Cultural depictions of Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great, the 9th-century English monarch, has been depicted several times on screen and in literature.
Depictions on screen include:
- the 1969 film Alfred the Great, directed by Clive Donner, with David Hemmings playing Alfred,
- The Raven and the Cross, a children's TV serial, about his conflict with Guthrum,
- King Alfred, episode 4 of Churchill's People, where he was played by Alan Howard.
- In episode 25 of the TV miniseries Vikings (2015), a baby named Alfred is born to Prince Aethelwulf of Wessex and his wife Judith, based on Judith of Flanders. Alfred's father is Athelstan.
- Horrible Histories and their rebooted series portrayed his life story and was played by Mathew Baynton/Tom Rosenthal
- The Last Kingdom will be portrayed by David Dawson
Alfred is the subject of several works of historical fiction. These include:-
- The Ballad of the White Horse, an epic poem by G. K. Chesterton,
- The Namesake and The Marsh King, juvenile historical novels by C. Walter Hodges,
- The Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell, in which he is portrayed as a pious and physically weak individual. Although unassuming, he is possessed of an iron will and, ultimately, becomes a significant barrier to Viking ambitions simply by being alive.
- The Hammer and the Cross series by Harry Harrison et al.
On stage, there is the opera Alfred, now mainly known for the song "Rule Britannia".
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