'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages

Alfred the Great, Part 2: A Chat with Professor Barbara Yorke

October 05, 2023 Richard Abels Season 2 Episode 28
'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages
Alfred the Great, Part 2: A Chat with Professor Barbara Yorke
Show Notes

This is the second of a three part series about King Alfred of Wessex (reigned 871-899), the only English king to be called "the Great." In this episode Ellen and I chat with Dr. Barbara Yorke, Professor Emeritus at the University of Winchester in the U.K.. Professor Yorke is arguably the world's leading expert on Anglo-Saxon Wessex. She and I share the distinction of being among the host of biographers of King Alfred.  The basic question I pose to her is whether Alfred deserves to be called "the Great." Her answer is a bit more nuanced and less adulatory than mine was in episode one, which is one of the reasons I thought it important that you hear her assessment of Alfred.

Listen on Podurama https://podurama.com

Intro and exit music are by Alexander Nakarada

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at richard.abels54@gmail.com