tes that even as Alfred was involved in war and in protecting the kingdom from Viking attacks, he was able to direct the government of the kingdom. Among the other abilities noted by Asser are that Alfred was an avid hunter, that he instructed goldsmiths and craftsmen so they could develop new treasures for him, that he could read and often did so aloud, and that he could issue orders to his followers and presumably be heeded--"all these things he did himself with great application to the best of his abilities."
Asser's work was the earliest known biography of King Alfred and so is considered important as a source for knowledge about that man's life and about life in early England. Again, though, the accuracy of the account is uncertain, as Keynes and Lapidge note in considering how to view the work as a whole:
To some extent it is permissible to see Asser's Life of King Alfred simply as an expression of the biographer's personal respect for his subject: the constant harping on Alfred's exceptional qualities and the emphasis given to the difficulties which he had to overcome may threaten at times to defeat the patience of the modern reader, but there can be no doubt that all the praise and admiration was deeply felt.
Keynes and Lapidge see the work as intended primarily for a Welsh audience, an audience that would be receptive to such praise for one of their own, and they note that asser meant for this book "to reassure the Welsh that they had submitted themselves to a wise, just, effective, and Christian king."
The Christianity of Alfred is another subject that is repeated and reinforced throughout Asser's account. In some respects, this accords with other writings which mention alfred. Asser refers to the royal "greed" as something to be praised, and here he means the greed for more learning. The emphasis on learning and reading is interesting in an era in which education was slight and books were relatively fe...