1 / 41

King Ælfrǣd

King Ælfrǣd. "King of the Anglo-Saxons". King Alfred. The Great. “Great”. Name some Kings and Queens who are designated “Great” How many are British?. What do we Know?. How do we Know?. Asser (d. 908/909) was a Welsh monk from St David's, Dyfed “Life of King Alfred”

gerard
Download Presentation

King Ælfrǣd

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. KingÆlfrǣd "King of the Anglo-Saxons".

  2. King Alfred The Great

  3. “Great” • Name some Kings and Queens who are designated “Great” • How many are British?

  4. What do we Know?

  5. How do we Know? • Asser (d. 908/909) was a Welsh monk from St David's, Dyfed • “Life of King Alfred” • Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

  6. Documentary Evidence • Cotton Library • Sir Robert Bruce Cotton M.P. (1571–1631) • Shut down by Charles 1 in 1629 • Reopened in 1633 • Given to the nation – formed the first national library • Asburnham House • Fire 1731 • Many manuscripts damaged • Magna Carta • Roman manuscripts

  7. Brief Biography • b.848 – d.26 October 899 • Father : Æthelwulf of Wessex • Mother: Queen Osburga • Born in Wantage, Oxfordshire • Older Brothers: • Æthelbald (r. 858 to 860) • Æthelberht (r. 860 to 865) • Æthelred 1 (r. 865 to 871) • 868 married Ealhswith • 6(?) children • Ancestor of Elizabeth 2

  8. Crohn’s Disease • Inflammatory disease of the intestines • It primarily causes abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting (can be continuous), or weight loss, but may also cause complications outside the gastrointestinal tract such as skin rashes, arthritis, inflammation of the eye, tiredness, and lack of concentration

  9. Pre-Reformation England • 1st Century AD traders from Roman empire • The Celtic Church • St Patrick (370-460 ish) • Augustine (597 AD) • (Not St Augustine of Hippo) • Sent from Pope to King Aethelbert of Kent • The Synod of Whitby (664) • Roman Catholicism became predominant • The Venerable Bede (673-735)

  10. Lindisfarne Priory

  11. Britain in the 9th Century • Smaller Kingdoms • Fighting between Kingdoms • Marriage to cement treatise • Christianity - the predominant religion

  12. Vikings

  13. Vikings

  14. Vikings

  15. Vikings

  16. Vikings • Raiders • Pirates • Pagans • No fear of the Christian God • Settlers • Backstabbers • Oath Breakers

  17. Rewriting History • Academics claim that the old stereotype is damaging, and want teenagers to be more appreciative of the Vikings' social and cultural impact on Britain. (Telegraph 25th Oct 2008) • "A medieval chronicler, John of Wallingford, talking about the eleventh century, complained that the Danes were too clean - they combed their hair every day, washed every Saturday, and changed their clothes regularly."

  18. Jeremiah 50 v 41 • “Look! An army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are being stirred up from the ends of the earth. • They are armed with bows and spears; they are cruel and without mercy.

  19. Vikings • Vikings (from the north) seen as part of the last days by Christendom • Early 800’s began raids • Monasteries and easy pickings • Viking invasion of Lindisfarne in 871 AD • Wintered in Appledore, Kent - 892-893

  20. 1st Pilgrimage • Important in Saxon thinking • Age 4-5yrs • Rome Alone • Pope Saint Leo IV • Godson • Saracen (Muslin invasion) • St Peter and St Pauls

  21. 2nd Pilgrimage • With father • Away for a year • Alfred’s brother – Æthelbald (r858 to 860) – deposed his father as king of Wessex • Æthelwulf continued as King of Kent to avoid civil war • Kingdoms rejoined after Æthelwulf died

  22. Book of Poems

  23. Alfred the King • Reigned from 23 April 871 – 26 October 899 • Became king at age 23 • Regular Viking invasions and settlements • 5 years of fighting – mixed success • Alfred came to peace terms and paid large sums of money to the Vikings.

  24. Guthram • Viking Leader from 876 • Wareham in Dorset • Stalemate • Treaty – oaths and hostages • Sworn on the holy ring of Thor • Vikings broke their oaths • Various fighting until 878 • Attack on Alfred at Christmas/New Year in Chippenham • Inside job • Alfred on the run

  25. Alfred’s Return • Easter 878 – Alfred rallies support • Attack on Guthrum at Chippenham • Guthrum surrenders and converts to Christianity • Later treaty 879/880 • divides Mercia • establishes the Dane Law

  26. The Dane Law

  27. The 880’s (No more burnt cakes) • Early 880’s various invasions and battles with new Vikings • By mid 880’s things settled down • London rebuilt and fortified • Standing army • divided -50% on and 50% off • Small navy constructed • Burhs (30 fortified cities/towns)

  28. So What! • Alfred the Great is known as a Christian King • How did Christianity make a difference to him?

  29. Scripture • He read scripture daily • He had a special love for the Psalms and saw similarities between his own life and King David’s • He understood that his people needed scripture in their own language

  30. Translation work • Alfred translated himself English • Gregory the Great'sPastoral Care, • Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, • St. Augustine's Soliloquies, • First fifty psalms of the Psalter • Sponsored other translations • Bede’s HistoriaecclesiasticagentisAnglorum • Etc.

  31. The Law • Created a Domboc (Doom Book) • Legal Code • Took 3 existing versions and revised them • Added the ten commandments • Added other parts of the law of Moses • Added Christian code of ethics • Including Personal Injury Law • “Where there’s blame, there’s a claim!”

  32. Craftsmen "Alfred ordered me made".

  33. His Time • Study and prayer, • Royal duties, • Rest

  34. His Money • Peace dividend • Split his income into 2 parts • Secular • Religious

  35. Secular Spending • Split into thirds: • To pay his fighting men and his nobles at court (governors) • 50% time at home for his soldiers • Introduced a shift pattern for his nobles at court – 1/3rd on 2/3rds off • Sponsoring the arts • “Ring Giver” • For foreigners and travellers

  36. Religious Spending • Split into quarters: • Alms to the poor • Funding of two monasteries • Funding of a school • (to include children not of noble birth) • Grants for other religious establishments across his kingdom

  37. Education • Learnt to read himself as an adult. • Scholars bought into the kingdom from Wales and Europe. • Decreed that all the noblemen in his court should be able to read. • Set up a school which he funded

  38. Just War • Alfred understood the need to defend his people • He understood that he had the duty under God to do so • He also looked for opportunities to reach a peaceful solution • Was able to live side by side with his old enemy • Dane Law

  39. Mercy • Alfred was merciful in victory • He sought the conversion of Guthram and became his children’s Godfather • Showed his soldiers and noblemen mercy in allowing them time at home to deal with the harvest

  40. KingÆlfrǣd A truly great king – under God

More Related