The 870s saw continuing war against the Danes, who were numerous, skilled, treacherous, well led, wanting conquest and settlement, not unattractive as allies or lords to rivals. He assisted Æthelred against the ‘great army’ which invaded in 865, and his accession in 871 was most likely not a certainty. The quality of his own writings suggests that he had a sound education in Latin. And if the denial of the text's authenticity, powerfully reasserted in 1995, should carry the day, then significant elements of the traditional reconstruction of Alfred's career will disappear.Īsser says Alfred was born in 849 in Wantage and married a Mercian lady in 868. But there was probably a different side to Alfred's character. Perception of Alfred's personality, policies, and methods depends largely upon his seemingly intimate hagiographical biography by Asser. Extreme revisionists emphasize his skill as propagandist, downgrading his achievements. A popular image of Alfred is of national superman destined by his father's ( Æthelwulf) will to be king, despite having three surviving older brothers ( Æthelbald, Æthelbert, and Æthelred I) saviour of the English from the Vikings architect of a united England founder of the navy, reformer of the army, town-planner, exponent of time and resource management patron of the church promoter of universal education and father of English prose saintly, and easy to know, since we have more evidence for him than for any earlier king.
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