King Alfred the Great

by Joe Schofield

Title

King Alfred the Great

Artist

Joe Schofield

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The statue of King Alfred the Great at Winchester Hampshire England; sculpted by Sir Hamo Thornycroft & unveiled in September 1901.

Alfred the Great was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899.

From 871 to 899 CE, Alfred the Great presided over the throne of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex. At a time filled with great challenges, Alfred shone as a beacon of hope, guiding the disparate kingdoms of England into a united force in the face of great peril that, without him, would have surely succeeded in bringing an end to Anglo-Saxon England.

Alfred the Great was a visionary, a warrior, a reformer, and an educator, taking great steps to improve the literacy of his realm. Considered one of Alfred the Great’s biggest concerns was the improvement of education in England, which, linked to religion, had suffered as a result of the Viking incursions. During the Middle Ages, most education was conducted in Latin through the Church. Alfred changed this trend and promoted English as the primary language of instruction. In addition to improving education throughout the realm, he opened his own “court school,” which was intended for the education of his own children, children of the nobility, as well as children with a less noble heritage. Quality educators were hired from the continent, and education was conducted in Latin and English.
In addition to the noteworthy historic perspectives, I came to learn of a Winchester legend regarding Alfred's statue -- notably his right arm, his sword, and the occasion of a female passing in front of him. I shall leave that for you to discover.

Uploaded

October 29th, 2023

Colors

Embed

Share

Tags