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Alfred The Great

Alfred The Great. King, Saint, and all around good guy. The Life of a “Great”. Born around 848-849. Born in what is now Wantage , Oxfordshire . He was anointed by Pope Leo IV as king at only age 5. Mother was Queen Osburga . He had three older brothers. He loved to learn.

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Alfred The Great

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  1. Alfred The Great King, Saint, and all around good guy

  2. The Life of a “Great” • Born around 848-849. • Born in what is now Wantage, Oxfordshire. • He was anointed by Pope Leo IV as king at only age 5. • Mother was Queen Osburga. • He had three older brothers. • He loved to learn.

  3. The Life Continued • It is believed that Alfred had Crohn’s Disease. • Though his statues depict him as a great warrior, it is believed that he was more intellectual than physically strong.

  4. His Reign as King • Alfred the Great to the throne in 871, after the death of his brother Ethelred. • As soon as he assumed the throne he suffered military defeat at the hands of the Danes. • After a treacherous betrayal of treaty, the Danes nearly killed King Alfred in the winter of 878. This is when he was forced to retreat into the swamp.

  5. His Military • Alfred was great king. He is known for making military and political restorations • He learned from his defeats that the existing strategies were not effective against the Danes, driving him to make changes. • At the center of his restructuring was his system of fortresses, or burhs. These were strategically placed throughout the kingdom.

  6. His Politics • In order for his military strategy to work he needed support. In order to accomplish this he took restructured existing regulations that required landowners to do “fortress work.” • This was nothing new, just a reinstatement of past procedure.

  7. Naval Aspirations • In 896 Alfred tried his hand at naval design. • Though this is not classified as the birth of the English fleet, it was a great help in fighting the Danes.

  8. Legal Reform • In the late 880’s, early 890’s, Alfred issued a law code of his own laws and those of a seventh century king. • Though it was an honorable attempt, his law code was a hodgepodge and sometimes contradicted existing law that he left in place.

  9. His Death • Alfred died on October 26th, 901 according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. • There is some debate over the exact year, doubts exist about the recorded date of his death. • His remains have been lost over the centuries and we have no concrete idea where he was laid to rest.

  10. A Prayer about the Great • O Sovereign Lord, who didst bring thy servant Alfred to a Troubled throne that he might establish peace in a ravaged land and revive learning and the arts among the people: Awake in us also, we beseech thee, a keen desire to increase our understanding while we are in this world, and an eager longing to reach that endless life where all will be made clear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

  11. Family connections • http://www.britroyals.com/royaltree.htm

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