Alfred the Great: Papers from the Eleventh-Centenary Conferences (Studies in Early Medieval Britain and Ireland)

Based upon two conferences held in 1999 the papers that comprise this collection present a full contextualization of King Alfred by setting him against contemporary rulers across the whole of Europe. Introduction. Placing King Alfred / James Campbell -- The Sources. Asser's Reading / Michael Lapidge -- Alfredian Arithmetic - Asserian Architectonics / David Howlett -- The Anglo-saxon Chronicle And The Idea Of Rome In Alfredian Literature / Susan Irvin -- Ædificia Nova: Treasures Of Alfred's Reign / Leslie Webster -- Alfredian Literature. The Alfredian Canon Revisited: One Hundred Years On / Janet Bately -- The Form And Function Of The Preface In The Poetry And Prose Of Alfred's Reign / Allen J. Frantzen -- The Player King: Identification And Self-representation In King Alfred's Writings / Malcolm Godden -- Alfredian Government And Society. Alfredian Government: The West Saxon Inheritance / Nicholas Brooks -- The Power Of The Written Word: Alfredian England 871-899 / Simon Keynes -- Alfred's Coinage Reforms In Context / Mark Blackburn -- The Origin Of Alfred's Urban Policies / David Hill -- Alfred And London / Derek Keene -- Succession And Inheritance: A Gendered Perspective On Alfred's Family History / Pauline Stafford -- Alfred The Great, The Micel Hœðen Here And The Viking Threat / Richard Abels -- Alfred's New Longships / Edwin And Joyce Gifford -- Alfred And Contemporary Rulership. Alfred's Carolingian Contemporaries / Janet L. Nelson -- Alfred The Great And Arnulf Of Carinthia: A Comparison / Anton Scharer -- Alfred's Contemporaries: Irish, Welsh, Scots And Breton / Wendy Davies -- The Ruler As Instructor, Pastor And Wise: Leo Vi Of Byzantium And Symeon Of Bulgaria / Jonathan Shepard -- Alfred As Icon. Alfredism: The Use And Abuse Of King Alfred's Reputation In Later Centuries / Barbara Yorke. Edited By Timothy Reuter. Papers Originally Delivered At A Conference At The Wessex Medieval Center, University Of Southampton, Sept. 1999 And In London In Oct. 1999. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Foreword 8 Preface 10 Abbreviations 12 List of illustrations 16 INTRODUCTION 18 1 Placing King Alfred 20 THE SOURCES 42 2 Asser’s reading 44 3 Alfredian arithmetic – Asserian architectonics 66 4 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the idea of Rome in Alfredian literature 80 5 Ædificia nova: treasures of Alfred’s reign 96 ALFREDIAN LITERATURE 122 6 The Alfredian canon revisited: one hundred years on 124 7 The form and function of the preface in the poetry and prose of Alfred’s reign 138 8 The player king: identification and self-representation in King Alfred’s writings 154 ALFREDIAN GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY 168 9 Alfredian government: the West Saxon inheritance 170 10 The power of the written word: Alfredian England 871–899 192 11 Alfred’s coinage reforms in context 216 12 The origin of Alfred’s urban policies 236 13 Alfred and London 252 14 Succession and inheritance: a gendered perspective on Alfred’s family history 268 15 Alfred the Great, the micel hæðen here and the viking threat 282 16 Alfred’s new longships 298 ALFRED AND CONTEMPORARY RULERSHIP 308 17 Alfred’s Carolingian contemporaries 310 18 Alfred the Great and Arnulf of Carinthia: a comparison 328 19 Alfred’s contemporaries: Irish, Welsh, Scots and Breton 340 20 The ruler as instructor, pastor and wise: Leo VI of Byzantium and Symeon of Bulgaria 356 ALFRED AS ICON 376 21 Alfredism: the use and abuse of King Alfred’s reputation in later centuries 378 Index 398 Papers from the Eleventh-Centenary Conferences 1999 marked the eleven-hundredth anniversary of the death of Alfred the Great, and to mark this event, two international conferences were held to re-evaluate and contextualise Alfred's achievements and the developments of his reign. This volume includes papers given at both events and provides substantial assessments, by leading scholars, of issues of source-criticism, of the large corpus of Old English literature associated with Alfred and of developments in government and society in late ninth-century England. It also explores how Alfred and his kingdom related to the wider geo-political and cultural situation in the British isles and continental Europe, and closes with a substantial survey of the uses and shifts in Alfred's reputation in the centuries following his death. This substantial and wide ranging volume will become a standard reference work for anyone interested in Old English literature or Anglo-Saxon history, and will set the pattern of future scholarly debate. Based on two conferences on Alfred the Great held in 1999, this volume provides assessments, by leading scholars, of issues of source-criticism, of the large corpus of Old English literature associated with Alfred and of developments in government and society in late 9th century England.