Hello everyone and welcome to the History of England Episode 7, Alfred and the Fight for

Survival.

As the more experienced listeners among you may have noticed, we are now following

broadly the same topography of the original episodes written back in the days of my youth

in 2011, but adapted and made fuller where I feel the need.

We have arrived gentle listener at the life of the only English monarch to be called

great by his English subjects, noting that I think Knut gets great, but not from as the

ones he dumped on but from the Danes who did the dumping as it were.

But enough of dumping.

I think we should start the story of Alfred the Great by looking at his reputation

through the ages' historiography, if you will.

Now normally, or at least very often, this presents the opportunity to talk about the various

twists and turns of his reputation, so for example, like those who decided that in spite

of losing half his patrimony, sparking about any or revolt and ending up a vassal of the

Pope, King John was actually a spiffing king to be deeply admired.

But really, there is no such controversy about Alfred.

That's not that people had distanced him or praised him.

At most, it's more that different ages have represented him in different ways, emphasised

different bits as it were.

This in itself is pretty remarkable to even a king so admired as Edward III, even he

had a hard time at the hands of the Victorians as something of a feeble giveaway when it came

to royal power.

...