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• W434961605 abstract "REVIEWS 311 David Pratt, The Political Thought of King Alfred the Great (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press 2007) 413 pp. The most recent contribution to the series Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought, David Pratt’s study explores the translations from Latin to Old English associated with Alfred’s court. These vernacular translations are unusual in their attribution to a king. Pratt argues that both the message of the text, and the act of translation itself, were part of a discourse of political thought emanating from Alfred, which placed him at the center of “rightful authority.” R. H. C. Davis stated that scholars had to liberate themselves from the Alfredian sources in order to see Alfred as he really was (2). Pratt takes the opposite view, claiming that as displays of political thinking, directed by Alfred and promoting a consistent discourse on the uses of legitimate power, these texts reveal Alfred as he understood himself in his role as Angul-Saxonum rex (106). The royal texts promote a discourse of power based on the Gregorian ideal of rulership as service, monitored by self-control, and the Solomonic model of a desire for wisdom above all other gifts. Alfred saw the need for divine knowledge , which required texts accessible to his followers; he therefore added vernacular prose to the courtly educational program. The inventive translations, the claim of royal authorship, and the model of learned kingship, were interconnected. Pratt draws on the work of Foucault and Bourdieu to emphasize the power of language in reinforcing the order of social groups and social norms; he also references Norbert Elias, Matthew Innes, and Karl Leyser on the exercise of rulership. He suggests that not only do these texts form part of a larger discourse on rulership, but that, in a society in which communication was the main tool of rulership, they could act as a substitute for institutional means of rule. In Part I, Pratt explores how West Saxon royal power operated, investigating its economic base, the roles of the secular and ecclesiastical aristocrats who held office, and communication between the king and his thegns. West Saxon kingship had been consolidated by Alfred’s grandfather Ecgberht (802–839) and father Æthelwulf (839–858), who also exploited expanding commercial resources by promoting and taxing markets. Royal monopolies such as tolls, fines, mints, and land were shared with thegnly beneficiaries. In early Wessex, thegns were landed royal agents, who held estates of their own while remaining members of the royal household. They might serve as reeves, overseeing the king’s properties, or as ealdormen, entrusted with regional responsibilities over a shire. In both instances they were responsible for keeping the peace and dispute settlement in local courts. Alfred’s thegns were divided into three cohorts, each spending one month in three at court. Attendance at court enabled contact between king and thegns; in addition, royal gift-giving, of iconographic metalwork or land, cemented ties. The basis of aristocratic power was land. Bookland was land conveyed by royal charter (in contrast to folkland, conveyed orally). Originally introduced for ecclesiastical purposes, it soon was adapted by secular nobility, as it had the advantage of conveying ownership in perpetuity with freedom of alienation. In Æthelwulf’s Second Decimation of 854, the king booked a tenth of his land, freeing it from the usual obligations of land-holding. Pratt describes this as a “strategic tax-cut” to encourage co-operation in defense. Bridge maintenance REVIEWS 312 and border duty had long formed part of military service tied to land. In the reign of Æthelbald (855–860), charters began to add fortress-work to the other two burdens. Pratt situates Alfredian innovations in the context of increased Viking activity . As raiding developed into warfare over the period 865–877, Northumbria, East Anglia, and eastern Mercia fell to Viking control. The West Saxon kingdom was transformed by its defensive needs: a network of fortified centers (burhs) was organized, as well as a system of army rotation and the construction of fortified bridges to force the Vikings overland. This achievement relied on the co-operation of aristocratic landholders, and communication was key to Alfred’s success in persuading them..." @default.
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• W434961605 date "2008-01-01" @default.
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• W434961605 title "The Political Thought of King Alfred the Great by David Pratt" @default.
• W434961605 doi "https://doi.org/10.1353/cjm.2008.0055" @default.
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