Alfred Warrior King

by John Peddie

Book Overview

King Alfred of Wessex is the only king in British history to have been honoured with the epithet of Great, yet he is usually remembered for the story of the burnt cakes, his finer achievements are often forgotten.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0750921056
• ISBN13: 9780750921053
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Alan Sutton Publishing
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.0" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

A different view on Alfred the man

Most books about Alfred see him the way that Asser portrayed him - as a pious Christian. This book is different. John Peddie sees Alfred as a military commander making decisions based on sound military strategy. Consequently he portrays a facet on Alfred's personality that many other biographers have overlooked, and helps to create a much more rounded and realistic view of Alfred. Peddie also analyses the strategic situation at different times of his battles against the Vikings, and is able to portray strategic imperatives he was facing. He is able to demonstrate the logic behind Alfred's military and diplomatic decisions in a way that is often overlooked in other books. If you're only going to read one book on Alfred, this probably shouldn't be it (unless you want to focus on his military campaigns and his diplomacy), but it does forms a nice counterbalance to other books written by authors who don't understand the military strategies of the time.