Book
The Life of King Alfred
by Asser
- Published
- 893
- Genre
- Biography
- Publisher
- Palgrave
- Pages
- 368
- URL
- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19744270-the-life-of-king-alfred?ac=1&from_search=true
Reading measures
- Suggested reading age
- ages 12–15
- Ambleside year
- Year 7 onwards · ages 12–15
An Ambleside year is a year of the Ambleside Online programme, not a reader's age. Year 0 is its first year, and a book used over several years shows the span. The ages beside it are that band offered two grades up and none down, which is how we offer a band; they are a placement, not a reading measure.
The writer begins with a stunning genealogy, taken from scripture and continuing with the history with which he would have been familiar, and finishing with King Alfred. From my understanding of the text, the environment surrounding this kingdom was wild and changeable, and Alfred became a king little by little as he led people settled in the area in many different attacks by the "pagans" or foreign invaders who are described as coming in waves every year or so. So, a good portion of the writing is a chronicle of the various wars, describing neighboring kingdoms, who the invaders were, and each outcome, for about twenty years. Finally, in the last third of the book, Asser describes his maturing king and how he sought to learn the way of the Church through learning to write and read quotations of saints and scripture, and to carefully budget his wealth into bettering his kingdom and making sure half of his money went into Godly pursuits (giving to the poor, building monasteries and an abbey, etc.)
ISBN
- ISBN-13
- 9780333699171
- ISBN-10
- 0333699173
Tags
BiographyEnglandHistoryMedieval