Importance of Alfred

A BBC Video (for UK Children) Explaining why Alfred was great: BBC Learning – Who was Alfred the Great? from Reflective Films on Vimeo.

The importance of Alfred can be seen in every post that came before this one. From the beginning of this project, I have tried my hardest to find information that would provide me with the proof I need, to say Alfred wasn’t great. But, the contrary has happened, and I have found numerous sources that maintain he was a fair, and good leader. He cared about learning, and pushed for campaigns to turn Latin text to English. He built walls and barriers to protect from future Viking invasions. He even turned his enemies into allies, like in the case of Guthrum, or Athelstan as he would come to be known.

Alfred is the ONLY English King to garner, and retain the term “Great”. He is the only English Monarch to be known as “the Great”.

Alfred’s importance can be seen all over the UK today. Children in school learn about Alfred the same way Americans learn about George Washington, or Thomas Jefferson. Imagine all these founding characters were one person who, almost, single-handedly set the road for English Culture, and language. The internet is filled with forums of Ph.D wielding Historians, as well as Arm-Chair Historians arguing what “would have happened to English if Alfred was defeated by Ubba, and Guthrum”, and most agree that the English language and culture might have not existed in its present form, but instead would have heavily been influenced by the Danes, and so-on.

To see Alfred’s influence as a uniting force for everything “English” can be seen in this time-lapse video I found while researching. If you start the video @ 04:32 (865 c.e.), you see the “England” Alfred was born and raised in. Fast forward to minute 05:27, and you will see the beginnings of a united England. It was Alfred, who acts as the catalyst for the country known as England and theoretically, us.

To understand Alfred’s importance to the throne of England, I have included a monarchy video that details the Throne of England’s lineage from Alfred to Elizabeth II.