development of the drafted in an earlier phase and in many ways truer to the lost ASC, common stock than are other extant versions. Based on conclusions, I will refer Bately’s to the A version of the in the discussion below. ASC Our chief source for Alfred is As the first known work primarily Life. Asser’s about the life of an English layman, the has often been held alongside Life Einhard’s earlier Both give intimate portrayals of their subjects based on the Vita Karoli Magni. and second-hand experiences while serving in their respective royal courts. authors’ first- However, whereas Einhard composed his work several years after death, Charlemagne’s Asser was working on the during reign. Asser was thus able to secure Life Alfred’s information from the king, other members of the court, and from his own memory during a period more immediate to the events he relates; he was not, as Einhard had been, limited to what he had witnessed and could remember. Of course Asser also had at his disposal a version of the as discussed above, ASC, and nearly half of the is closely based on it. He was also familiar with a range of Life sources which inspired his own style and narrative construction, the aim of which seems to have differed from that of the Chronicler. Richard Abels, for instance, views the as a ASC history of the of Wessex and the house of on the trials and ‘rise Alfred’, focussing successes of warfare in an attempt to encourage its audience to support burdensome measures demanded by Alfred to secure defenses. This implies that the intended audience of the was composed of individuals near to the court and the demands of government; ASC access to a version of the as a member of court, supports this view. ASC, Asser’s Alfred’s Identifying the potential audience for may help to better understand Life Asser’s the choices he made about exilic allusions and portrayals of exiles in his work. Like the Asser crafted the so as to encourage support for the king, although ASC, Life Asser’s intentions have been debated. Abels suggests that Asser gave his loyalty and love in response to largesse, saying was a manifestation of this Life of King Alfred Alfred’s ‘The
development of the ASC, drafted in an earlier phase and in many ways truer to the lost common stock than are other extant versions. Based on Bately’s conclusions, I will refer to the A version of the ASC in the discussion below. Our chief source for Alfred is Asser’s Life. As the first known work primarily about the life of an English layman, the Life has often been held alongside Einhard’s earlier Vita Karoli Magni. Both give intimate portrayals of their subjects based on the authors’ first- and second-hand experiences while serving in their respective royal courts. However, whereas Einhard composed his work several years after Charlemagne’s death, Asser was working on the Life during Alfred’s reign. Asser was thus able to secure information from the king, other members of the court, and from his own memory during a period more immediate to the events he relates; he was not, as Einhard had been, limited to what he had witnessed and could remember. Of course Asser also had at his disposal a version of the ASC, as discussed above, and nearly half of the Life is closely based on it. He was also familiar with a range of sources which inspired his own style and narrative construction, the aim of which seems to have differed from that of the Chronicler. Richard Abels, for instance, views the ASC as a history of the ‘rise of Wessex and the house of Alfred’, focussing on the trials and successes of warfare in an attempt to encourage its audience to support burdensome measures demanded by Alfred to secure defenses. This implies that the intended audience of the ASC was composed of individuals near to the court and the demands of government; Asser’s access to a version of the ASC, as a member of Alfred’s court, supports this view. Identifying the potential audience for Asser’s Life may help to better understand the choices he made about exilic allusions and portrayals of exiles in his work. Like the ASC, Asser crafted the Life so as to encourage support for the king, although Asser’s intentions have been debated. Abels suggests that Asser gave his loyalty and love in response to Alfred’s largesse, saying ‘The Life of King Alfred was a manifestation of this
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