EXT9-OLD ENCLAND-ANCIENT CHRISTIANITY-KING ALFRED THE GREAT

BY    PRAGYANSHARMA POLAVARAPU 

The life  of people of British isles  since  ancient times  is  influenced  by the not-so-cold oceanic climate --England being at the eastern edge of the vast Atlantic ocean which spreads 3000 miles up to shores of USA.  The weather is influenced by the warm oceanic currents. The often rainy drizzling type weather and the greenery (forests and  low hills  in the south, forests and mountains and foggy weather in north) make British Isles a picturesque place. A genuine love for nature—visible in the descriptions of the greenery, low hills  and valleys, vast agricultural fields ,mountains and the seaside environment –pervade English literature from old to new times .

“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night...”
=W.H.DAVIES (1871-1940)

So on with many great poets like William Wordworth, Shelley, Keats, Lord Byron  and Lord Tennyson, great old novelists like Sir Walter Scott, Oliver Goldsmith  and Daniel Defoe( author of Robinson Crusoe)  and  later novelists like Thomas Hardy.A highly sensitive heart and mind ,necessary for great writers, is also observed in all of them. But can we remain without mentioning the greatest of English poets and dramatists William Shakespeare(1564-1616) and   the great serious-minded writer John Milton(1608-1674)

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In ancient times two thousand years ago-- when Europe and England (British Isles) were backward rural agricultural societies-- Greece(with its capital Athens) anf later Italy (with its capital Rome)developed  militaristic, aristocratic ,urban societies more than a millennium before Christian Era began.They also developed great sublime philosophies, principles of democracy and principles of city administration etc. They  developed sublime philosophy and spirituality just as the great Indian philosophers  developed in ancient times.  There were great  mythological epics Iliad  and Odyssey. Both Greece and Rome established empires and developed  urban oriented  philosophy  . Ancient Rome rose after ancient Greece.  There were  great  orators and great philosophers whose works have great intellectual brilliance and beauty and are highly readable even  today .

Then ,2000 years ago came the great humanistic religion Christianity preaching justice, uplifting poor and message of love and piety . It was religion of poor people compared to the aristocratic militarist culture of Roman governors who ruled over the country where Lord Jesus  lived.  The Roman emperors were first aloof and the Roman governors were antagonistic . But after  two centuries the Roman rulers realized the sublime value of the  great humanistic and loving teachings of Lord Jesus . First only the emperors accepted  the new religion of Lord Jesus. But by 300 BC  Christianity became  the state religion.Soon beautiful churches big and small and great monasteries with monks were established  everywhere. Saintly monks were sent to different countries of Europe including England. The Pope Head of entire Christianity in ancient world lived in Rome .Rome became the  center of ancient world’s  Christianity. The kings and emperors of all Europe and royal families treated the Pope with utmost  respect and sought his blessings in every important matter. The bishops, representatives of Pope in every European country , commanded similar respect. All countries of Europe one by one came under spell of Lord Jesus Christ’s  message  of love.

In British isles Christianity first came to Ireland. Great Irish saints went to England and Scotland and converted the rural illiterate agriculturist farmers to Christianity. The message of love and piety brought great change in hearts and minds of people. Everywhere small churches and monasteries were established. Every country of Europe went through such chage . In Europe too big empires were modelled after  the Roman model . History tells us that  Norman French language,culture  and fashion dominated England for nearly three centuries.

In southern  England there were several  Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and Wessex kingdom was the most powerful. There were often raids by Norwegian Viking pirates on sea ports.  The powerful kings of Wessex defeated the invaders. Soon Wessex kings declared them selves as kings of all England (south England) and made the developing “ancient English” as language of  Anglo-Saxon people. Old English is entirely different from modern English and was really like a German dialect. It took 400-500 years for English language to shed its Germanic appearance and the many  Germanic words and phrases. The Anglo-Saxon kings and people  protected English  which was crystallizing into a new language  after 400-500 years.

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King Alfred the Great (849AD -899AD) was the king of Wessex in southern England  and later the king of all England . He was the most famous  protector of newly developing English language and culture . We can see photos of his  home town Wantage in Oxfordshire  on the Net. All Anglo-Saxon territories were united and became the single kingdom of England  under his leadership. Before becoming king he travelled with his father (the king of wessex)to European royal courts and then went to  Rome where he could meet the Pope .Alfred  developed a strong passion for education under his mother’s influence. He later mastered Latin .His upbringing combined strong  religious devotion, exposure to continental politics, and superior military training. He became one of the mightiest kings of ancient Anglo-Saxon times.Alfred became king after the death of his brother. At that time  there was frequent warfare and disturbances . On the seafront there were frequent attacks and raids by  Norwegian /Danish war bands. In 8^th and 9^th centuries England was divided into several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In the  raids by the wild Viking tribes   monasteries and  schools  were being destroyed .

Being a great military strategist, King Alfred viewed this situation as a challenge. He  adopted  guerrilla tactics and won  a decisive victory over the far bigger raiding parties of Vikings. He forced the Danish/Viking raiders to accept the new boundaries with Anglo-Saxon territory. He  reorganized the  army, built a network of forts and started a separate  navy to fight the raiders from the sea.

He was a scholar-King, valuing learning  as much as military victories. He ordered  translations of ancient Christian moral books  into “Old English”. He  established schools teaching  Old English .

King Alfred created legal codes  taking the best from well established principles of  ancient Christian ethical writings  and Anglo-Saxon legal principles.He stressed that there should be justice and protection for the weak.

Being a great Latin scholar  himself, he translated many Christian classical books from Latin to old English.The old English of his days is not at all the English as we readmit was just like a German dialect with a rare English word  in a para.

He emphasized on a single Anglo-Saxon nation and declared himself as  "King of the Anglo-Saxons" . He negotiated with the Danes and acquired old London  and made it part of kingdom of  England. His court became a center for learning and attracted scholars from Europe. He encouraged translation of old Latin books feeling that  ancient moral knowledge of old Christian books should not be lost and should be  available to new generations.

Above all, he did a great service to English language and English history, by starting the famed “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle” to record the important events in Anglo-Saxon history of those times . He ensured that copies of Anglo-Saxon Chronicle were supplied to all the monasteries in Wessex.

Thus he proved himself to be not only the strongest Anglo-Saxon military leader but also protector of Anglo-Saxon culture  i.e. English culture and traditions .

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Slowly during several centuries , everywhere in Europe  national kingdoms  were developing  and the old Roman Christian religion was becoming firmly established. European languages were developing just as English was developing but it took centuries  of time. Roman Empire declined and forgotten over the centuries. Powerful European kingdoms with their rich royal courts developed . The religion was modeled for several centuries on Roman Catholic model and Roman Catholic tradions . However the royal court of France dominated and France became center of European culture.In 1066 Norman invasion  of Britain (British isles) occurred and changed the old Anglo-Saxon  type political environment in England to continental and French type culture.