King Alfred
Why was King Alfred concerned with literacy and learning?It is clear that literacy and learning played an important role in the life of King Alfred. In his biography of the king, Asser tells us that from an early age Alfred showed an aptitude for book learning which was encouraged by his mother. The reason why Alfred developed this interest from an early age was probably the fact that he was the youngest child of his family and so it was probably expected that he would become a clergyman rather than king and so could focus on more intellectual training needed for work in the Church. Although the reasons that he developed a personal love of learning in his younger years are clear, this does not explain why he put so much emphasis on the literacy and learning of his subjects in later years. One of the ways in which Alfred encouraged literacy and learning was having a number of key ecclesiastical works translated from Latin into English. One of the main reasons for Alfred's huge concern for literacy and learning was his sincere belief that the Viking raids on his kingdom were a punishment from God because the people had abandoned religious learning. Alfred did a lot to strengthen England's military position by building a
This again shows that Alfred is targeting highly valued intellectuals to attract to his court. In the long term the King believed that the Viking's would only be stopped when God had been appeased. In Asser's biography of Alfred , we learn that the king also did a lot to make his court a key intellectual centre of Europe. Alfred believed that this lack of learning had turned the English into a brutish and uncultured race. He did this by investing money in his intellectuals and by encouraging his courtiers to read. It was part of Alfred's plan to improve the state of the church. So it seems that Alfred wanted his bishops to read the book so they understood the need for teaching and so ensured there would be future learned Church bishops. He even acknowledges this in his preface in which he compares his translation to the building of a spiritual house using the materials left to him by Augustine. In Fulco's letter the Archbishop highlights how highly he values Grimbald, and that he hopes he will be treated the honour and respect that he deserves. There are clear indications that in the time of Alfred there was a lack of new manuscripts being created. He set up a school as part of the royal household in which his own children, the children of nobles and some others received an education which especially focused on improving literacy. However, he felt that these military preparations were merely a temporary solution to the problem. It is also evident that very few people were educated enough to read Latin and even fewer to write it. It may have been inspired by Alfred's general disenchantment with the level of education among his current officials.
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Acceptance Essays
