'England's darling'

<p>For much of the nineteenth century King Alfred was as important as King Arthur in the British popular imagination. A pervasive cult of the King developed which included the erection of at least four public statues the completion of more than twenty-five paintings and the publication of over a hundred texts by authors ranging from Wordsworth to minor women writers. By 1852 J.A. Froude could describe Alfred's life as 'the favourite story in English nurseries'; in 1901 a national holiday marked the thousandth anniversary of his death organised by a committee including Edward Burne Jones Arthur Conan Doyle and Thomas Hughes. <br><br>The book examines the ways in which Alfred was rewritten by nineteenth-century authors and artists and asks how beliefs about the Saxon king's reign and achievements related to nineteenth-century ideals about leadership law religion commerce education and the Empire. The book concludes by addressing the most interesting enigma in Alfred's reception history: why is the king no longer 'England's darling'?<br><br>A fascinating study that will be enjoyed by scholars of history cultural history literature and art history.</p>