pressing Guthrum acceptance to convert to Christianity was the beginning of the Christianization of the entire Viking culture. Also among Alfred's greatest achievements were his military reforms which aided him in defeating the Viking invaders. These reforms included the institution of a navy, a change in the army and the building of fortified burghs. As a brilliant military leader, Alfred was able to be the first to unify England under one king.
