Alfred

Warrior King

By: John Peddie

Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White

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. Afflicted by poor health for most of his life, Alfred nevertheless showed unflagging energy as a warrior, administrator, scholar and educator. He was remarkable for both his range of interests and his wisdom. In battle he was faced by the Danish invaders and the real threat of Viking supremacy in England.

With the help of the first Royal Navy, which he founded with minimal resources, the invaders were eventually repelled. Anglo-Saxon hegemony was preserved, for a while, and Alfred survived to found an English monarchy which, under his son and grandson, saw most of modern England united under one crown. The author examines the scale and intent of the relentless threat of conquest by the Viking sea-raiders, the military and logistical problems that beset both sides and the strategies devised by the king which led to the reconquest of his Wessex homeland and the creation of England itself.

©1999 John Peddie (P)2020 Punch Audio

awesome

it's a very good documentary.id recommend it to anyone that like history, Especially if you like stuff about king Is alfred

Great handling of a complex and difficult subject

The author does a commendable job of sorting through the sparse and contradictory historical documents concerning Alfred and Wessex. This is a complex and difficult task requiring quite a bit of scholarly supposition and discussion of the historical information available. The physical locations discussed are often fairly obscure and subject to dispute. It would be helpful for readers not extremely familiar with the geography of Britain to keep an atlas or two handy. The narrator does a commendable job enlivened by entertaining interpretations of regional accents.

Excessive detail, boring, and an unpleasant audiobook

This book attempts to be a rigorous academic examination of King Alfred’s struggle against Viking invaders but not, according to the author, another biography. Details are tedious, rambling, and boring as the John Peddle picks apart the quality of the texts of historical scholars. He spent 15 minutes debating the case from various conflicting sources whether or not Alfred received education as a child. Who cares? Redundancy and lack of chronological flow add to confusion of the meandering lecture-like presentation from an unfocused professor. Though I have never criticized a narrator before Alex Hyde-White sounds robotic and absurd when mimicking a French accent. In fairness to Mr Peddle there are many pearls of wisdom in the text that yield understanding how Alfred unified England but they are hidden in huge piles of wasted words within a compost heap. I’m still interested in this period so will switch to Cornwell’s acclaimed THE LAST KINGDOM, albeit a historical novel, instead of non-fiction that I would have preferred. Overall this book was a grind and I’m glad it’s finished.