Читать книгу Anglo-American Cultural Studies - Jody Skinner - Страница 74

AlfredAlfred the GreatWhile AlfredAlfred the Great was definitely a king, in contrast to the legendary King ArthurKing ArthurArthur, King, a lot of people associate a particular legend with Alfred. A peasant woman who didn’t recognize Alfred asked him to watch some cakes while she was away. Alfred was, however, more concerned about the many problems his Kingdom of WessexWessex was facing and let the cakes burn. When the woman returned, she scolded Alfred but then apologized when she discovered who he was. Alfred said that he was the one who should apologize. For those of you who don’t really see the sense in this story, which is commonly known in Britain and was supposed to show the humility of Alfred as king, just rely on the facts: Alfred was the first king to unite large parts of what was to become known as EnglandEngland and defend it successfully against the Scandinavian invaders including the much feared VikingsVikings. He’s the first – and only monarch so far – to have been given the title “the Great,” partly based on the scholarship which made his court famous. He was also the first in England to use ships (in his fight against the Vikings) and thus is considered to be the founder of the English navy, an important part of the armed forces for an island country! And for those who like dates, Alfred conveniently died just one year before 900.