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King Alfred The Great in many ways was considered to be one of the greatest rulers of England. He was best known for establishing peace with the Vikings and building the kingdom of England. Alfred was the only english leader to be called “ The Great”. He founded the britsih army and navy in 890 AD. In his defeat of the Danes at Ashdown and Rochester and The battle of Edington which made him Alfred was born in the village of Wanting, now Wantage Oxfordshire. He was the youngest of five kids. In 853 AD at the age of four Alfred was sent to Rome, where he was anointed by Pope Leo IV. Around 858 AD Alfred's father Ethelwulf died and alfred's eldest brother Aethelbald took over as king. In 865 AD Danish Vikings tried to take over Alfred's kingdom Wessex, but it didn't work out. By 870 AD, king Ethelred, Alfreds brother and Alfred himself fought many battles with the Danes. That same year in 870 AD Alfred fought with the Vikings. The Danish Vikings conquered all the Anglo Saxon cities except Wessex. Alfred became his brother Ethelred second command and on January 8th, 871 AD Alfred defeated the Danes at the Battle of Ashdown in Berkshire. Alfred's brother king Ethelred died in battle so Alfred gained a victory over the Danes at Ashdown and was …show more content…
Alfred and his army used a tactic known as a Shield Wall which shields were placed side by side and through small cracks of the shield wall. The battle lasted most all day and the Danes got worn out. The Danes were chased by Alfred and his army were they were trapped in a castle and were starved for 14 days. After 14 days the Danes gave up and wanted peace. Alfred defeated the Danes and he encouraged settlement of the towns. Alfred's come back and victory of Edington secured the survival of
...usness, despite her prediction of great uncertainty and difficulty, and they agree to fight the Danes to the bitter end. Alfred, overcome with the unfounded “joy of giants,” hurries to deliver Mary's message to the three men who will be crucial to his success in fighting the Danes. The first, Eldred, is a Saxon farmer who desires to remain among the certain, simple pleasures of daily life. Although he admires Alfred's courage, he sees little reason to battle the Danes, who have already inflicted the English with such heavy losses. He pleads with
Who was King Arthur? Most people would tell of a great King; however, historians and archaeologists, especially Leslie Alcock, point to shadowy evidence of a man who is not a king, but a commander of an army. By looking at the context in which the stories of King Arthur survived, and the evidence pertaining to his castle Camelot and the Battle of Badon Hill, we can begin to see that Arthur is probably not a king as the legend holds.
James II of England was the first king to succeed to the kingdoms of both England and Scotland and to be crowned King of both. He was also known as the Duke of York, the Duke of Albany, and the honorary Duke of Normandy; a title that was never to be held again by an English monarch. He was called Lord High Admiral as he commanded the English navy in the Anglo- Dutch war, which resulted in a new English city renamed for him (New York). He became King of England on February 6, 1685 and remained so until he fled to France, escaping the hatred of his countrymen and the threats of his son-in-law on December 11, 1688. He was crowned King of Scotland 11 weeks after his coronation in England on April 23, 1685 and continued ruling over Ireland, even after his deposition, until July 1, 1690 when he was defeated by William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne. Despite his numerous titles and seemingly unlimited influence, his views concerning God, his unpleasant personality, and his outdated views on government would lead to the reconstruction of the English government and a removal of a second monarch, less than 100 years after the removal of Charles I. It’s an impressive resume for a not so impressive man.
Beowulf was a great king in many ways based on the Anglo-Saxon values. One example is when Beowulf showed when he was courages. When Beowulf decided to get invoked with Grendel, a monstrous man, in a battle, it was a big deal because it was thought to be that Grendel had more courage; things turned out to be
Charlemagne was born in 742 A.D., to a very famous and well-known family. Charlemagne’s grandfather was Charles Martel, the man who was responsible for the defeat of the Saracens. Charlemagne was also the eldest son of Bertrade (also known as Bertha Greatfoot) and Pepin the Short, the first to become king of the Franks. With the almost full extinction of schools in the 8th century, many historians say that Charlemagne received very little education, but did learn the art of reading from Bertrade.
Reasons attributing to the Viking’s success included their inability to be stopped by Western Europe and the fear that was installed into the residents of Western Europe. The viciousness of the attacks is clearly described in the Three Sources on the Ravages of the Northmen in Frankland, c. 843 – 912. The collection of these three texts describe various Viking attacks throughout Frankland, giving the reader a clear idea of the horror that the people of Frankland endured when attempting to resist the
Charlemagne also known as Charles the Great, created a legacy that is greatly honored still to this day. He is seen as one of the greatest conquerors ever because of territories he conquered, the diversity he created, and the building of one of the greatest empires known to mankind. Since the fall of Rome, most of the continent of Europe has not been ruled by someone, until Charlemagne came along. Charlemagne was the founder of the Holy Roman Empire and was the one person to practically lead Europe out of the Dark Ages.
In 1066 when his claim to the English throne was threatened by Harold Godwinson. Due to the fact that Harold Godwinson overlooked the dead king's wishes. Edward the Confessor, sworn his loyalty to William of Normandy when he died not to Harold. Harold Godwinson promptly had himself proclaimed king. It was only a matter of months before William, Duke of the large and powerful duchy of Normandy in France, paid Harold a visit to bring to his remembrance his own claim to the throne. William raised an army of Normans by promising them land and wealth when he came into his rightful kingship. October 14th 1066 he and William fought at the famous battle of Hastings. William and his army of Normans came, saw, and conquered. True to his promise to his fellow warriors, William systematically replaced the English nobility with Norman barons and noblemen who took control of the land, the people, and the government.
Alexander The Great was a very influential person in history. The reason that he is so recognized is because of how much he achieved at a young age. When he was a child, his father, Philip II of Macedon employed Aristotle, the famous philosopher to teach Alexander strategy, math and art as well as chess. By the time he was 20 he was extremely educated and really good at chess. When his Father was assassinated in 336 B.C.E, Alexander took his place in the army and started his conquest of much of the early world. Alexander was great because of his leadership, Integrity and courage.
The British Monarchy of Henry VII led England into a new path of modernism through politics, culture and social aspects. His addition of more modern, while keeping the good from the former style helped him build his monarchy the way he wanted. Henry didn't just bring renovations but a nonviolent environment for everyone. King Henry VII influenced a positive change between the Lancastrians and Yorkist and expanded the British monarchy. He accom-plished his purpose by being the change he wanted to see in England.
There is no question that Beowulf was a great leader. His fearlessness, selflessness, and faith in God all aided in shaping him into the great warrior and the great king that he was. Ancient civilizations and modern populations alike should all strive to live their lives in accordance with the characteristics of a great leader that Beowulf demonstrated, no matter where they come from or who they are.
Therefore, King Alfred created modern Britain and without him and his government, Britain would be much different than it is now. King Alfred was born in Wantage, Berkshire in 1848. Alfred was the son of the king of the West Saxons, Aethulwulf. When Alfred was a young child, his father made a mutual agreement with him and his four older brothers that if Aethulwulf were to die then the older brothers would take his place. This was because Aethulwulf did not want a young child to be the ruler of the West Saxons while Viking raids from Denmark threatened the country.
Alexander the Great, a fitting name given to a man that achieved everything he set out to do. Alexander was the definition of a great king. He showed his ruthlessness when needed, but was committed on uniting man for the greater good. His leadership, military tactics, and character could not be questioned and the legacy he left behind is the reason Alexander is “great”.
Alfred's battle with the Danes started in 868 when he was in active military with his brother Aethelred. When they went to battle the Danes refused and a peace treaty was then brought fourth, they had peace until the Danes attacked and broke the peace in 871. In the later parts of 871 the Danes attacked Wessex where Aethelred and Alfred fought them many times until Aelthelred sadly died and his brother Alfred replaced him as king. He decided to make peace with the Danes when the battle wasn’t going very well, this brought peace for five years. Danes attacked in 876 and quit a little later when they had accomplished very little. The Danes got a little smarter and decided to try a sneak attack in 878. It worked well and they were able to settle
...and defeated Grendel by himself, furthering his desire to become a major hero. After the death of Grendel, Beowulf and his crew left but soon returned when notice arrived saying that Grendel’s mother was now attacking. Beowulf returned to Denmark and there, vanquished Grendel’s mother adding more to his accomplishments. Beowulf fought for Denmark because he wanted to further increase his reputation and spread news of how great he was. During the story of Beowulf, we are informed that Beowulf thinks highly of himself, but takes no advantage of the people around him, “Thus Beowulf bore himself with valour; / he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honour / and took no advantage” (2177-2179). He believed if he helped, he would become a legend for Denmark. With this assumption, Beowulf is a good example of a man who fights by putting his own reasons before others.