|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great (848–c.900), English king of Wessex, is often said to be the founder of the English Navy. There is no real validity in this claim because naval actions against the Danes had been fought before Alfred began to build any ships to combat their raids, and later no navy existed for long periods but had to be recruited when the need arose from the Cinque Ports and other sources. Early encounters with the Danes and their longships, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, took place inshore, and not until 885 does it mention that Alfred ‘went out to sea with ships and fought against four ships' companies of Danes'. In 897 Alfred started to build a new type of ship which was equipped with at least 60 oars and was ‘swifter, steadier, and with more freeboard’ than those used by the marauding Danes.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Alfred the Great." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Alfred the Great." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-AlfredtheGreat.html "Alfred the Great." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-AlfredtheGreat.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
