The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great
by Benjamin Merkle is an amazing book filled with great detail about the awe inspiring life of Alfred the Great. Alfred was the fifth son of AEthelwulf king of Wessex (AD 839 – 858) and by all accounts was unlikely to ever assume the throne. Yet, through a series of unfortunate events aided by the viking raids on the Southern kingdoms of what is now called Britan, Alfred found himself wearing his father’s crown and tasked with finding a way to forge peace and prosperity for his people in the midst of viking rampage. Alfred was eventually not only successful in repelling the viking onslaught but was able to initiate several military, cultural, and societal reforms that have set the baseline for Western civilization.
Admittedly I did not know much about Alfred the great before I picked up this book, I was just looking for an inspiring and challenging biography. I found that and so much more in this book. I was greatly blessed to glean several leadership and life lessons from how this noble Anglo-Saxon and decidedly Christian king handled adverse situations, dealt with his enemies, inspired a literary revolution, and raised the quality of leadership in his kingdom.
This is one of the best and most inspiring historical biographies I have read to date. The White Horse King is an amazing book. The retail price is $14.99 (Paperback), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $11.24. I gave it five stars (and would have given it more if I could).
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Here are some other book reviews:
The Hill House 
As a christian and a long-standing explorer of our early history here in Britain, I was excited and enormously gratified by reading The White Horse King. Rarely have I come across an author who manages to combine his knowledge of history with his christian beliefs so adequately. I found myself rejoicing and “giving thanks” at the gentle way he introduced a comparison between Alfred’s laws and the Old Testament teachings. A profound but “readable” book.
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