Alfred the Great : containing chapters on his life and times by Alfred Bowker et al.
"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.)
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About this eBook
| Editor | Bowker, Alfred, 1870-1944 |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Austin, Alfred, 1835-1913 |
| Contributor | Besant, Walter, 1836-1901 |
| Contributor | Browne, G. F. (George Forrest), 1833-1930 |
| Contributor | Earle, John, 1824-1903 |
| Contributor | Harrison, Frederic, 1831-1923 |
| Contributor | Loftie, W. J. (William John), 1839-1911 |
| Contributor | Markham, Clements R. (Clements Robert), Sir, 1830-1916 |
| Contributor | Oman, Charles, 1860-1946 |
| Contributor | Pollock, Frederick, 1845-1937 |
| LoC No. | 03014508 |
| Title | Alfred the Great : containing chapters on his life and times |
| Original Publication | London: Adam & Charles Black, 1899. |
| Credits | MWS and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 63.5 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe |
| Subject | Alfred, King of England, 849-899 |
| Subject | Great Britain -- History -- Alfred, 871-899 |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 76551 |
| Release Date | Jul 22, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1296 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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