Alfred also built the first navy of England. He designed ships that were better than the Viking’s ships and therefore established a supreme force at sea. This new navy created by King Alfred took away the Vikings’ biggest asset in their invasions. His reorganization of both his army and his navy helped him to accomplish his first goal: having men of war.
To ensure unity, King Alfred also punished non-Christians for beliefs in pagan gods and made it a priority to bring Christianity to the Vikings. Religious unity was as important to King Alfred as political unity. He founded two monasteries in Athelney and Shatesbury while helping the church recover from the Viking raids in the early 9th century. By restoring the church and making everyone the same religion, King Alfred successfully united his people and accomplished his second goal: having men of prayer.
Along with his military brilliance, he understood that education and learning were equally important to his kingdom. Although King Alfred did not learn to read until the age of 21, he did understand the importance of it. He brought scholars from Europe to teach in England, and also took it upon himself to translate books from Latin to English so his people could become more literate and therefore more informed of the world around them.
Some of his translations included: Aesop’s Fables, Boethius’ “Consolation of Philosophy”, Augustine’s “Meditations”, Bede’s “Church History”, and Orosius’ “Universal History” (Farley 1). He also translated pope Gregory the Great’s “Pastoral Theology” and sent the copies to every bishop in the land (CCG.XM 1). Through his insistence on having everything translated into English and restoring the monasteries (learning centers), he successfully educated his people and gave them the power to be more successful in their lives. This, in turn, accomplished his third goal: to have successful men of work through education.
With all of his accomplishments, King Alfred has also been credited to be the creator of trial by jury, reforming the coinage of the time, and establishing a code of law based on the bible (Farley 1). King Alfred the Great died in 899 and was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester. Partly because of his reforms and foresight, England eventually became a world power (Koeller 1).
Without his leadership, political abilities and educational foresight, England might not have become the country it has turned out to be. Out of all the kings and queens in England’s history, King Alfred is the only one to have been named “the great”. Churchill, a more modern leader, recognized his accomplishments in the military, in the church and in education. Not many leaders, past or present, have overcome as much as King Alfred the Great did in his lifetime. He gave his people a better way of life, fought off an invading force of Vikings, and began a unification process that gave birth to a world power.
Many say that the best leaders are the ones that do not actually want the power of leadership. These same theorists believe that leaders who desire power become, much of the time, tyrannical. It becomes quite clear by King Alfred’s own words that he did not want the power of leadership, as much as he wanted to do the best with the power that was given to him.
“Desire for and possession of earthly power never pleased me overmuch, and I did not unduly desire this earthly rule, but that nevertheless I wished for tools and resources for the tasks that I was commanded to accomplish, which was that I should virtuously and worthily guide and direct the authority which was entrusted to me” (Roberts, 1). These are the words of one of the greatest kings ever to rule England: King Alfred the Great.
Section 2
Question 5
England has always been a battlefield for the main religions of the world. Ever since Saint Augustine introduced the Roman Catholic faith to King Ethelburt, and had him baptised, the country has fought against itself to find a religious identity. This has caused wars and much bloodshed across the land. When the Anglo-Saxons came with their pagan gods, Christianity was pushed into Wales and Ireland. Even though it was pushed to the edges of the island, it still prospered thanks to the work of the missionaries that included Ninian, Patrick, David, and Columba. Christianity fell in and out of practice during the years after Saint Augustine came to Kent. It was not until the Synod of Whitney, that the church began to put down solid roots into the communities of England. It was during this time in the 7th and early 8th centuries, that monasteries became the centers of education and learning in the communities.
Once again, though, Christianity was threatened when the Vikings began to raid the coasts of England. They brought their heathen practices to England and swung the balance away from Christianity. It was not until King Alfred the Great signed his treaty with the Vikings, that Christianity began to come back into the English culture. He revived the church and gave it the power to unify the people of the nation. This unification that the church helped produce, was the eventual determining factor in the country being unified under one king.
The Christian church became a very powerful entity in the lives of the English people. The men who ran the church were very powerful and held many riches. The church was Roman Catholic and looked to the pope and Rome for guidance in these years.
The battle started again when Henry VIII came to power. He decided to form his own church that was not to be affiliated with Rome. It was then that the Anglican Church was formed and the battle between Catholics and Anglicans began. After Henry VIII’s rule, things got worse as his daughters and their supporters fought to see what religion the people of England should practice. In the end, Elizabeth I won the battle and integrated the Anglican Church into England. This Church of England, now Anglican, again regained much of its former powers.
In today’s world things have changed drastically. This time Christianity is faced with a new challenge in England. It must face different kinds of faiths, dissatisfaction with the church and people’s general lack of interest. With more than 67 percent of the population attending services less than once a month, the parish membership aging, and the average weekly contributions dipping to only six pounds a person, the church and the main form of Christianity in England is in trouble (Centre 1).
“The Church is Dying on its Knees” was the main headline from The Independent’s front page in January 2002. This was because of reports that the church’s financial status had fallen to an all-time low coupled with low numbers of people showing up to its masses on Sundays (Centre 1).
With new religions popping up everywhere and the global community bringing different religions together, people have become out of touch with the Church of England. There are currently 50 million people living in England, and of those 50 million, 27 million are members of the Church of England while another four million are Roman Catholic. Other Christian churches that reside in England include: Methodist, United Reformed Church, Baptist, Society of Friends, the Salvation Army, Eastern Orthodox, Free Evangelical and Black churches.
With the majority of the population being Christian, some might say that this is proof that the country is still predominantly a Christian country. When one looks more closely though, they will begin to see that England has lost much of its Christian tradition and ways due mostly to social changes, liberalism and scientific advances in contemporary society.
The Christian faith simply does not hold the same power of the people and country as it once did. The government will no longer behead or burn people for not holding the same faith as the government does. Society has changed since the times of Henry VIII and has changed drastically since the time of Saint Augustine. With all of this social change, the Christian faith has fallen drastically behind. People just do not attend church like they once did. Of the 27 million people that claim to be a part of the Church of England, only one million attend church. The Roman Catholic faith is not much better as only one-fourth of its members attend mass regularly. The only churches that are currently growing are Black and Orthodox churches. But much of this growth can be attributed to the increase of minorities in the population because of increased immigration. People just do not hold the church in the same light as they used to. Many find different things to do on Sundays and believe in social, political and racial issues rather than religious ones.
Another reason for the decline of the Christian church in England is the increased liberalism of society. People now are protected for their religious beliefs. In our contemporary society, we can openly show our faith, whatever it may be, and not be afraid for our lives. The explosion of thousands of different religious groups over the last 50 years has shown that our society is more accepting of non-believers than it ever was. Liberalism has turned people away from the church because of the belief that the church does not hold all the answers. As our society changes, our ideals change, and so do our ideas about what the church has to say.
The last and probably the most important reason for the decline of Christianity in England has been scientific advances. Scientists like Charles Darwin have disproved a need for there to be a God. With the theory of evolution and new studies that come out every day, much of what is said in the bible is looked at to be false. The story of creation no longer seems to be as believable as it once was. Adam and Eve being the first humans ever to grace the earth 3000 years ago has been disproved by most scientists. With all of this new information, people have started to disregard the church’s teachings. Most people just don’t have time in their busy lives to hear about a God that they do not really believe created life on this earth, how a man 2000 years ago died on the cross, or how Moses led the Jews out of Egypt. Many people in England would rather sleep in or watch a football game on the television than spend an hour in church.
Although the church and state in England are intertwined to this day, the church has lost most of its power. States do not fund individual parishes and a loss of attendance has forced many into financial hardships. With not as much power or money, the church is regressing as a principal figure in the lives of the British. A once powerful and rich organization that moulded many people’s lives earlier in England’s history, has fallen off to be an organization that is still respected, but not as worshipped as it once was. People still hold the most basic Christian beliefs close to them, but do not openly worship or respect the church’s authority like they once did.
Works Cited
CCG.XM. “Alfred the Great.” Kings and Queens of England. British Museum. March
2004. http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page25.asp.
Centre for Citizenship. “The Church of Priviledge.” Church and State in Britain. March
2004. http://www.centreforcitizenship.org/church1.html
Farley, John. “Alfred the Great.” Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1. Online Edition
Copyright. March 2004. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01309d.htm.
Koeller, David. “Alfred the Great.” North Park University. January 2003. March
2004. http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/WestEurope/AlfredGreat.html
Roberts, Ken. “King Alfred the Great.” October 27, 1997
http://www.mirror.org/ken.roberts/king.Alfred.html
