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Alfred the Great: The Man Who Made England
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Product Description
Alfred was England's first king, and his rule spanned troubled times. As his shores sat under constant threat from Viking marauders, his life was similarly imperiled by conspiracies in his own court. He was an extraordinary character—a soldier, scholar, and statesman like no other in English history—and out of adversity he forged a new kind of nation. Justin Pollard's enthralling account strips back centuries of myth to reveal the individual behind the legend. He offers a radical new interpretation of what inspired Alfred to create England and how it has colored the nation's history to the present day.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #496529 in Books
- Published on: 2007-04-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 368 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Highly recommended, especially for British history collections." —Library Journal
About the Author
Justin Pollard read Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge. For the last ten years has worked as a historical writer and consultant in film and television. His credits include the feature films Elizabeth and The Four Feathers as well as over twenty-five documentary series such as Channel Four's popular archaeology programme Time Team. He is the author of Seven Ages of Britain for which he also produced a Channel Four series.
Customer Reviews
The true Arthur of England?
Ok, that title was just to catch your attention! But I have long thought that the real King Arthur of legend was based on the Anglo Saxon King Alfred. It would be unlikely for Normans to want to draw any such parallels; but instead of knights Alfred drew around him scholars, and instead of a Merlin he had the Welsh Asser by his side. But you will get none of that sort of thing in this book. This book is good history written in a fluid style that is hard to put down. There is none of that heaping up of sub-clauses and name-dropping that you get in so many histories. This man can write!
Pollard gives you all the background you need, and deftly weaves into this work enough detail about Anglo Saxon and Viking life (and even a little Celtic) to give you a good grounding in that age. You aren't always aware that he is doing it because customs are often introduced as anecdotes or to explain a fact bearing on the story line. Nor is this work restricted to the southern counties of England. The declining Carolignian Empire and most other places that the Vikings came into contact with are well documented.
So, is this book crammed with a lot of trivia? No, you never once get that feeling. Always Pollard's words are interesting and relevant. Indeed, at the end of your over 300-page read, you will be surprised that so much was contained in the book.
Nor does Pollard idolise Alfred. He seeks to extract the man from the myth; and yet when all is said and done, you will understand why the Victorians called this man Alfred, Great. Alfred's story is a great story; he stood up to the bully, and he adapted the social order of his people in order to do so (much as we are now doing to defend ourselves against terrorists); and he did it with guts. Don't take my word for it: read for yourself. And if there are any film makers out there who want to continue the successful Lord of the Rings ethos, why not base a film on this book? It would have to be better than the only other film I know of Alfred, which depicted him as a psychological misfit.
This is a great book about a great man.
The man behind the myth
Justin Pollard's strength is the canny way he brings ancient stories to life by focussing on the human, emotional drivers that set his protagonists into action. The social and political context of Alfred's world is dealt with sensitively and non-judgmentally, leaving the reader to draw his/her own conclusions with the assistance of Pollard's meticulous research.
An excellent work: a readable and informative benchmark for the subject matter. Pollard's thesis, that Alfred was the greatest Englishman, is highly persuasive.
Well Written Biography Of An Iconic Figure
Author Justin Pollard begins this fascinating and engaging historical work by describing the fate of the original source material and how it was partially preserved over centuries. While admitting early on that he will be relying on a single primary source ,the work of the monk Asser , he nevertheless weaves an exciting and enlightening work of biography and history out of it.
Anglo-Saxon England besieged on all sides by Vikings and governed as small and separate Kingdoms give rise to an individual who unites the Kingdom and ultimately establishes the lineage of the future Kings of England. Alfred's decision to stay in Wessex and engage in an underground resistance rather than flee is shown to have had consequences that have echoed through the centuries.
Alfred's contribution to creating a literate culture is compellingly described in a later chapter and is one of the most interesting aspects of his life. Collecting scholars to his circle and learning Latin to allow for his own interpretations of works he viewed as critical are shown to be the beginning of English culture.
The stories of the social political and military developments in Alfred's time are deftly handled by the author and the book is an enjoyable way to experience the middle ages in England.
