"ALFRED THE GREAT" (SIMON KEYNES & MICHAEL LAPIDGE).   Term Paper ID:24659 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Critical review of biography, with primary sources, of 9th Cent. English king.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Critical review of biography, with primary sources, of 9th Cent. English king. Paper Introduction: King Alfred enjoyed a good reputation as seen in various accounts of hi reign written by contemporaries and near-contemporaries. Alfred the Great, son of Aethelwulf, came to the throne in a time of warfare with the Danes, also known as the Vikings. The Danes at the time were making inroads and controlling sections of Northumbria. Alfred forced the Danes to leave Wessex but was still subject to Danish attacks before he was able to rout the enemy at the Battle of Edington. The importance of this victory was considerable and would be Alfred's greatest achievement. It would contribute greatly as well to Alfred's reputation and would feature prominently in histories written about his reign. He would be challenged by the Danes again and would capture London in 886, achieving acceptance then by all the English. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Theyspeculate that this might be because of the work itself rather than becauseof the subject, but they also find that Alfred was no more popular as kingthan his fellow kings, though one might think otherwise from Asser'saccount. However, it alsoseems from the various writings, letters, and statements made during hislifetime that Alfred was popular with the people and that he had a goodreputation which extended outside his realm--the letter by Fulco showsthis, for instance. He wanted to supply them with the books they would need in theirown language. . . Even though thisbook did not find the Welsh audience for which it was written, it did findan audience in England and was influential on other writers about Alfredand about England. . . . he fought most vigorously, with a few men who were easily outnumbered, against the entire Viking army at a hill called Wilton.[xvi]Alfred's Christianity is again made evident--he fights knowing that hecannot win unless God is on his side. Keynes and lapidge speculate about the degree of thatinfluence and precisely who was influenced by the work. They also note the oddity that reference is made to Asser byGerald of Wales, who cites a story that is not found in Asser's work as itexists today.[xv] Asser finds that the Alfred came to power and with some reluctanceimmediately and successfully began his military career by attacking theVikings: When a month had passed after that he had begun to reign, almost unwillingly. Keynes and Lapidge note that this author offered great praise to Alfredbut that the book was not well-known in the Anglo-Saxon period. In some respects, this accords withother writings which mention alfred. For he had not yet begun to read anything.[vi]Of course, he would learn to read and would himself read aloud. Itwould contribute greatly as well to Alfred's reputation and would featureprominently in histories written about his reign. His army is referred to again andagain as Christians. Keynesand Lapidge in fact see much to admire in his life: It is a story of enduring personal interest, for Alfred himself emerges as a man who had to overcome considerable difficulties in effecting the survival of his kingdom, and whose practical intelligence and vision contributed both materially and spiritually to the future prosperity of his country.[xix]His reputation certainly developed from his accomplishments and continuedbecause of admiring accounts like that of Asser. Fulco expresses a similar view when herefers to "the educating of barbaric savagery in order for it to benourished on divine knowledge."[xii] Alfred expressed concern that Latinwas disappearing and said those destined for the church at least shouldstudy this language, but he also wanted the young to be able to readEnglish. The Danes at the time were makinginroads and controlling sections of Northumbria. Alfred pursued the Viking armies and found ways todefeat them and expel them from the country: Then one day the king rode up along the river, and looked to see where the river could be obstructed so that the Danes would not be able to bring the ships out.[xiii] Alfred's reputation can be seen to be derived from his success as amilitary leader, though there are other aspects of his reign that can beconsidered important and that we might admire more today. He saw God as punishing the people because they had so littlelearning (though he does not seem to believe that the Vikings had anymore). Alfred as warrior is evident in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and it isapparent that he was a leader who joined his men on the battlefield andmade decisions that determined the outcome. However,it is military accomplishment that creates the strongest vision of aleader, especially in the time of Alfred and just after, and his success indriving out the Vikings has to be counted as his greatest accomplishment asfar as that which burnished his reputation. He noteshow at one time there were many books in the churches of England before theDanes sacked them and burned the books, but the books did very little goodfor the people: And they derived very little benefit from these books, because they could understand nothing of them, since they were not written in their own language. It is evident that the archbishop is flattered at being asked toperform this service and that he approves of the spread of learning, thoughhe does make reference to the futility of doing so to certain barbaricpeoples. King Alfred enjoyed a good reputation as seen in various accounts ofhi reign written by contemporaries and near-contemporaries. . In addition to recognizing Alfred's desire for learning, Fulco'sletter also recognizes Alfred's Christianity: The universal church assuredly bears witness on his behalf: it nourished him form his earliest years in true faith and holy religion, and promoted him to ecclesiastical custom through the various grades to the honor of priesthood, proclaiming him to be the most worthy of a bishopric, and suitable too, in that he could instruct others.[viii]Fulco sees Alfred's desire for learning as a manifestation of God, and sohe agrees to send an instructor to England. He wouldlearn by sending for instructors from across the sea. He would be challengedby the Danes again and would capture London in 886, achieving acceptancethen by all the English. Endnotes BibliographyKeynes, Simon and Michael Lapidge. Among the other abilities noted by Asser are that Alfred wasan avid hunter, that he instructed goldsmiths and craftsmen so they coulddevelop new treasures for him, that he could read and often did so aloud,and that he could issue orders to his followers and presumably be heeded--"all these things he did himself with great application to the best of hisabilities."[ii] Asser's work was the earliest known biography of King Alfred and sois considered important as a source for knowledge about that man's life andabout life in early England.[iii] Again, though, the accuracy of theaccount is uncertain, as Keynes and Lapidge note in considering how to viewthe work as a whole: To some extent it is permissible to see Asser's Life of King Alfred simply as an expression of the biographer's personal respect for his subject: the constant harping on Alfred's exceptional qualities and the emphasis given to the difficulties which he had to overcome may threaten at times to defeat the patience of the modern reader, but there can be no doubt that all the praise and admiration was deeply felt.[iv]Keynes and Lapidge see the work as intended primarily for a Welsh audience,an audience that would be receptive to such praise for one of their own,and they note that asser meant for this book "to reassure the Welsh thatthey had submitted themselves to a wise, just, effective, and Christianking."[v] The Christianity of Alfred is another subject that is repeated andreinforced throughout Asser's account. The problem for Alfred was that learning made it possible for thepeople to know the will of God. They note that thebook circulated largely in England and that even there it was known only toa few medieval authors: This may be because Asser apparently never completed the work and hence made no arrangements to have it copied and distributed; for it might well be argued that the manuscript transmission derives entirely from Asser's incomplete draft.[xiv] However, the authors do find that certain medieval writers werefamiliar with Asser's book, though it is not always clear how the differentwriters came into contact with it. The first section of the will offers confirmatorydetails about Alfred's life and reign before alfred begins the testamentitself: "I, Alfred, king of the West Saxons, by the grace of God and withthis witness, declare what I desire concerning my inheritance after mylifetime."[ix] It is clear in this will that Alfred was concerned aboutthe state of his soul and intended to be fair to those who would be leftbehind so he would be treated as fairly by God, he also frees his followersto "choose whatever lord they desire."[x] Further evidence of the learning of Alfred is found in thetranslations he made of works into English. Alfred theGreat, son of Aethelwulf, came to the throne in a time of warfare with theDanes, also known as the Vikings. When I reflected on all this, I wondered exceedingly why the good, wise men who were formerly found throughout England and had thoroughly studied all those books, did not wish to translate any part of them into their own language.[xi]Alfred talked about the Viking invasions as if they were a punishment fromGod, and he linked this view with his concern about the lack of learning inhis land. The book by Asser also is amajor reason for the good reputation enjoyed by the king. A reading of the account by Asser suggests that Alfred may havehad a direct influence in the writing of the work, given that he had such aclose association with Asser. The battle at Edington is given particular attention,and it is this battle which stood out in history because it decisivelyturned the tide against the Danes and helped create England. By day or night, whenever he had any opportunity, he used to tell them to read aloud from books in his presence. Alfred never ruled over all of England, and it was left to his sonEdward to bring more of the island under his sway. One might also consider that Asser knew theKing better than did others and so that his praise derives from thispersonal knowledge and a recognition of the finer qualities of the leader.Keynes and Lapidge state that asser's views were no doubt shared by othercontemporaries, however, and so that there may be a basis in fact for thehigh praise accorded to Alfred.[i] There is no doubt that Asser considered Alfred to be a great ruler.He describes Alfred as a leader capable of doing many things at the sametime. Certain authors incorporated portionsof Asser's work into their own as they sought to create a history ofEngland. He also summonedJohn, a priest and a monk and a learned man, to instruct him in variousfields.[vii] The archbishop of Rheims, Fulco, wrote a letter to Alfred at the timewhen the king was seeking scholars to instruct him. He notes that even as Alfred was involved in war and in protectingthe kingdom from Viking attacks, he was able to direct the government ofthe kingdom. However, he did beginthe process that would unite all of England under one rule. Alfred the Great London: Penguin, 1983.-----------------------Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge, "Introduction," in Alfred theGreat (London: Penguin, 1983), 45.Asser, "Life of King Alfred," in Alfred the Great (London:Penguin, 1983), 91.Keynes and Lapidge, 48.Ibid., 56.Ibid., 56.Asser, 93.Ibid., 93."Fulco's Letter to King Alfred," in Alfred the Great (London:Penguin, 1983), 185."King Alfred's Will," in Alfred the Great (London: Penguin,1983), 175.Ibid., 178."From the translation of Gregory's Pastoral Care," in Alfred theGreat (London: Penguin, 1983), 125."Fulco's Letter to King Alfred," in Alfred the Great (London:Penguin, 1983), 183."Anglo-Saxon Chronicles," in Alfred the Great (London: Penguin,1983), 118.Keynes and Lapidge, 57.Ibid., 57.Asser, 81.Ibid., 84.Ibid., 84-85.Keynes and Lapidge, 9.----------------------- 9 Alfred's religious belief is also evident in his will, and thatdocument serves as a primary source that shows some of the nature of theman in his own words. . The title"Great" is not accorded to many rulers, and the fact that Alfred is giventhis appellation should count for much in assessing his popularity and theway he inspired the people of his time and subsequent generations. Indeed, though it is an anachronism, Asser presentsalfred as a sort of Renaissance man, dedicated to learning and toachievement in every field: The king's desire for knowledge increased steadily and was satisfied by the learning and wisdom of all four men. One might find much to bepraised in Alfred's attitude toward learning as shown in the Preface to histranslation of Gregory's Pastoral Care, for Alfred here notes with sorrowhow little learning there is in the land and how much better it would be ifthe people had the opportunity he has had to learn and to read. Asser's Life of King Alfred offers considerable praise for the ruler. The importance of thisvictory was considerable and would be Alfred's greatest achievement. Alfred forced the Danesto leave Wessex but was still subject to Danish attacks before he was ableto rout the enemy at the Battle of Edington. Asser refers to the royal "greed" assomething to be praised, and here he means the greed for more learning.The emphasis on learning and reading is interesting in an era in whicheducation was slight and books were relatively few, and yet Asser sees thelearning of the King as proof that the latter is a superior man with a widerange of interests. .[xviii] Much of Alfred's reputation comes from a time long after his death,meaning that the rediscovery of Asser's work and the writings of otherscreated an image of Alfred that persists to this day. Hisencouragement of education and his love of learning set him apart, and thelengths to which he went to educate himself show that he was not merelytrying to project an aura of learning but actually to acquire it. and, accordingly, he acquired some acquaintance with almost all books, even though he could not at this point understand anything in the books by himself. This letter offerssupport for Asser's account of the desire of Alfred for greater knowledgeand of the lengths to which he went to secure instructors who could guidehim. The battleraged for some time, with Alfred in the fray, and at length "he gained thevictory through god's will."[xvii] The ferocity of the battle is inkeeping with the form of battle at that time and with the idea that alfredwa routing infidels and not Christians: He destroyed the vikings with great slaughter, and pursued those who fled as far as the stronghold, hacking them down; he seized everything which he found outside the stronghold. Much of the chronicle detailsthe battles with the Vikings and the different incursions made by thatpeople into England. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.