History

[amanda2131]

Who is considered the first great king of England?

[Aaralyn]

Given that he is the only king labelled with the epithet 'the Great', probably Alfred. However, strictly speaking Alfred was the king of the West Saxons, rather than of England, since 'England' was not itself fully formed yet. Moreover, caution should be taken since, as Wallace-Hadrill wrote in 1949: ‘we hold Alfred was a great and glorious king in part because he tells us he was’. This view was also held by R.H.C. Davis who observed in 1971 that almost all the sources for Alfred’s reign may have originated with either Alfred himself or his immediate entourage. Certainly Asser never says anything against his hero and he carefully omits any mention of internal strife or dissent in Alfred's own reign.