The following is a guest post by Mark F. Hall, a research specialist in the Library of Congress’s Researcher and Reference Services Division.
[Alfred the Great, King, 849-901, head-and-shoulders portrait, in oval, facing right]The history and culture of Medieval Europe in general, and Britain in particular, have figured prominently in recent popular culture. Inspired perhaps by the popularity of the medieval-themed HBO fantasy show Game of Thrones, (based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin), there is a variety of programming in medieval settings. The History Channel’s Vikings and the Netflix series Last Kingdom (based on the series of Saxon Tales books by Bernard Cornwell) are two examples of this. Sequences in these two shows are interesting in that they approach some of the same historical events—the wars between the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons, but from different sides of the conflict. This is particularly the case in the recent seasons which focus on events during the time of King Alfred the Great, who united Anglo-Saxon England.
![[Alfred the Great, King, 849-901, head-and-shoulders portrait, in oval, facing right]](http://blogs.loc.gov/catbird/files/2019/02/3b08679r-193x300.jpg)
