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Historical Alfred, Warrior King by John Peddie $39.95 / Sutton Publ. / 1999 In Alfred, Warrior King, John Peddie describes Alfred the Great's principal military campaigns in the critical years of the final quarter of the ninth century-campaigns which ultimately prevented England from being submerged under Danish domination. Born in 849 AD as the youngest of the five sons of King Aethelwulf, Alfred lived during the years when the Vikings were overrunning much of northern Europe. Against this Viking expansion, Aethelwulf (who had inherited Wessex from his father in 837) and his sons defended the territory with an inefficient military structure composed of fyrds (a conscripted army) and burhs (fortified townships). Peddie describes Alfred's early defeats, which were so numerous that it caused the poet G.K. Chesterton to refer to Alfred as "that oft-defeated king." But Alfred learned from his mistakes, and his changes in strategy and policy as well as the decisive victory against Guthrum in the Battle of Edington in 878, were the turning points in his fight against the Vikings. Peddie describes the Vikings' tactical maneuvers and Alfred's strategies to undermine them, attributing his fortitude to his deep Christian faith. Peddie's style is genteel, analytical, and easy to read, and the book contains a generous number of maps displaying strategic positions and military campaigns, photographs of key sites, illustrative artifacts, a section of color plates depicting the statue of King Alfred in Winchester, ancient documents, and historical paintings. Those who love to read accounts of medieval military strategies will find this a delightful and informative book. —Charles Rammelkamp

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