Alfred is the only English monarch to be known as “The Great” He has been hailed as the Savior of
England. That may be debatable in the strict sense -- there was not as yet one “England,” more a federation waiting to be moulded into one. Alfred can, though, lay claim to saving the English language. It is in one of his own translations -- in the preface to Gregory’s ‘Pastoral Care’ -- ce.mdbys.com/The%20Book%20of%20the%20Pastoral%20Rule%20of%20Saint%20Gregory.pdf that one of the first appearances of the word “Englisch,” describing the language, is recorded. Bet Alfred not only saved the language, he dug it even more deeply into the minds of his people by using English as a rallying force and even more importantly as the conduit for an intense programme of education. ` Page 17