Alfred The Great Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alfred The Great - Research Paper Example King Alfred the Great is said to have quoted â€Å"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." Alfred the Great is best remembered by many historians for his military feats. His victories against the Danes prove his capabilities as a great warrior. He is credited with having built the first royal navy to combat the Danes. Alfred adopted the Danish strategy of building fortified bases. The Danes were defeated by the army of Alfred in May 878 in the Battle of Edington. When Alfred finally managed to defeat the Danes, instead of avenging the attacks, exhibited true statesmanship. He entertained the defeated Danish monarch and signed the Treaty of Wedmore, whereby he accepted the Danish occupation of East Anglia. Wessex was secured for Alfred and this resulted in lasting peace. According to the peace treaty, Guthorn was baptized into the Christian faith and is troops from Wessex. Alfred Recognize the Danish control of East Anglia and a few parts of Mercia. In another treaty signed in 886 called the â€Å"Danelaw† the partition of England was formalized. After this, Alfred began fortifying his kingdom with forts to secure it from invasions. To augment his defenses, Alfred constructed a fleet of ships and thereby came to be famously called the â€Å"Father of the English Navy.† (Britannia) The life of King Alfred is a life of â€Å"quiet virtue and unobtrusive success.† (Alfred the Great: The Truth Teller, Maker of England, 848-899 by Beatrice Adelaide Lees). He does not arouse strong feelings of passion that inspire poetry. Instead he is remembered as a friend of the poor, an ally of the clergy and a scholar king. Being a scholar himself, he is known to have translated many Latin books into the tongue of the Anglo Saxons. One of Alfred’s contemporary works that was left unfinished was a Latin account by Asser, a Welshman who was Alfred’s