Alfred The Great
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature [1]
king of England, was born in 849, his parents being Ethelwulf, king of the West Saxons, and Asburga, his first wife. He mounted the throne in 871, and during the thirty years in which he held the reins of government he experienced the greatest vicissitudes of fortune. As king, he was a great benefactor of the Church; he built many monasteries and churches, and founded the University of Oxford, which has been, under God, through all ages, the main support of the true faith in that kingdom. He died Oct. 21 or 28, 901, being little over fifty years old. Besides drawing learned men to his court, Alfred himself was devoted to letters. He translated Boethius, De Consolatione (published by Cordale, London, 1829, 8vo). Several other works are attributed to Alfred; among them,
1. A Saxon Paraphrase Of The History Of Bede, given in the Cambridge edition of Bede'S History (1722, fol.): —
2. Various Laws Relating To The Church, contained in the same work (Appendix): —
3. A Saxon Translation of the Liber Pastoralis of St. Gregory (in MS. at Cambridge): —
4. The Psalter Of David, partly translated into Saxon (printed at London, with the Latin text, in 1640, 4to): —
5. Anglo-Saxon Translation of Orosius (given at the end of Pauli's "Life of Alfred," in Bohn's Library). He is also said to have translated the Four Dialogues Of St. Gregory, which are lost. — Powell, Life Of Alfred The Great (Lond. 1634, 12mo); Cave, Hist. Lit. anno 871; Weisz, Geschschte Alfred'S (Schaffhausen, 1852, 8vo); Pauli, Life Of Alfred (Berl. 1851), trans. by Thorp (Lond. 1853, 12mo).
The Nuttall Encyclopedia [2]
King of the West Saxons, and the most celebrated and greatest of all the Saxon kings. His troubles were with the Danes, who at the time of his accession infested the whole country north of the Thames; with these he fought nine battles with varied success, till after a lull of some years he was surprised by Gunthrum, then king, in 878, and driven to seek refuge on the island of Athelney. Not long after this he left his retreat and engaged Gunthrum at Edington, and after defeating him formed a treaty with him, which he never showed any disposition to break. After this Alfred devoted himself to legislation, the administration of government, and the encouragement of learning, being a man of letters himself. England owes much to him both as a man and a ruler, and it was he who in the creation of a fleet laid the first foundation of her greatness as monarch of the deep. His literary works were translations of the "General History" of Orosius, the "Ecclesiastical History" of Bede, Boëthius's "Consolations of Philosophy," and the "Cura Pastoralis" of Pope Gregory, all executed for the edification of his subjects (849-901).
