大象传媒

A hoard of jewellery, coins and ingots discovered in October by a man using a metal detector has revealed a darker side to King Alfred, the monarch known best to school children for burning the cakes.

The coins suggest a large part of England in the ninth century was governed for a time by a dual monarchy. But that Alfred had the role of his fellow king, called Ceolwulf, written out of the chronicles of the age.

Historian and broadcaster Michael Wood explores who King Alfred the Great really was with presenter Shaun Ley.