I agree, but it's a shame that the portrayal leaves room for such a negative impression. Obviously no man is perfect, and the real Alfred may have had a hand in the shaping of his own legend, but he was still a formidable and hugely successful king. Nobody should be left with the image of him as a 'pansy' or a…

If Alfred the Great is being portrayed as a weak little tyrant, then something has gone seriously wrong. I suspect the problem is that Cornwell has given all or much of the credit for Alfred's real-life victories to a fictional character.