Alfred the Great : war, kingship and culture in Anglo-Saxon England
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Alfred the Great : war, kingship and culture in Anglo-Saxon England
（The medieval world / general editor, David Bates）
Longman, 1998
- : pbk
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Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
: pbk ISBN 9780582040472
Description
This biography of Alfred the Great, king of the West Saxons (871-899), combines a sensitive reading of the primary sources with a careful evaluation of the most recent scholarly research on the history and archaeology of ninth-century England. Alfred emerges from the pages of this biography as a great warlord, an effective and inventive ruler, and a passionate scholar whose piety and intellectual curiosity led him to sponsor a cultural and spiritual renaissance. Alfred's victories on the battlefield and his sweeping administrative innovations not only preserved his native Wessex from viking conquest, but began the process of political consolidation that would culminate in the creation of the kingdom of England.
Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England strips away the varnish of later interpretations to recover the historical Alfredpragmatic, generous, brutal, pious, scholarly within the context of his own age.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
Sources.
1. Alfred's Wessex.
2. Memories of Childhood, 848-858.
3. Scourges of God, 858-868.
4. A Very Great Warrior, 869-879.
5. King of the Anglo-Saxons, 880-891.
6. Defence of the Realm.
7. The reign of Solomon.
8. The Practice of Kingship.
9. Triumph and Death, 892-899.
Conclusion: `My Memory in Good Works'.
Appendix on the Authenticity of Asser's Life of King Alfred.
Table: Alfred's Genealogy.
Maps.
Bibliography.
- Volume
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ISBN 9780582040489
Description
During his reign (871-899), King Alfred revolutionized the governance of Wessex, greatly advancing the process that would culminate two generations later, in the creation of the kingdom of England. His succes in fighting the Vikings not only saved Wessex from conquest but kept Britain from becoming one more outlier of Scandinavia. His administrative and military innovations provided his son and grandsons with the tools to conquer the Danelaw, and established a precocious royal administration that shaped the governance of medieval England. The spiritual and literary renaissance he spearheaded helped create a tradition of vernacular learning that would blossom in later generations. This book offers an analysis of Alfred's achievement and thought. In doing so it illuminates the character and meaning of Anglo-Saxon kingship in general, as well as the particular career of this king.
Table of Contents
- Alfred's Wessex
- memories of childhood, 848-858
- scourges of God, 858-868
- a very great warrior, 869-879
- king of the anglo-saxons, 880-891
- defence of the realm
- the reign of Solomon
- the practice of kingship
- triumph and death, 892-899
- conclusion - "my memory in good works".
by "Nielsen BookData"