3 h 4 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 3 h 4 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does it take to defend a kingdom when its king battles illness as well as invading armies?
In Asser's Life of King Alfred, Viking armies threaten Wessex, the last English kingdom still standing against them. Alfred takes the crown amid this struggle. John Asser, a Welsh churchman at his court, brings you close to a ruler who cares about law and learning as much as war, yet struggles with illness and learns to read late.
Written in 893 while Alfred is still alive, this is the earliest biography of an English king. Asser offers a life story, a tribute, and an argument about how rulers should act. His friendship with Alfred shapes every praise-filled page. The account is short and unfinished, but it invites you to weigh the distance between a life and a legend.
What you’ll discover
- A kingdom under attack See Wessex face Viking armies as other English kingdoms fall.
- The man beneath the crown Meet a ruler whose illness sits alongside his care for books, law, and learning.
- Preparing for the next attack Explore Asser's account of fortified towns built across Alfred's land.
- A scholar at court Follow the perspective of a Welsh monk called into Alfred's service.
- The shaping of a legend Consider how a friend's praise helps shape the memory of a king.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you love early English history, Viking-age battles, vivid portraits of real rulers, and stories of kings who learn and teach.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Alfred's birth places him in a royal line
- Family quarrels weaken the kingdom from within
- A boy hungry for books learns by ear
- Alfred fights beside his brother at Ashdown
- Alfred hides in the marshes and then strikes back
- A mysterious illness shapes the king's faith
- The king gathers scholars and learns to translate
- A king who builds, gives, measures and judges
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Assers Leben König Alfreds
by Johannes Asser · 893
A king who cannot read at twelve turns himself into a scholar and keeps time with burning candles.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to readDeutsch
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In short
Picture a boy of twelve who cannot read, yet knows whole Saxon poems by heart. His mother holds out a book with a beautifully painted first letter and offers it to the child who learns it fastest.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Alfred's birth places him in a royal line
Asser opens by saying where and when Alfred enters the world. He is born in 849 at the royal estate of Wantage in Berkshire. Then Asser gives a long family tree. It names Alfred's father Æthelwulf, his grandfather Egbert, and earlier kings back to Cerdic, who founded the West Saxon line.
The tree runs on through Woden to Noah and finally to Adam. His mother Osburh is devout and noble.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 893
- Language
- Deutsch
- Reading time
- 2 h 0 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Asser, John. Asser's Life of King Alfred. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/assers-life-of-king-alfred.
Asser, J. (2026). Asser's life of King Alfred. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/assers-life-of-king-alfred (Original work published ca. 893)
Asser, John. Asser's Life of King Alfred. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/assers-life-of-king-alfred.
@book{asser2026assers,
author = {Asser, John},
title = {Asser's Life of King Alfred},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/assers-life-of-king-alfred},
note = {First published ca. 893}
}
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What is Asser's Life of King Alfred about?
It tells of Alfred, king of the West Saxons, from his birth in 849. It records the Viking wars year by year and paints a portrait of his family, faith, illness, love of learning and careful rule.
Who was Asser?
Asser was a Welsh monk and cleric from St Davids. Alfred invited him to court, and he split his time between Wales and Wessex. He read to the king, shared in his studies and received monasteries and a diocese.
Is Asser's Life of Alfred a true story and when was it written?
It is a real biography written during Alfred's lifetime, in the 890s, by a man who knew him. Asser says he saw many things himself. The praise is warm, so it reads as a portrait by an admirer.
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