Benjamin Merkle’s White Horse King

This is an exceptional book about an exceptional man and ruler. This is the kind of history…true history…that you miss by going to government schools and dealing with the PC police. Surely there cannot be anything positive to learn from the Dark Ages, eh? What with all the Crusades and Inquisitions and violence and plagues and such.

Benjamin Merkle quickly paints a different picture with this excellent treatment of the life of Alfred the Great. As a Christian, Merkle deals honestly with the Christian side of Alfred and the importance this played in his life and policy while never sounding like a “Christian” author…and I mean that in the best way possible.

Merkle gives a brief treatment to the Anglo-Saxon historical context and then delves into the life of Alfred. Alfred was the only Anglo-Saxon King able to resist the Viking invaders who nearly conquered England during the late ninth century. Against all odds Alfred rallied the Wessex defenders to drive out a Viking army or professional soldiers and superior numbers.

Once the initial invasion was repelled, Alfred set about reorganizing the army, building a new infrastructure of cities and roads, promoting literacy and education, reviving Christianity and Christian learning and converting Vikings to Christianity. When subsequent Viking invasions occurred they quickly learned that the Anglo-Saxons under Alfred were not to be conquered.

As a military leader Alfred was a “wild boar,” fighting on the front lines against the Vikings until his last days. As a King, Alfred is the only British Monarch with the title “The Great” for his wise rule. As a scholar Alfred revived learning, taught himself Latin as an adult, translated great works of philosophy and theology into the Anglo-Saxon tongue and required his nobility to seek wisdom as well.

This is a great read and an excellent contribution to anyone’s library, I highly recommend it.