Alfred the Great and the holy lineage of Wessex: the construction of a myth of origins in Anglo-Saxon England
Elton O. S. MEDEIROS
Original title: Alfred o Grande e a linhagem sagrada de Wessex: a construção de um mito de origem na Inglaterra anglo-saxônica
Published in Relations between History and Literature in Ancient and Medieval World
Keywords: Alfred, Anglo-Saxons, England, Myth, Society.
In the end of 9th century, the actions taken by King Alfred the Great were decisive for the survival of the Anglo-Saxon England against the Vikings. His cultural revival would change the Anglo-Saxon society, reinforcing the defenses of the kingdom, the politics and enable the unification of England in the mid-10th century under king Athelstan’s reign. However, the main reason behind this revival was not cultural but a spiritual. For this task, inspired by the works like Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica, a myth of origins was forged. A myth that said the Anglo-Saxons were the spiritual heirs of the Hebrews of Old Testament. And their kings would be descendent of a holy lineage of a mysterious forth son of Noah. In this article we will analyze the elements of this myth, how was its construction and its importance for the Alfredian period.
Royal Feuds and the Politics of Sanctity in Anglo-Saxon England and Ottonian Saxony
Laura WANGERIN
Published in Pleasure in the Middle Ages
Keywords: Anglo-Saxons, Feud, Legal History, Ottonians, Royal Saints.
This paper is an examination of sanctification and politics in Anglo-Saxon England and Ottonian Saxony. The evidence suggests that a feud culture and feuding behaviours were the reasons for the proliferation of sanctified murdered Anglo-Saxon kings in the late-eighth through mid-ninth centuries, a phenomenon unique to England in this time period. An investigation of the nature of royal feuds in England, in contrast to those in Saxony, further suggests that the sanctification and cults of these Anglo-Saxon murdered kings were a strategic part of feuding interactions and negotiations between families. It also supports arguments for the relationship between a feud culture and the proliferation of legislative activity by the Anglo-Saxons, and offers new possibilities for understanding the dearth of legislative activity by the Ottonians.
