Alfred the Great
The literate king
Tekst/illustrasjoner:
Øyvind Olsholt/Clipart.com
Filosofiske spørsmål:
Øyvind Olsholt
Sist oppdatert: 20. januar 2004
Alfred
the Great was king of England for nearly 30 years in the early Middle
Ages, from 871 to 899 when he died. He is famous for having fought
the Danes that tried to invade England and for promoting learning
and literacy all over the country.
Alfred and the Vikings
Alfred was born in 849 and had four older brothers. He liked poetry
as a child and he said that he never wanted to become king. But
he did, after his brother, King Ethelred I, died in 871. Alfred
was then only 22 years old. And he had not been king for very long
before there was more trouble with the Danish Vikings. They tried
to occupy as much as they could, also Wessex, the land of king Alfred
(in the South-Western part of todays England).
Alfred escapes
This was nothing new. His brother had also tried to defeat
the Danes, but they grew only stronger and stronger and finally,
in January 878, they managed to drive Alfred off the throne in Wessex.
He had nothing to do but to escape.
In the escape he fled through deep woods and ended up on the island
Athelney which lay in the middle of a marsh-area.
Here he managed to assemble
an army and in the spring of the same year he managed to defeat
the Danes in the famous battle of Edington. The king of the Danes,
King Guthrum, even accepted to baptise
with Alfred as his god-father!
Alfred was a good ruler
Alfred was a wise administrator. He took steps to ensure the protection
of the weak from oppression
by ignorant
or corrupt judges.
He also gave laws that protected the weak and dependent people.
Learning and education
But Alfred is perhaps most famous for his attitude towards learning.
Like most others in his time he thought that Viking raids were a
divine
punishment for the sins
of the people. But the people could do something about it, they
could educate
themselves! If they failed to develop themselves through learning
and education, they would also fail to live in
accordance with God's will. And to not live in accordance with
God's will is the same as sin.
So Alfred tried to do something about this. He invited scholars
to his court both from Britain and from the European continent.
He translated Latin texts into English and commanded all who were
wealthy enough to learn to read English. The books he translated
were mostly Christian books on how to lead a good, Christian life
and thereby gaining in wisdom and virtue.
Sickness and death
Alfred suffered from a painful illness throughout his whole life.
But he never let this hinder his ambitions. He won military battles
when no one thought he was going to win and he also became a wise
and compassionate
king for his people. Alfred the Great was never forgotten.
Suggested topics for philosophical discussion
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