The Medieval Life of King Alfred the Great: A Translation and Commentary on the Text Attributed to Asser

Much of our understanding of the personality of Alfred the Great is based on the medieval Life of the king which was purported to have been written by Asser, Alfred's chaplain and close companion. This volume, which includes a translation of the full text with extensive commentary, argues that the Life was a forgery, written c.AD 1000 by the monk Byrhtferth, and that his sickly, saintlike and illiterate Alfred never existed. Much of the study comprises an interesting discussion of the Life 's historical inaccuracies when compared to other sources. Smythe also asks why this account was written in Ramsey, Huntingdonshire, a century after Alfred's death.