Alfred the Great

In an era darkened by the terror of Viking invasions, England's first and greatest king was a beacon of light. "This is the story of England's birth. A great story, beautifully told." (Bernard Cornwell, author of The Pale Horseman ) Alfred was England's first king, and his rule spanned troubled times. As his shores sat under constant threat from Viking marauders, his life was similarly imperiled by conspiracies in his own court. He was an extraordinary charactera soldier, scholar, and statesman like no other in English historyand out of adversity he forged a new kind of nation. Justin Pollard's enthralling account strips back centuries of myth to reveal the individual behind the legend. He offers a radical new interpretation of what inspired Alfred to create England and how it has colored the nation's history to the present day. Justin Pollard, a Cambridge-educated archaeologist, is a documentary filmmaker and the author of Seven Ages of Britain .

Justin Pollard read Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge. For the last ten years has worked as a historical writer and consultant in film and television. His credits include the feature films Elizabeth and The Four Feathers as well as over twenty-five documentary series such as Channel Four's popular archaeology programme Time Team. He is the author of Seven Ages of Britain, for which he also produced a Channel Four series.