Aelfred The Great

[longbow]

Alfred ,the only English King to be given the Title "Great" was the man responsible for saving the English society from the invasion of the Danes in around 860AD.Alfred was the King of Wessex and after the other Saxon Kingdoms had folded to the Danish assaults,it was left to him to defeat the Danish pagans.

Alfred was a very pious man and very sick,a recent theory suggests he suffered from Crohns disease which causes accute abdominal pains,and from Chronic piles ( i know,no laughting matter,but still..)

The Danes were called Northmen and NOT Vikings! the word Viking describes an activity rather than a race of people or a tribe,to go Viking meant to go raiding.Even though the Danes were raiders they were predominantly invaders and occupiers.The Danes made assaults on the Churches,nunneries and monastries,after all the Danes saw no reason to spare these places as they were Pagans and the Churches holded wealth.

Ivar the Boneless,Ubba,Halfdan and Guthrum were the main leaders of these invaders,all formidable warriors.

Alfreds fought against these people,naturally he didnt want his Englaland (saxon name)to be over run with smelly pagans who were destroying his beloved Church.In 878AD he attacked the Danes and routed there Army,he pursued them to there fortress which he lay siege for 14 days.The Danes ravaged by hunger (they couldnt have prepared there supplies very well,if it only took 14 days,smacks of arrogance to me) sought peace terms.

Alfred realised that it would be impossible to get the Danes out of England all together so he signed the Treaty of wedmore.Guthrum converted to Christianity with Alfred as his Godfather and most of the Danes left Wessex and returned to east Anglia were they settled as Farmers.In 886AD Alfred negotiated a partiton treaty giving the Danes the North and east of England (A area known as Danelaw) and he brought west Mercia and Kent into the boundaries of Wessex.When the peace came Alfred concentrated on his Defence and Army.he reorganised the Thegns and the Fyrd into a rotation basis so he allways had a rapid reaction force available incase of further attacks,He allso started a building programme,making fortified market towns (Borough comes from the old English word "Burh"meaning fortress) all along his southern realm.

By stopping the Danish advance and consolidating territorial gains,Alfred started the process by which his successors would eventually extend there power over the other Saxon kings and the ultimat unification of Anglo saxon England was to be led by Wessex.

It is for the defence of his country against a stronger enemy that Alfred (or AElfred to give him his proper name) gets the title "Great" ,the only one of the English Kings to do so.

What do you think of AElfred?does he deserve the title "Great"?

[Fafnir]

What do you think of AElfred?does he deserve the title "Great"?

 

Probably not. Most of the nicknames given to historic people dont make sense. (Ivar the Boneless ) Were the Danes actually all that powerful during this time period? I figured they just had immediate victories because this was the Viking era. (Vikings were always striking fear in their opponent and forcing them to surrender/be massacred)

 

This Alfred character still seems like he would have been a wonderful king for this war-like era in history.

 

EDIT: Did you write all that yourself L?

[longbow]

Did you write all that yourself L?

 

Yip,i read B.Cornwells book "the last Kingdom" and got the info out of that,i've allso posted it in a medieval thread on a nother forum i sometimes visit.

Ivar was called the boneless because he was as skinny as a bean pole,unusual for the Danes.

Edited August 29, 2005 by longbow