Alfred lived and ruled over 1,000 years ago. Yet his historic vision for his people, personal courage, spiritual devotion, and treatment of his enemies, offer profound wisdom for political leaders of any age -- including our own. Winston Churchill noted when looking back over the centuries at Alfred's life that, "we are witnessing the birth of a nation." It is an exhilarating story.

But first, some necessary background. Christianity came to Britain in the first century, probably brought by Roman soldiers -- possibly even by one of the soldiers who guarded Paul during his Roman imprisonment. Slowly the gospel of Christ spread and a strong Celtic church was established in Britain. The Celtic Christians even sent out missionaries to Ireland (St. Patrick!) and the European Continent.

When the Angle and Saxon barbarians attacked Britain in the fourth century, the British Christians began to be pushed back until they finally were mostly in Cornwall and Wales. In spite of their missionary zeal elsewhere, the British Christians did little to evangelize their Angle and Saxon invaders and conquerors. Not until Pope Gregory sent Augustine to England in 597 did the Angles and Saxons begin to embrace Christianity. Ethelbert was the first Anglo-Saxon monarch to become a Christian, and he encouraged his people to follow the Christian religion.

Gradually the Angles and Saxons converted to Christ and united with the British Christians in worship. In time, however, the vitality of the church declined. Ignorance, superstition and luxurious living replaced the simplicity and power of the Scriptures and a holy life. Many thought the Viking invasions which began at the end of the eighth century were punishment for the spiritual declension of the leaders and the people.

More than any Other
One man who did more than any other to fight against the spiritual decay within the English church as well as against the Vikings was Alfred, later known as Alfred the Great. Would Heathen Anarchy Prevail? In the earliest years of the attacks, the Vikings had been content to raid and plunder the coastal areas. By Alfred's time, some Danish Vikings wanted to settle on conquered lands. The Danes conquered the commercial town of London and began to settle in Northumbria and East Anglia. In 870 the Danes began a strong military push to extend their conquest to Wessex. It seemed that all of England would fall into heathen anarchy, and Christianity would disappear from the island. In January 871 Alfred led the Saxons against the Danes on Berkshire Downs and put the Danes to flight. It was Alfred's first battle, and with the Danes decisively beaten on the battlefield, hope was restored to the Saxon people. Soon after, King Ethelred died, and Alfred became King at the age of 24.

Some later saw it as providential that Alfred ascended to the throne of Wessex just as the Danish attacks were becoming strongest. As the warfare intensified, the invaders would make peace and then break their oaths and launch surprise attacks. On Twelfth Night in 878, when the Saxons were celebrating, the Danes swept down, and the whole Saxon army was thrown into confusion. Many were killed while others slipped away to their homes. Only a handful remained with Alfred, who hid out in the marshes and swamps on the Isle of Athelney. This was Alfred's darkest hour.

Later stories arose, as pictured on page one, to amuse generations of English children of Alfred disguised as a minstrel playing his harp in the Danish camps -- or disguised as a kitchen boy to a Saxon housewife. Towards the end of Lent, Alfred began to call on the militia to assemble at the end of May. The people were overjoyed to hear the king was alive, and all the fighting men came back. At the battle of Ethandun the Saxons and Danes fought with sword and ax for hours. As Winston Churchill later wrote of the battle, "The heathen had lost the favour of God through their violated oaths; eventually from this or other causes they fled from the cruel and changing field and, at the last, full of despair, begged for peace."