Reviews for Wilhelm der Eroberer

The average rating for Wilhelm der Eroberer based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-03-23 00:00:00 Matthew Harrington I've been reading English history and have come across reference to Alfred burning cakes... Apparently this 9th century king was tremendously significant for defeating Vikings, unifying several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, establishing many traditions and the early versions of cherished institutions. He was also in hiding briefly and one of his adventures in disguise finds him minding cakes which burn. This book is a historiography, a history of the histories which recount the life of Alfred. While Horspool does not say this as clearly, his argument is that the story of Alfred humbling himself in disguise, burning cakes and being chastised by a peasant woman, crystallizes the charitable character of a historical figure who has come to represent all that is best in the English character. The peoples of Britain have romanticized the Anglo-Saxon kings in order to teach children moral stories and provide themselves an origin myth. Alfred was great enough to justify being singled out among rulers of the period that he has come to be the hero of Anglo-Saxon Britain. Thus, Alfred holds a place in the heart of the British similar to that of George Washington among Americans. While Washington never won a battle, was not elected by the people, and wasn't even the first president, he is held up as the father of our country. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, Washington wasn't even present when the Constitution was being written. However, he did throw coins across rivers a mile wide, chopped down cherry trees and never told a lie. This what Alfred has become. Again, the biographical aspect of Horspool's book indicates that Alfred was a big deal. Did he burn the cakes? The answer is that it doesn't matter. The myth is a fiction that illustrates an essential truth. The people of Britain cherish their myths because the tell something true about who they are. The true story is interesting. The evolution of the myths is amusing. All in all, a worthy study well worth a look if you have any interest in Anglo-Saxon kings or what Alfred come to represent to the people of Britain.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-04-03 00:00:00 George Clark Why Alfred Burned the Cakes is, in essence, a history of history, a study of the way the history of King Alfred has been perceived and moulded through the centuries. Horspool also tells the actual history of Alfred, so reading the book you will learn most of what we know - or what we think we know - about Alfred, but the focus lies on how the history has evolved and interacted with tradition over the centuries. As such, it's a valuable study, and Horspool does his job very well, tracking down all sorts of obscure variations on the Alfred legend, from the eleventh century when it got started, through its Victorian heyday, up to the modern debunkers, who prove to be as much prisoners of their zeitgeist as all the others who retold the story to their own ends. The author also makes the point that this eye to the way the story was told begins with Alfred and his circle themselves. Horspool does the job well and he writes clearly, so why only three stars? To be honest, that's purely personal; I just find this sort of historical analysis a little dull. If it's your thing, you'll love it.