Editing Alfred the Great (section)

== Legacy ==
{{See also|Cultural depictions of Alfred the Great}}
[[File:Alfred the Great - Samuel Woodforde.jpg|thumb|upright|Eighteenth century portrait of Alfred by [[Samuel Woodforde]]]]

[[Henry VI of England]] attempted unsuccessfully to have Alfred canonised by [[Pope Eugene IV]] in 1441. The current "[[Roman Martyrology]]" does not mention Alfred.{{Sfn|Foot|2011|p=231}} The [[Anglican Communion]] [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|venerates]] him as a Christian hero, with a [[Lesser Festival]] on 26 October,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Calendar |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar |access-date=9 April 2021 |website=The Church of England |language=en}}</ref> and he may often be found depicted in stained glass in [[Church of England]] parish churches.{{Sfn|Horspool|2006|pp=190–191}}

In 2007, the [[Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church]] canonised "All Saints of the British Isles" including King Alfred.<ref>[https://orthodox-europe.org/content/an-initial-listing-of-saints-of-the-british-isles/ British and Western European Diocese (ROCOR)]</ref>{{Sfn|Phillips|2016}} He is honoured during the Feast of all Saints of the British Isles on the third Sunday after Pentecost and on his feast day of 26 October.{{Sfn|Phillips|2016}}{{Sfn|Hutchison-Hall|2017|p=85-88}}

Alfred commissioned Bishop Asser to write his biography, which inevitably emphasised Alfred's positive aspects. Later medieval historians such as [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] also reinforced Alfred's favourable image. By the time of the Reformation, Alfred was seen as a pious Christian ruler who promoted the use of English rather than Latin, and so the translations that he commissioned were viewed as untainted by the later Roman Catholic influences of the Normans. Consequently, while Alfred's epithet, "the Great", was in regular use from the 13th century, it was writers of the 16th century who popularised it. There is no evidence of Alfred's contemporaries using the sobriquet.{{Sfn|Firth|2024}} The epithet was retained by succeeding generations who admired Alfred's patriotism, success against barbarism, promotion of education, and establishment of the rule of law.{{Sfn|Yorke|1999}}

The Royal Navy named one ship and two shore establishments [[HMS King Alfred|HMS ''King Alfred'']], and one of the early ships of the U.S. Navy was named [[USS Alfred|USS ''Alfred'']] in his honour. In 2002, Alfred was ranked number 14 in the BBC's list of the [[100 Greatest Britons]] following a UK-wide vote.{{Sfn|''BBC Top 100''|2002}}