The original owner of the jewel, King Alfred of Wessex, known as Alfred the Great, is a very famous king indeed – certainly the most famous to be covered in this book so far, apart from King Arthur. That’s largely because, unlike any other Anglo-Saxon ruler, a biography was written about him during his lifetime and, with a little bit of chopping and changing and a few random additions, it has survived to this day. It was written by a monk called Asser and it’s very much an authorized biography – overwhelmingly positive. It says Alfred was ... well, great. Capable and clever and wise and kind
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