This page intentionally left blank THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF KING AL FR ED THE GREAT This boo k is a com prehensive study of politica l thou ght at the cour t of King Alfred the G reat (87 1–99 ). It explain s the extraordin ary burst of royal learned act ivity focused on inventi ve tran slations from Lat in into Old English attribu ted to A lfred’s own auth orship. A full explor ation of context establishes thes e texts as part of a singl e discou rse which placed Alfred himsel f at the heart of all rightfu l power and authorit y. A major theme is the relevan ce of Frankish and other European experie nces, as sources of e xpertise and shared concer ns, and for impor tant contrast s with Alfredi an thought and behaviou r. Part I assesses Alfred’s rule agains t West Saxon str uctures, showi ng th e centra lity of th e royal househol d in the operatio n of power. Part II offers an intima te analysi s of the royal texts, developing far-reaching implications for Alfredian kingship, communication and court culture. Comparative in approach, the book places Alfred’ s reign at the forefr ont of wider Euro pean trends in aristocratic life. david pratt is Fellow and Director of Studies in History, Downing College, Cambridge. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought Fourth Series GeneralEditor: rosamond mckitterick ProfessorofMedievalHistory,UniversityofCambridge,andFellowofSidneySussexCollege Advisory Editors: christine carpenter ProfessorofMedievalEnglishHistory,UniversityofCambridge,andFellowofNewHall jonathan shepard The series Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought was inaugurated by G.G. Coulton in 1921; Professor Rosamond McKitterick now acts as General Editor of the Fourth Series, with Professor Christine Carpenter and Dr Jonathan Shepard as Advisory Editors. The series brings together outstandingworkbymedievalscholarsoverawiderangeofhumanendeavour extending from political economy to the history of ideas. For a list of titles in the series, see end of book. THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF KING ALFRED THE GREAT DAVID PRATT CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB28RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521803502 © David Pratt 2007 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2007 ISBN-13 978-0-511-28920-0 eBook (EBL) ISBN-10 0-511-28920-0 eBook (EBL) ISBN-13 978-0-521-80350-2 hardback ISBN-10 0-521-80350-0 hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. CONTENTS Acknowledgements viii List of abbreviations xi Note on citations xv 1 introduction 1 Part I: The West Saxon Political Order 15 2 resources and extraction 17 17 West Saxon resources and royal power 22 Military service and the common burdens 3 royal lordship and secular office-holding 28 29 The king’s thegns 34 The royal household 38 Gifts and gift-giving 4 royal lordship and ecclesiastical office-holding 44 A new accommodation: royal monasteries and the council of Kingston (838) 45 48 The Southumbrian episcopate and the state of ecclesiastical discipline 52 Bishops as ‘the best king’s thegns’ 54 Royal priests in the royal household 58 Frankish ecclesiastical conditions and Carolingian kingship 5 the articulation of power under king alfred’s predecessors 63 63 Collective office-holding: West Saxon royal devotion 72 Royal office-holding: the First English Coronation Order 78 The uses of literacy? Sources of textual culture (1) ecclesiastical communities 82 Sources of textual culture (2) the West Saxon royal household 86 6 the impact of the vikings 93 94 Logistics of defence v Contents 97 Lordship and manpower 99 Land and landholding 102 Royal income and urban development Collective security (1) ‘king of the Anglo-Saxons’ 105 Collective security (2) ‘ruler of all the Christians of the 107 island of Britain’ Part II: Alfredian Discourse and its Efficacy 113 7 the field of alfredian knowledge 115 Alfredian innovation: Alfredian wisdom and the shift to 115 vernacular prose 120 Intended audiences and the shift to vernacular literacy 126 Textual dissemination and the field of Alfredian knowledge 8 the construction of alfredian discourse 130 130 ‘Royal’ production: Alfredian discourse and its distinctiveness Languages of office-holding (1) Gregorian language 134 Languages of office-holding (2) Solomon’s dream 151 166 The implications of Alfredian discourse 9 alfredian technology: books and ædificia 179 179 Books and book production 185 Candle-lantern, Fuller brooch and ‘æstels’ 10 the hierdebocas a treatise of power 193 194 Language and contexts 196 The origin and purpose of power 204 The active and contemplative lives 209 The Hierdeboc and the Southumbrian episcopate 11 the dombocas a reorientation of royal law 214 214 Written law: authority and status 218 The construction of Alfredian judgement 222 The historical projection of secular law 232 The defence of lordship 238 The Domboc in practice 12 tribulation and triumph in the first fifty psalms 242 242 Psalmody and royal devotion 245 Apparatus and voice 252 God, rihtwisnes and sinful enemies 256 Hardships and divine justice 261 Alfred’s Psalms and Alfredian theatre 13 the search for a satisfactory consolation 264 265 The Consolatio philosophiae in context 270 Royal translation and Carolingian expertise vi Contents 280 Alfredian adaptation: ‘Mind’, wisdom and ‘worldly blessings’ 287 Cræft, tools and resources 295 Wyrd and divine justice 302 The Froferboc and Alfredian theatre 14 seeing god as he is 308 309 The Soliloquia in context 312 Royal translation and Carolingian expertise 317 Alfredian adaptation: wisdom and the sight of God 327 Lordship and authority 332 Alfred’s Soliloquies and Alfredian theatre 15 conclusion 338 351 Appendix: West Frankish deployment of Solomon’s dream 357 Bibliography 395 Index of manuscripts 397 General index vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS MyresearchinterestinKingAlfredactuallyextendsbacktoadissertation written in the final year of my undergraduate degree. This book is a revisedandextendedversionofmysubsequentdoctoralthesis,submitted in1999.Ihaveincurredmanydebtsofgratitudeonthelongroadtothis completed volume. The first is due to Rosamond McKitterick, who as my supervisor and latterly as editor has been an unfailing source of wisdom and support. I must also express my profound thanks to Simon Keynes, whose stimulating advice has encouraged my research at every stage of its progress. My PhD examiners, Nicholas Brooks and Janet Nelson, offered guidance and criticism which proved invaluable in the transitiontopublication.QuitewidelydisseminatedtoAlfredianscholars and others, my thesis received further helpful comments from Janet Bately,ChristineCarpenter,MalcolmGodden,DavidLuscombe,Bruce O’Brien,CarolinSchreiberandPatrickWormald.Foradviceonmetal- work, I am very grateful to Leslie Webster; other important assistance was supplied by Sean Miller and Petrus Tax. Simon Whitmore, Clare OrchardandthestaffatCambridgeUniversityPresshavebeentirelessin their efficiency. Thanksfor financial supportare due to themanagers of theRobertOwenBishopScholarshipatChrist’sCollege,Cambridge;to the British Academy, an award from whom supported my doctoral research; and to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where I spent three fruitfulyearsasaResearchFellow.Since2001Ihavebeenemployedby the Master and Fellows of Downing College, in whose company it has beenaprivilegetolive,teachandresearch.Especialthanksareduetomy colleagues Paul Millett and Richard Smith, and to the cohorts of undergraduatehistorianswhomayrecognizethemespursuedinCollege teaching.Iowemanylastingdebtstofriendswhohaveenrichedmylifein Cambridgeoverthepastdecade.Ofthese,ChristinaPo¨ssel,CarlWatkins viii