The Great. One of only two English monarchs to be so designated (the other being Cnut The Occasionally Misspelt). “In the midst of prosperity the mind is elated, and in prosperity a man forgets himself; in hardship he is forced to reflect on himself, even though he be unwilling.” (Attributed)
10 August 2015
EXXO
The earliest depiction of the fleur-de-lis in royal insignia seems to have been on the seal of the Frankish king Robert II (around 1030 AD). After Phillip II (around 1180 AD), it was increasingly present somewhere in the insignia of French royalty, then pretty much everywhere. The earliest adoption into English heraldry seems to be Edward III in about 1340, when trying to claim back some bit of Gaul that he had lost in a game of arrows of course.
It seems therefore unlikely that Alf had a crown of anything remotely resembling that design when he was doing the great bake-off thing with the Danes in the 870s.
10 August 2015
THIS LEADEN PAUL
The derivation of ‘Alfred’ comes from Old English and means ‘Wise Elf’. Contrary to popular legend, did NOT invent the ‘Great British Bake-Off’, nor did he write the lyrics to ‘Winchester Cathedral’.
10 August 2015
dickhead in quicksand
Alfred the Cake
King Alfred was the first Good King, with the exception of Good King Wenceslas, who, though he looked forth, really came first (it is not known, however, what King Wenceslas was King of). Alfred ought never to be confused with King Arthur, equally memorable but probably non-existent and therefore perhaps less important historically (unless he did exist).
There is a story that King Alfred once burnt some cakes belonging to Mrs Girth, a great lady of the time, at a place called Atheling. As, however, Alfred could not have been an Incendiary King and a Good King, we may dismiss the story as absurd, and in any case the event is supposed to have occurred in a marsh where the cakes would not have burnt properly. Cf. the famous lines of poetry about King Arthur and the cakes:
“Then slowly answered Alfred from the marsh —” (Arthur, Lord Tennyson)
(Sellar [no ‘s’] and Yeatman, 1066 And All That.)
10 August 2015
Eugene C
1066 and all that taught me all I know about (mostly) English History. No wonder I’m confused
Dr Desperate
The Great. One of only two English monarchs to be so designated (the other being Cnut The Occasionally Misspelt).
“In the midst of prosperity the mind is elated, and in prosperity a man forgets himself; in hardship he is forced to reflect on himself, even though he be unwilling.” (Attributed)
10 August 2015
EXXO
The earliest depiction of the fleur-de-lis in royal insignia seems to have been on the seal of the Frankish king Robert II (around 1030 AD). After Phillip II (around 1180 AD), it was increasingly present somewhere in the insignia of French royalty, then pretty much everywhere. The earliest adoption into English heraldry seems to be Edward III in about 1340, when trying to claim back some bit of Gaul that he had lost in a game of arrows of course.
It seems therefore unlikely that Alf had a crown of anything remotely resembling that design when he was doing the great bake-off thing with the Danes in the 870s.
10 August 2015
THIS LEADEN PAUL
The derivation of ‘Alfred’ comes from Old English and means ‘Wise Elf’. Contrary to popular legend, did NOT invent the ‘Great British Bake-Off’, nor did he write the lyrics to ‘Winchester Cathedral’.
10 August 2015
dickhead in quicksand
Alfred the Cake
King Alfred was the first Good King, with the exception of Good King Wenceslas, who, though he looked forth, really came first (it is not known, however, what King Wenceslas was King of). Alfred ought never to be confused with King Arthur, equally memorable but probably non-existent and therefore perhaps less important historically (unless he did exist).
There is a story that King Alfred once burnt some cakes belonging to Mrs Girth, a great lady of the time, at a place called Atheling. As, however, Alfred could not have been an Incendiary King and a Good King, we may dismiss the story as absurd, and in any case the event is supposed to have occurred in a marsh where the cakes would not have burnt properly. Cf. the famous lines of poetry about King Arthur and the cakes:
“Then slowly answered Alfred from the marsh —” (Arthur, Lord Tennyson)
(Sellar [no ‘s’] and Yeatman, 1066 And All That.)
10 August 2015
Eugene C
1066 and all that taught me all I know about (mostly) English History. No wonder I’m confused
11 August 2015