Kings of the British Isles.
The Christian Kings who Founded the Four Nations
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great Video

This is the first in a four part series on the four key Christian kings who made nations out of their peoples. The best documented is King Alfred the Great. As an Englishman myself he has a special place in my heart because without Alfred there would be no England
The first Anglo-Saxon king to style himself as the King of the English was Alfred the Great. He ruled from 871 to 886 AD and he was from the House of Wessex. Alfred was possibly the greatest king the English have had. His heart was for God and he desired to learn and grow in the knowledge of God. He translated many works into English including the first fifty Psalms. His biographer was a devout Welsh monk called Asser whom he invited to his court to help in the task of educating the English. Alfred was dismayed that the levels of literacy and bible knowledge were negligible in England at the time. He invited many scholarly people to his court to help him improve the level of education in his kingdom. Asser wrote this of Alfred:
“…he used to moan and sigh continually because God had created him lacking in divine learning and knowledge of the liberal arts.”
Asser likened Alfred to Solomon who sought wisdom from God.
This picture shows Alfred the Great's statue at Winchester. Hamo Thornycroft's bronze statue erected in 1899.

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Alfred was basically a scholarly man who was forced by circumstances to spend most of his reign fighting off invading vikings. His heart was always for learning and knowledge. Asser says that as a young man “more than anything else” he had the desire for wisdom. It greatly grieved him that whereas in the seventh century religion and learning had flourished, in the ninth century the church had declined and with it the quality of learning in England. In the preface to his translation of Pope Gregory’s Pastoral Care Alfred mourned the fact that there were very few men left South of the Humber river who could understand Latin and not a single one south of the Thames. Alfred’s first concern was to recruit men of learning to make up for the lack of learning in his kingdom of Wessex. Asser himself was one of the men Alfred recruited.
This desire for greater learning for himself and his country was borne out of his Christian faith. He was a layman of exceptional religious devotion. Asser tells us that he was in the invariable habit of listening daily to divine services and Mass and of participating in certain psalms and prayers and in the daytime and night offices. As well as translating the first fifty Psalms he translated several other religious works and drew up a law code based on biblical principles. One notable aspect of the Laws of Alfred is their emphasis on the concept of compensation. Many of the crimes listed in the laws could be resolved through the payment of a fine or compensation to the victim. This concept would become a central component of English common law, which developed in the centuries after Alfred’s reign and it is a concept drawn directly from the bible.

Image of the Viking Leader Guthrum
Another outworking of Christianity in Alfred’s life was his attitude towards his enemies. He was constantly plagued by Viking invaders throughout his reign. At one point his fortunes fell so low that he had to live virtually as an outlaw in his own country, hiding in the bogs and marshes of Somerset. At this time he was being pursued by the Viking warlord Guthrum. At last Alfred managed to mobilise support from loyalists in Wessex and defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Eddington. He chased the fleeing Guthrum back to their stronghold in Chippenham. Surrounding the town, Alfred had the Vikings at his mercy but instead of slaughtering them he demanded that the heathen Guthrum and his leading men convert to the Christian faith. Guthrum did indeed get baptised and Alfred became his Godfather.
instead of becoming bitter after years of war and treachery, Alfred forgave Guthrum and became his godfather. In the process he turned a foe into an ally. Some may say this was just a political move but I believe that it was a genuine manifestation of Alfred’s faith. Whenever possible he would baptise his enemies into the Christian faith despite constant betrayals and backslidings. His heart was to help save the souls of enemies rather than damn them to hell. That is why he is truly worthy of the title Great.
After defending his kingdom from the Vikings Alfred became the dominant ruler in England. He was the first king to style himself the King of the Anglo-Saxons. Alfred had a heart for England and the English people and was the man who really gave them nationhood. He wanted to improve the quality of life for all English people and always strove for the betterment of his nation.
This is what he had in common with the other kings in this series. Each king was driven by a love for his people and I believe that each king was ordained by God to make a nation out of his people. These nations are a part of God’s eternal plan.They will never go away. When a person has a love for his country that is something that will never die. It is something God puts in us, that we carry in our hearts whether our country is doing well or badly.
Brian Boru
Brian Boru Video
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One of the earliest depictions of Brian on the 1723 publication of Dermot O'Connor's translation of Foras Feasa ar Éirinn. The General History of Ireland, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In Ireland itself it is not easy to establish the authentic line of kings although many works have attempted to do so. If you are interested in the subject you can find more information on the website and I have produced a video called Adam to Brian Boru. Also if you scroll through the Useful Charts page of the website you will find a complete list of the Irish kings that I have attempted to compile.
According to medieval Irish literature, Ireland was ruled by a High King since ancient times. Many early Irish texts like the Lebor Gabála Érenn, attempted to trace the line of the dynasties. Geoffrey Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (The History of Ireland) gives long genealogies of the various chieftains going back to Adam. The kings, or chieftains, of the clans were chosen from the most able or suitable members of the clans rather than following a strict system of primogeniture such as the English followed.
However, one king stood out from the others and could probably be called the greatest high king of Ireland. In some ways he is to Ireland what Arthur was to the Britons and Alfred to the English. Brian Boru was a fearless warrior who succeeded in uniting all the provinces of Ireland under his rule. Together with his army at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, Brian Boru defeated a Viking-Irish alliance army and ended the Viking era of control in Ireland. Unfortunately, although Brian Boru had won the greatest victory of his long career, he did not live long to enjoy it. As he knelt in his tent praying for victory and for his army, Viking Brodir, who was nearby, ran into his tent and killed the 73-year-old Brian.
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Innisfallen Island
My purpose here is to demonstrate that, like the other kings in this series, everything Brian Boru did was motivated by his Christian faith.
Brian’s father was Cennétig mac Lorcáin who was King of Dál gCais and king of Tuadmumu (Thomond), modern County Clare. He was born in about 941 AD, the youngest of twelve brothers. Brian was highly unlikely to be heir to his father's throne. When he was young, he was sent to a monastery to study Latin and the history of Ireland. Christianity in Ireland had developed from monastic communities from long before the arrival of Saint Patrick. A hermitage on the island of Skellig Michael was ordered by Arwystli (aka Aristobulus) who was appointed and ordained Bishop of Britain by the Apostle Paul. The gospel had spread from communities such as this.
Brian was taught at a monastery on the island of Innisfallen, near modern Killarney in County Kerry. His teacher or mentor was the noted monk, Maelsuthain Ua Cearbhaill, an Eóganacht chief who had become the head of the monastery, noted for starting the Annals of Inisfallen. Ua Cearbhaill would later become Brian's anmchara (advisor). Monasteries such as these were steeped in holiness and genuine Christian faith.

When Brian was ten years old he received news that his father had been killed in a battle with the Vikings and he returned home. Tragically Brian later witnessed another Viking raid near his home in which his mother was killed. These events obviously left a lasting impression on him.
After the death of his father the kingship of the region of Tuadmumu passed to Brian's older brother, Mathgamain. Brian and Mathgamain campaigned together throughout Munster. When Mathgamain was killed in 976. Brian replaced him. Subsequently, he became king of the entire kingdom of Munster.
From this brief account we can see that Brian was raised as a devout Christian and also witnessed the assault on his family and people by the Vikings. His heart was for a united Ireland free from the Viking invaders. The High Kings of Ireland had been crowned in Tara since the time of Simon Breac, or Brech. He was crowned King of Ireland in about 700 BC and placed a marble chair in Tara, the traditional seat of the Irish kings, where many successive kings were crowned after him. However in the time of Brian the Uí Néill clan had held a monopoly of the rights to the “kingship of Tara” for hundreds of years.

Image of a tenth century Irish Monk
After years of political and military struggle Brian broke this monopoly and And by the year 1002 succeeded in forcing the Uí Néill high king, Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, to recognise him as his superior. This was significant because it broke the Uí Néill monopoly and opened the way for a united Ireland.
After Brian won the kingship of Ireland, he went on a tour throughout the island. His old mentor from his childhood monastery, Maelsuthan, accompanied the king during the trip during which they visited Armagh and established the supremacy of Armagh over the other churches of Ireland.
Brian spent the rest of his life attempting to subjugate the lesser kingdoms and regions of Ireland and bring them into one unitary state. He worked with the church in Ireland to establish a new form of kingship in Ireland, one that was similar to the kingships of England and France, in which there were no lesser ranks of regional kings, simply one king who ruled one nation. He spent his life fighting mostly heathen adversaries and like the other kings in this series he had a vision for his people, the Irish, to be one nation.
During the final great battle he had with the Vikings, Battle of Clontarf in 1014, he succeeded in finally defeating the Viking invaders
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During the final great battle he had with the Vikings, Battle of Clontarf in 1014, he succeeded in finally defeating the Viking invaders. However, he himself was killed in his tent by a fleeing Viking and with him the dream of a united Irish nation seemed to die. Ireland itself fractured into warring factions but somehow the dream of Brian Boru lived on.
God created the Irish to be a nation and Brian Boru has remained a symbol of Irish nationhood. The Trinity College harp, also known as Brian Boru's harp, is a medieval musical instrument on display in the long room at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. The harp was used as a model for the coat of arms of Ireland and for the trademark of Guinness stout. Someone said that if it wasn't for Brian we would have to drink Carlsberg instead of Guinness! So let's raise a glass of the black stuff to the King of the Irish.
The Brian Boru Harp
King Arthur
King Arthur Video
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Statue of Geoffrey at the Old Station Tintern in Monmouthshire. Colin Cheesman
We have two main sources for tracing the British (Welsh) kings. Firstly, The History of the British by Nennius, a Welsh monk of the ninth century. Secondly Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The History of the Kings of Britain (Geoffrey was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth in Wales). Putting these two sources together we have a complete record from Adam through the first British king Brutus to the last king, Cadwallader. If you are interested in this subject I have produced a video called “The British Kings. From Adam to Arthur” and you can also find complete charts of the British/Welsh kings on the Useful Charts page of the website.
Geoffrey of Monmouth said he translated his History from a certain very ancient book written in the British language. There are other variants of Geoffrey’s book written in medieval Welsh and arguments rage over whether all surviving Welsh variants are derivative of Geoffrey rather than the other way around. Some people believe that Geoffrey’s History was a genuine translation of old Welsh chronicles into Latin and others believe it was romantic invention. I am going to take Geoffrey at his word because he says in the dedication at the start of his book that he was indeed asked to translate the very ancient book by Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford. He admits to using his own expressions and his own homely style in his translation but I do not believe, as some do, that he was making it all up.

Image of King Arthur
What is clear is that the story of Arthur became famous through Geoffrey’s work. His name had been mentioned in previous works but not in the context of Arthur as the king of the British. Geoffrey put him in the line of British kings and made him the greatest of the British kings. He is the king who the British/Welsh always looked back to as the forger of their nation. So much so that in later times the English kings had to go to great lengths to demonstrate that Arthur was actually dead as the legend survived that he had never died.
Christianity came to the British Isles long before the arrival of the Catholic church. If you are interested in this subject you can watch the videos I have made on Early Christianity in the British Isles. Christianity came to these Islands as soon as the gospel spread from Jerusalem in the time of the Book of Acts. As in Ireland a monastic form of simple Christianity spread across Britain which was destroyed by the arrival of the Catholics. About 1,200 Welsh monks were slaughtered at the Battle of Chester in the early 7th Century by Æthelfrith of Northumbria at the instigation of Augustine who was frustrated that the Welsh would not follow the Roman Catholic faith. The Saxons had converted to Roman Catholicism from a place of heathenism but the Welsh already had the Christian faith received from the early church and did not want the Roman Catholic version. It is because of this that we find it hard to find records of Welsh history as much of it was wiped out.

Image of a ninth century monk at a writing desk
As a result of this annihilation of Celtic Christianity we do not have a great deal in the way of written records in the Welsh language. Some historical material does survive in Welsh from medieval times. Fifty eight manuscript copies exist today in libraries and museums. We do not have the original works from which Nennius and Geoffrey drew their information but we have enough information to give credence to what they wrote.
Nennius assembled some select documents under the title of History of the British. In chapter 56 there is a record of twelve battles that Arthur fought against the invading English who were heathen at this time. Arthur is represented as a Christian warrior. In the eighth battle it is reported that:
…the heathen were put to flight on that day, and there was a great slaughter among upon them through the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the holy Virgin Mary, his mother.
Similarly in the Welsh Annals (Annales Cambriae) Nennius reports that in the year 516, in the Battle of Badon,
Arthur carried the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ for three days and three nights on his shoulders (i.e. shield) and was victorious.

Image of the legendary King Arthur
We have to remember that Nennius was a Catholic monk writing in the ninth century about events that happened in the early 6th Century. He was representing Arthur as a Catholic Christian warrior but Catholicism had only come to Ireland in the the 5th century when Christianity was already well established. Christianity had been in Britain from very shortly after the time of Christ and I believe that Arthur was a Christian warrior fighting the heathen but not necessarily a Catholic.
In the same way Geoffrey of Monmouth represented Arthur as a Christian warrior but also as a Christian king. At one of his battles with the Saxons, the Battle of Bath, he says:
Arm yourselves men, and attack these traitors with all your strength! With Christ’s help we shall conquer them, without any possible doubt! - History of the King of Britain ix,3.
Arthur also fought battles with the Picts, Scots and Irish. It is interesting that the Scots at this time had a system of bishops and clergy and these clerics successfully sought pardon for their nation from Arthur. Also we are told that Arthur was grieved by the destruction to the churches in Britain that had been wrought by the Saxon invaders and rebuilt the ruined churches.

Image of the court of King Arthur at Caerleon
Arthur’s campaigns continued in Ireland, Scandinavia and Gaul. Eventually he set up court in the City of Legions (Caerleon in Monmouthshire, Wales). And received delegates from far and wide. Geoffrey tells us:
…there remained no prince of any distinction who did not come when he received his invitation. ix,12
This was truly the high point of the British nation. Geoffrey tells us that at this point Britain had reached such a standard of sophistication that it excelled all other kingdoms. Arthur was careful to set up a church government in the country bestowing Archbishoprics, bishoprics and various other benefices amongst the clergy. After this he conducted several other campaigns before finally being mortally wounded at the Battle of Camblam. Geoffrey tells us that Arthur was carried off to the Isle of Avalon (Glastonbury) so that his wounds might be attended to. He does not tell us that Arthur actually died. This left the door open for legends to arise that Arthur will return. The expression "Once and Future King" comes from an Arthurian legend, specifically from Sir Thomas Malory's book "Le Morte d'Arthur" where it is described that a stone inscription on Arthur's tomb reads "Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam, rexque futurus" which translates to "Here lies Arthur, the once and future king" in Latin; essentially meaning that Arthur was once a king and is destined to return as king again in the future.
The point of this series is to show that the four major nations of the British Isles were established by God who used Christian kings to create unified nations out of their peoples. The other three kings, Alfred the Great, Brian Boru and Kenneth MacAlpin are well documented historical figures but Arthur seems to have passed into legend. He is however a real historical figure and despite his legendary status he is the most famous and romantic of the four. The British people live on as the Welsh people. Wales has many similarities to Israel. It is a similar size and it was almost wiped out as a nation but has survived. The Welsh language, like the Hebrew language was almost extinguished but has enjoyed a revival.
Wales throughout history tends to be the place where the embers of Christianity in Britain tend to be re-stoked when they are growing dim. King Arthur himself has always remained as a symbol of British and Welsh nationhood.