King Alfred

Asser's Life of King Alfred offers considerable praise for the ruler. Keynes and Lapidge note that this author offered great praise to Alfred but that the book was not well-known in the Anglo-Saxon period. They speculate that this might be because of the work itself rather than because of the subject, but they also find that Alfred was no more popular as king than his fellow kings, though one might think otherwise from Asser's account. A reading of the account by Asser suggests that Alfred may have had a direct influence in the writing of the work, given that he had such a close association with Asser. One might also consider that Asser knew the King better than d

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nd suitable too, in that he could instruct others. Fulco sees Alfred's desire for learning as a manifestation of God, and so he agrees to send an instructor to England. Alfred's religious belief is also evident in his will, and that document serves as a primary source that shows some of the nature of the man in his own words. The first section of the will offers confirmatory details about Alfred's life and reign before alfred begins the testament itself: "I, Alfred, king of the West Saxons, by the grace of God and with this witness, declare what I desire concerning my inheritance after my lifetime." It is clear in this will that Alfred was concerned about the state of his soul and intended to be fair to those who would be left behind so he would be treated as fairly by God, he also frees his followers to "choose whatever lord they desire." Further evidence of the learning of Alfred is found in the translations he made of works into English. One might find much to be praised in Alfred's attitude toward learning as shown in the Preface to his translation of Gregory's Pastoral Care, for Alfred here notes with sorrow how little learning there is in the land and how much better it would be if the people had the opportunity he
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Approximate Word count = 2308
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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