Alfred the Great

Books and Learning

Alfred now started to have books made. Since the Vikings had started raiding, the monks who had made the books had suffered. The quality of the books had become worse. Fewer people could read properly and much of the writing was poor. Alfred made sure that some important books were copied accurately. He also had the books translated into Anglo- Saxon instead of Latin. Alfred was perhaps the first king to be able to read and write himself.

Each book had to be carefully hand copied from a master copy. Alfred chose to have history books and books explaining about laws sent out to each important leader. Through this, the meaning of his laws was made clear throughout Wessex.

King Alfred the Great was the man who saved Britain from a Viking take over. Without his victories, Britain would have become an entirely Viking country. Through his practical organisation of the country and vision of the future he made the base on which other later Kings ruled.