King Alfred the GreatSoldier, statesman, and scholar, Alfred the Great was a fascinating and highly successful king, pushing back the Vikings to command what is now thought of as the heart of England as ruler of Wessex from 871-899. In this, the first major biography of King Alfred since 1902, his life, career and enduring legacy are given a radical new interpretation, putting into question most of our assumptions about this singular monarch. Alfred P. Smyth's portrait of King Alfred rejects the image of a neurotic and invalid king who supposedly remained a pious illiterate until he was almost 40. Instead, we are shown a man of remarkable energy and intelligence who took necessary steps to defend his people from the Norsemen. We see, too, a king who had been a scholar all his life and who used his great knowledge to bolster the powers of his own kingship. Smyth also provides a detailed examination of the much-disputed medieval biography of King Alfred, attributed to the King's tutor, Asser. Alfred Smyth argues that Asser's Life may, in fact, have been a late medieval forgery--a revelation with profound implications for our understanding of the whole of Anglo-Saxon history. Smyth's King Alfred also contains major studies on the writings of this gifted king, on the controversial charters of his reign, and on the origins of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. (Smyth shows this work to have been much more closely connected with the court of King Alfred than previously realized and suggests a new date for the completion of the earliest Alfredian section of the Chronicle.) A monumental and intriguing work of historical scholarship, King Alfred the Great will dramatically change the way we understand this early period of western civilization. |
מה אומרים אנשים - כתיבת ביקורת
LibraryThing Review
ביקורת משתמש - SplendorofDelight - LibraryThingThis is an excellent work of scholarship; very thorough and detailed examination of the historical record. However, the writing is very academic/scholarly -- not light reading. I learned a lot about ... קרא סקירה מלאה
KING ALFRED THE GREAT
ביקורת משתמש - KirkusThis substantial piece of scholarship challenges traditional academic wisdom surrounding the ninth century king of Wessex whose achievements changed the course of English history prior to the Norman ... קרא סקירה מלאה
תוכן
From Obscurity to Precarious Kingship | 3 |
n The Gathering Storm 872875 | 51 |
To the Last Ditch at Edington | 66 |
זכויות יוצרים | |
18 קטעים אחרים שאינם מוצגים
מונחים וביטויים נפוצים
Alfred's biographer Alfred's reign Alfred's Version Alfredian Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Annals of St Archbishop army Asser Athelney Athelstan Bately sub anno Bede's Bert Birch bishop Boethius brother Byrhtferth of Ramsey Canterbury Carolingian century charter Christian Chronicle's church compiler contemporary Danelaw Danes Danish Dumville and Lapidge Ealdorman early East Anglia Edward Edward the Elder England estates evidence Francia Frankish Gerald Gregory's Grimbald Guthrum Historia Regum historical Ibid invaders jEthelbald jEthelberht jEthelweard Kent Keynes and Lapidge King Alfred King Alfred's King jEthelred King jEthelwulf king's kingdom kingship land Lapidge transl later Latin magnates manuscript medieval Mercian monastery monastic narrative ninth-century Northumbrian Odo of Cluny Old English original Orosius Pastoral preface prose Pseudo-Asser Pseudo-Asser's Rau sub anno record relating Rome royal Sawyer Scandinavian scholarly scholars Soliloquies St Neots Stenton Stevenson surviving tenth thegns translation viking Vita Waerferth Welsh Wessex West Saxon Whitelock Winchester witan Worcester writing