![]() They visited the court of Charles the Bald, of the Frankish King, and Alfred gained an appreciation for Charles’s grandfather, Charlemagne.Īlfred’s father, Aethelwulf died shortly after their return to Wessex in AD 858 and Alfred’s three older brothers each assumed the throne in succession (a fourth brother died before their father Aethelwulf’s death). ![]() In AD 855 he traveled to Rome with his father on a pilgrimage. He was known to have a keen mind from a young age -entirely memorizing books of poetry. Bright, learned, well-traveled, and curious, Alfred lived a charmed life. Alfred is popularly the most celebrated of the Anglo-Saxon kings, and with good reason.Īlfred was the fifth and youngest son of King Aethelwulf of the House of Wessex, and he was clearly the favorite child. ![]() Author’s note in Alfred’s translation of Boethius’s On The Consolation of PhilosophyĪlfred (or “Aelfred) is the only king of England ever to be given the epithet “The Great.” He earned his moniker as a result of a fervent defense of the homeland against the invading Danes (or Vikings and Norsemen, “North Men” from Scandinavia), as well as his support for literacy, education, the arts, and architecture. “ I desired to live worthily as long as I lived, and to leave after my life, to the men who should come after me, the memory of me in good works“ ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |