The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great provides a historical account of the legendary Anglo-Saxon king, who valiantly and tirelessly fought for and defended his nation, again and again, against the marauding Vikings.
In this work Merkle highlights the military conflicts fought between the Christian (Alfred) and pagan (Vikings) forces as one by one the kingdoms of present-day England fall to the Northmen until only Wessex, Alfred’s kingdom, remains. Even after he is forced to abandon his throne, Alfred pursues the Vikings using guerrilla warfare and is eventually successful, even convincing the Viking leader to be baptized. Merkle’s vivid dramatization of the battles of Ashdown and Edington sends readers racing out onto the field of battle ready to protect and defend, fully armed with his informative asides about the typical weapons, military techniques, and strategies donned by both the Viking and Saxon warriors. Merkle also introduces and demystifies many of the popular legends and myths associated with Alfred and the places where he fought.
Merkle attributes Alfred’s greatness not only to his success on the battlefield, but also to his radical military reforms, his revival of literacy and Christian piety, and his revision of the Anglo-Saxon legal code. The White Horse King revived my interest in Anglo-Saxon history and literature while providing substantive information in a clear, concise way that does not overwhelm or oversensationalize. Merkle’s work is also interspersed with helpful maps, pictures, and notes and concludes with an annotated bibliography of useful sources for the interested reader. I highly recommend this book to any history or biography readers.
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