Alfred the Great (Pocket GIANTS) - Softcover

Yorke, Barbara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0750961473 ISBN 13: 9780750961479

Publisher: The History Press, 2016

Synopsis

Why is Alfred "the Great?" A simple answer is that he has been seen as a man who saved England, invented English identity and pioneered English as a written language. He is the first Englishman for whom a biography survives, so we know more about Alfred and his ideals than we do for most people who lived over 1,000 years ago. A slightly longer answer would say that things are a bit more complicated, and that one reason Alfred seems to be so "great" was that he made sure we were told that he was. To get the measure of Alfred we need to look at what he actually managed to achieve. Can we resurrect the "real" King Alfred? Even if we have to part company with some of the Victorian adulation, we are still left with a pretty impressive and surprising person.

About this title

About the Author:

Barbara Yorke is the author of Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England.

About this edition

• Publisher: The History Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0750961473
• ISBN 13: 9780750961479
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128