[JamesSmith100]

May I ask what is Alfred The Great his majesty thinking when he built the empire of England. He knows history and I think he understands that no empire lasts forever.

So if he understands no empire lasts forever, what is his goal and what is his target when he built the English Empire, to make the empire last for millions of years?

[Mr.Zen]

Alfred the Great was warned by Jedi masters that the senate was going to decide his fate. Therefore he enacted Order 66 in 870, thus ensuring out with the old and in with the new. He then got his Empire. Plus a Death Star or two.

EDIT: Negs? Seriously come on now people you guys need to lighten up yo

[Michaelj]

From what I understand, his goal initially was to just fight the invading vikings and to instead of making England hold multiple kingdoms merge it into one so they can fight as a force together. Bernard Cornwells Saxon novels are very good and Alfred gets a lot of time in them, a must read if you're interested in this thing but also looking for a good story.

[ajp100688]

Nothing lasts forever so what is the point of doing anything based upon your logic.

[fuzznbass]

(Original post by Michaelj)
From what I understand, his goal initially was to just fight the invading vikings and to instead of making England hold multiple kingdoms merge it into one so they can fight as a force together. Bernard Cornwells Saxon novels are very good and Alfred gets a lot of time in them, a must read if you're interested in this thing but also looking for a good story.

Agreed, I personally like the whole Alfred and Uhtred hate/alliance thing lol. On a historical note, Alfred wanted to unite all the English speaking people.

[MrHayden]

This is my kind of thread! When he set events in motion that would lead to his grandson, Aethelstan, unifying the English kingdoms for the first time, I imagine it was mainly due to a simply ideological belief in a single English people having a single English kingdom. For hundreds of years the competing English kingdoms had been fighting against each other for no real reason other than good old Germanic violence loving. A much more pragmatic approach seems equally likely, as is suggested by Michael J above - the in fighting and disunity between the English kingdoms had made it ridiculously easy for the Danes to take control of virtually all England, and so Alfred's feelings about a united England might have even been a nationalist reaction to the Viking invasions.
I very much doubt he really had plans for an English empire, simply a united kingdom which his dynasty was to rule over. The Viking wars (I love saying that) had established Wessex as the most powerful English kingdom, it being the only one independent of Viking rule by the end of Alfred's time, and so he may have simply seen the opportunity to expand his family's power base to beyond Wessex.
Looking back further in time, ideas about a degree of unity amongst the English people had been present for a very long time. King Aelle back in the 5th C had been the first to hold the title of Bretwalda - Ruler of all Britain, demonstrating that the attitude towards a united rule of the English held part of Britain had been existent for several centuries already. Alfred might have been tapping into this archaic concept and attempting to recreate the glorious leadership of a Bretwalda again.

[Michaelj]

The thing that impressed me the most with Alfred was when we almost lost the whole of England and Alfred's forces were scattered to the swamps in what is now known as Sunderland and he fought back and won back Wessex. He taught all his strategys to his children and they passed it on and so forth until they lost to the invaders in 1066.