Alfred the Great: The King and His England

by Eleanor Shipley Duckett

Filled with drama and action, here is the story of the ninth-century life and times of Alfred—warrior, conqueror, lawmaker, scholar, and the only king whom England has ever called "The Great." Based on up-to-date information on ninth-century history, geography, philosophy, literature, and social life, it vividly presents exciting views of Alfred in every stage of his long career and leaves the reader with a sharply-etched picture of the world of the Middle Ages.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Medieval History, Anglo Saxon, Biography Memoir

228 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 1958

About the author

Eleanor Shipley Duckett was an English-born philologist and medieval historian who taught at Smith College.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eleanor Shipley Duckett’s biography is a useful introduction to Alfred the Great, the Wessex monarch who effectively created the kingdom of England. She begins with a description of the politics of eighth-century England, a world of maneuvering between regional kingdoms and invading Viking armies. It was in this dangerous and fluid environment that a young Alfred came of age, watching his father and two elder brothers deal with the threats Wessex faced before gaining the throne at the age of 22. From here her focus is on his struggles against the Danes, though other chapters also address his kingdom, his education, and his years after his many martial triumphs.

While enlightening, the book suffers from an excessive focus on narrative. As readable as Duckett’s prose is, Her focus on recounting the chronological development of events too frequently comes at the cost of a clear understanding of Alfred’s character and the significance of the developments of his life. Readers wanting to familiarize themselves with the basic details of Alfred’s life will find this a useful and enjoyable book, but those seeking a more comprehensive analysis of the great Anglo-Saxon king would be better served by Richard Abels’s more recent Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England

[Robert Monk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book in the library at my old college back in the day (it was published by the University's press) and read it while I should have been studying. Quite interesting, I thought. Now, many (many) years later, I've re-read it, having learned a lot more about early English history, and I still think it's pretty good. It is no more than an introduction, however. It gives a reader a brief overview of the political events of Alfred's time -- Viking attacks, mostly -- and a little bit about his peacetime attempts to establish rule of law and elevate the level of learning in England. It even has some quotes from the Latin books which Alfred purportedly translated himself. So really, it's a solid introduction, even. But it's no more than an introduction. And that can be enough. There are surprisingly few books about Alfred out there, given how important he was to English history. He saved England from the Vikings! He mostly unified the country! He brought vernacular literature into existence! So one is likely to run across this one if one is looking for something about him. It's not a bad place to start.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this very much. A very good introductory text published in 1956. I would recommend it for an older high-school or a college student as a first text to read before getting into more scholarly work as a way of getting oriented in a subject about which one would have to write a paper. Alfred defended England from the Vikings and also supported and defended learning, studying Latin himself for the sake of Christian learning and as a model for his courtiers and civil servants. The Anglo-Saxon World: An Anthology is also a stimulating connection of translations of writings of these people,

[Rod Zinkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eleanor Shipley Duckett goes through the events of King Alfred’s life rather quickly, and mentions a few vignettes from Asser’s Life of King Alfred, which was written by a contemporary of the king’s. She gives the facts of historical figures around Alfred, the place-names where events occurred, and the years of these events in a rather brief account. When reading this a map would be useful. I appreciate the brevity, and the facts, without a lot of narrative added. This history would not likely be written today as the author does not interject her political opinion into the book.
I also appreciate Duckett’s including some of the philosophy and literature that King Alfred translated. She does not include the king’s actual translations, but she writes of that which King Alfred found useful for counsel. The king translated from Latin to Anglo-Saxon St. Gregory’s Dialogues, Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, the first fifty Psalms, and a couple of other works. It is interesting to read of what the philosopher king considered important enough to pass on to his people by translation.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this gem in the library and thoroughly reading about one of my favorite kings.

[Steven Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Approachable overview of Alfred the Great and his lasting impact on England.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I'm reading all these Bernard Cornwell Saxon books to Dad, about a fictional character's dealings with Aflred the Great. It seemed like a good idea to read a real history of Alfred. This one's a classic going back to 1958, but still in print. It's quite interesting, giving us as full a portrait of Alfred as possible more than 1,000 years after his death. My reading of Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series absolutely helped me to follow this history. Cornwell fictionalizes everything and puts all into the hands of his character Uhtred, but the events actually happened. As I read Duckett's account of a raid in Wales, for example, I'd say, Aha! Uhtred did that!

This book seems dense today. Although Duckett clearly tried to keep her prose accessible to the layman and not overtly scholarly, nonetheless narrative history has greatly improved in style since the 1950s when this book was written. Really, Duckett's book is an achievement, but it's tough sledding for the modern interested layperson. Very interesting for those willing to give it the time. Also, it's quite short at 207 pages. Duckett follows not only Alfred's battles, but also his scholarly work in translating from Latin, which he learned after age 40, works such as Boethius for the English to read in Old English. Thus he laid solid foundations for English literature. In his personal additions to his translations we catch a glimpse of the real man, and Duckett spends quite some time with his translations.

Worthwhile for those interested in the subject. I wouldn't assign this book to students, though.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly pleasant and readable book, though I think some of the sources she presented as firm truth have more recently been called into question. It's written sort of in the style of a children's myth and includes enough legends to color the occasionally sparse facts. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on Alfred's translations at the end.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rare personal history of early England. Alfred is credited with uniting various tribes to turn the Kingdom of Wessex into the first Kingdom of England. Found this while going through my dad's library. If early English history is your thing, you definitely should read it. Well researched and as personal as a history of a 9th Century individual it is well executed.

[Corey Kimball · Rating 3 out of 5]

Word; long live the King.