Alfred the Great, perhaps the greatest king England has ever had. From promoting learning and literacy, to seeking to unite all of England, to defending against invading Danes. He is one of mankind's greatest rulers. Here is his story.🧵

What did Alfred the Great and his successors do to halt the Viking invasions in the 9th and 10th centuries? The answer lies in planning and fortification. DJ Musgrove goes in search of the evidence…

Aelfthryth, also known as Elfrida, (d. 929), was the third and last child of Alfred the Great, the Saxon King of England. She married Baldwin II (d. 918), Count of Flanders. One of their descendents, Matilda of Flanders (d. 1083), would go on to marry William the Conqueror,

Éowyn and the witch-king is pretty flawless too. A gripping evocation of Wiglaf's stand between the dragon and the mortally stricken King Beowulf. "Yet one stood there still, Dernhelm the Young, faithful beyond fear" Faithful beyond fear is such a pithy phrase, almost a kenning

So far in 1066: • Edward the Confessor has died. • Harold Godwineson has been named king instead of Edgar Ætheling. • Edward has been buried. • Harold has been crowned. It's still only 6 January.

A much better champion for England than any prime minister. King Alfred the Great, the only of that fame before and since. He is the father of our fair green land.

Approved.

Happy Edington Day!

Alfred the Great, perhaps the greatest king England has ever had. From promoting learning and literacy, to seeking to unite all of England, to defending against invading Danes. He is one of mankind's greatest rulers. Here is his story.

“Ælfred’s name shall live as long as Mankind shall respect the past” - Shaftesbury Abbey Shaftesbury Abbey

Alfred the Great raises the fyrds of three shires at Egbert’s Stone

The Anglo-Saxon poet who wrote, “Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the giver of treasure? Where are the roars of the hall? Alas for the bright cup! Alas for the armored warrior! Alas for the glory of the king! How that time has passed, dark under cover of night, as if

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Hö Hö Hö, Gōd Cristes Mæsse!

Be more Hobbit

Who do you think are the three most influential poets of the 20th century? Here are my suggestions (the order is chronological): 1.) Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936), The Ballad of the White Horse (1911). An epic poem about King Alfred the Great. #poetry #poem

Sela Athelstan was the first king of a united England (because he incorporated Northumbria) but Alfred the Great was the clear inflection point. Before him, there wasn't a pre-eminent Anglo-Saxon kingdom. After him, there was, which is why I said that.

A statue of Alfred The Great that stands in his birthplace of Wantage

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