The Ballad of the White Horse (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Alfred the Great was the seventh-century Saxon King of Wessex who—with the aid of God and the Virgin Mary—defended his land against the Vikings. Incorporating fact and legend, Chesterton’s epic 1911 poem narrates Alfred’s exploits on the battlefield. It may have provided inspiration for J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.