1999 marked the eleven-hundredth anniversary of the death of Alfred the Great, and to mark this event, two international conferences were held to re-evaluate and contextualise Alfred's achievements and the developments of his reign. This volume includes papers given at both events and provides substantial assessments, by leading scholars, of issues of source-criticism, of the large corpus of Old English literature associated with Alfred and of developments in government and society in late ninth-century England. It also explores how Alfred and his kingdom related to the wider geo-political and cultural situation in the British isles and continental Europe, and closes with a substantial survey of the uses and shifts in Alfred's reputation in the centuries following his death. This substantial and wide ranging volume will become a standard reference work for anyone interested in Old English literature or Anglo-Saxon history, and will set the pattern of future scholarly debate.

'Overall, a more human Alfred emerges, and a more credible one, in a more plausible context, and this is a fitting commemoration.' History '... these studies are remarkable for the precision and thoughtfulness with which they clarify our basic understanding of the significance of King Alfred's reign. The reader can turn tot his volume, almost as a specialized encyclopedia, to find the most detailed, up-to-date and nuanced evaluation of Alfred's debt to his predecessors, his relation to his contemporaries and his own innovations and special achievements.' The Medieval Review 'The value of the volume lies not only in the general quality of its contributions, but in its juxtaposition of multiple perspectives. Afredian activity gains much from its assessement in regional and European contexts, in turn generating important questions for further research. If Alfred's contribution seems more nuanced, its scope is strongly confirmed in this fitting commemoration of an extraordinary king.' Albion 'The book is splendidly produced...' Speculum

Timothy Reuter, formerly University of Southampton, UK James Campbell, Michael Lapidge, David Howlett, Susan Irvine, Leslie Webster, Janet Bately, Allen J. Frantzen, Malcolm Godden, Nicholas Brooks, Simon Keynes, Mark Blackburn, David Hill, Derek Keene, Pauline Stafford, Richard Abels, Edwin Gifford, Joyce Gifford, Janet L. Nelson, Anton Scharer, Wendy Davies, Jonathan Shepard, Barbara Yorke.