Alfred the Great : $b containing chapters on his life and times

Summary

"Alfred the Great: containing chapters on his life and times" by Alfred Bowker et al. is a historical compendium written in the late 19th century. It assembles essays by prominent scholars, alongside an introduction and a commemorative poem, to portray King Alfred’s life, reign, and legacy across warfare, law, religion, education, culture, and nation-building. The opening of the volume offers a dedication to the Queen and a laudatory poem casting Alfred as a model of wisdom and virtue, followed by the editor’s preface explaining the millennium commemoration, the aim to spread accessible knowledge, and the call for a national memorial in Winchester. Sir Walter Besant’s introduction sketches the fragmented Anglo-Saxon world and character, traces the Danish invasions, and highlights Alfred’s turnaround from Athelney to Ethandune, his restoration of London, creation of a navy, lawmaking grounded in Christian ethics, revival of schools and monasteries, fostering of foreign ties and trade, and the founding of English prose and national spirit. Frederic Harrison then begins by celebrating Alfred as an exemplar among rulers, recounting his stubborn wars, the Peace of Wedmore, the reorganisation of army and fleet, and the strategic elevation of London. The next chapter opens with Alfred’s early years: pilgrimages to Rome, his father Ethelwulf’s devotional gifts to the Roman churches, the cultural context of the Leonine City, his love of vernacular poetry, and the spark for book-learning kindled—after a childhood steeped in hunting and song—by a treasured illuminated book. (This is an automatically generated summary.)