Wisdom from King Alfred's Middle Earth- Books Most Necessary to Know

The timeless Wisdom from King Alfred's Middle Earth, introduces the reader to one of England's Dark Age Heroes, and to his "recommended reading list." Fearless in battle and magnanimous in victory, King Alfred The Great (849- 899 AD) ruled his Kingdom of Wessex, the last Anglo-Saxon kingdom to remain independent after all other kingdoms were conquered by the pagan Viking Danes, during the turbulent and perilous 9th century. After the defeat of the fierce pagan Danes at the Battle of Edington in 878, Alfred, guided by the Bible, his witan, and the wisdom he found in his chosen books, instituted the civil, military, and legal reforms that enabled his grandson Athelstan to finally consolidate the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms into a united England. The reader may find it of interest to know that Alfred referred to Wessex as dwelling in middle earth, the Anglo-Saxon word for this earthly world of mankind. During the American War of Independence, the Founding Fathers held Alfred in such high esteem that the Continental Congress of 1775 christened the first Flagship of their newly-formed Navy, Alfred. The wisdom of King Alfred and the brilliant luminaries who authored these books to know; Paulus Orosius (c. 385-420 AD), Roman Senator Boethius (c. 480- 524 AD), Venerable Bede (c. 672- 735 AD), and Gregory the Great (540- 604 AD), contributed immeasurably to the development of Wessex, England, and Western civilization. In this book the editors attempt to demonstrate how this timeless wisdom has endured through the ages, and can still serve to inspire and guide us today.