Alfred the Great

Introduce your students to a true English hero who saved 9th-century England and Anglo-Saxon culture from Danish raiders. In the 9th century, England was a war-ravaged country. The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms fell victim to the raids of the Danes who came in their long ships to plunder and to settle. It was only the tireless resistance of Alfred, King of Wessex, which held back the Danes and prevented total conquest. This primary source portfolio tells the story of the English resistance to the Danes, reconstructed with the aid of a model of a Saxon warship, records of Alfred's battles with the Danes, and a facsimile of the treaty that he concluded with the beaten Danish king. The richness of the Anglo-Saxon culture, which Alfred fought to preserve is illustrated with pages from the Lindisfarne Gospels, a picture of the Alfred Jewel, showing the splendors of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship, and a scale model of a typical church of Alfred's time. The king's own contribution to the revival of learning, which he fostered is represented by an example of one of his translations from the Latin. This portfolio includes a Study Guide with reproducible student activities. Your students will enjoy activities such as building a model Saxon church. 5 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Brief account of Alfred of Wessex's life * Muddle and manuscripts: Difficulties of interpreting Alfred's life from limited sources * Under the Golden Dragon: System of raising armies and men for the navy * Alfred's England * The Full-Time King: Alfred's achievements 14 Primary Source Documents: * Map of Anglo-Saxon England with key to present-day names * Two pages from the Lindisfarne Gospels * Four pages from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle covering some of Alfred's battles with the Danes * Translation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle on Alfred’s reign * The treaty between Alfred and Guthrum in which Alfred extends the boundaries of Wessex * Alfred’s introduction to his translation of "Cura Pasoralis" * Translation of "Cura Pasoralis" with word-for-word gloss of the first page * Picture sheet of Anglo-Saxon coins from the time of Alfred * Anglo-Saxon art and architecture * The Alfred jewel * The Anglo-Saxon wall painting excavated at Winchester * Model of the church of St. Lawrence, Bradford-upon-Avon * Model of an Anglo-Saxon ship * Anglo-Saxon warfare: a picture sheet