What evidence is there that Alfred paid the Danes to leave Wessex in 876?
Upvote:4
There are two primary references that have been (and are still being) cited by early and contemporary (i.e., 18th-21st century) historians regarding King Alfred the Great paying off the Danish invaders of Wessex in 876 A.D. The two most cited references are from the 9th century: (1) Bishop Asser's "Life of King Aelfred" (Asserius de Rebus Gestis Aelfredib, written in Latin), and (2) the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ", originally written in Anglo-Saxon.
There are three articles in the Englsh language Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) that reference these two primary sources: "Alfred the Great", "Anglo-Saxon Chronicles", and "Asser".
The Wikipedia article states that the credibility of Bishop Asser's account has been in dispute by many historians over the years, including arguments that not only is the document not authentic, but also recently (1995) being declared an absolute forgery. Since Asser's original document was hand-written more than 1,500 years ago, and lost or destroyed ages ago, it exists now only in the various translated and transliterated copies that were made centuries ago,
If these two 9th century references are to be believed as being authentic and reliable, then the answer to the question being asked is clearly that King Aelfred did not pay off the Danes as legions of historians, past and present, have written. That being said, recent historians have tried to settle the historically long running disputes over many issues regarding Bishop Asser's mainly chronological account of King Aelfred's life. Some historians have agreed to disregard all previous arguments and accept Asser's account as both indisputably authentic and creditable, but others have not. The authenticity and reliability of Asser's account is then, unsettled.
However, Asser's account of King Aelfred's life makes no mention at all of King Aelfred ever having paid a bribe to any invaders of his kingdom to keep them away. An exchange of hostages, yes. But goods or money, no.
According to the Wikipedia article "Asser" (and other above listed sources), when Asser was still a Christian monk he was hand-picked by King Aelfred (a baptised Catholic) to join his court, an invitation which Asser (evidently of Welsh decent) declined to do for various reasons. Eventually, however, Asser, an anointed Catholic priest, did join Aelfred's court, but agreed to do so for only six months every year. Asser's role in Aelfred's court became one of being Aelfred's tutor, confidant, and administrator to Aelfred of the Catholic church's sacred sacraments and rites, including the sacred sacraments of Confession and Absolution, and Holy Communion with the body and blood of Christ.
Finally, in evaluating the inclusiveness of Asser's account of the life of King Aelfred, it should be noted that, as King Aelfred's Confessor as well as being his close and beloved companion, that Asser's "Life of King Aelfred" could, but certainly would not, contain anything that was revealed to him by the King while he was exercising the Catholic rite of being the King's Confessor. Consequently, Asser's account of his King's life would not include anything relating to the payment of a bribe to the Danish king Guthrum if that fact had been confessed to Asser by the King during the Catholic rite of Confession.
Notes:
Two English Wikipedia articles have clickable links to on-line copies of the two primary documents historians have used to reference the Anglo-Saxon chronicles and Asser's "Life of King Aelfred", as follows:
"Anglo-Saxon Chronicle": View the clickable links in the article's "External links section for various copies of the Chronicle.
"Asser: (1) for a contemporary reference to 9th century Asser see reference to Keynes, et.al. in the article's "References section. (2) for copies of Asser's "Life of King Alfred" view the clickable links in the article's "External Links section.
More post
- 📝 Was there a rational reason for Napoleon to attack Russia while the Peninsular War was still in progress?
- 📝 Who named the Democratic Party?
- 📝 Does somebody know anything about the original "Tour de Croy" tower?
- 📝 Was Kingdom of Cochin the only kingdom in South Asia to be a protectorate of (any empire of) China?
- 📝 How were immigrant doctors and nurses sponsored in 1960/1970s?
- 📝 What major company bought all the paint of another company in the 20th century?
- 📝 What proportion of the Austro-Hungarian army fought on each of the fronts?
- 📝 Did the US threaten a nuclear strike to defend Israel in 1973?
- 📝 Why did North America economically prosper, and maintain stable government and South/Central America didn't?
- 📝 What did typical mid-18th century housing look like in English villages?
- 📝 How did a nomadic minority group the Manchus come to rule over China?
- 📝 Who was the tallest Roman ever found?
- 📝 How was the start date of the bronze age determined?
- 📝 Why did the Arab League re-admit Egypt in 1989?
- 📝 Parable of the broken window and 1929 crisis
- 📝 Are submarine launched ballistic missiles still inaccurate?
- 📝 Did the Romans pour wine down wells for health purposes?
- 📝 Why could Phoenicians sail past Cape Bojador but later Europeans could not until 1434?
- 📝 Did the Eastern Romans also use Roman concrete?
- 📝 What was the price of basic foodstuff in 1930 Poland?
- 📝 Do medieval historic references to "Semites" refer to Jews or to speakers of Semitic in general?
- 📝 Are there confirmed cases where a country changed its language without being conquered?
- 📝 Is this anecdote about use of poison in guerrilla war mentioned by Schopenhauer based on facts?
- 📝 What is the date and original source of this medieval picture?
- 📝 Why was US President Truman "on the high seas" when the Hiroshima atomic bomb was dropped?
- 📝 Was there a state in history where influence of sport fans on politics was greater than in medieval Byzantine Empire?
- 📝 Best books on the politics behind WWII
- 📝 Do busts or statues exist for all the Roman emperors until the fall of the West?
- 📝 Why the laws re the burial of slaves in the Twelve Tables?
- 📝 To what degree is Simone Weil correct in arguing that the third Reich under Hitler was merely a revival of imperial Rome?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What evidence is there that Alfred paid the Danes to leave Wessex in 876?
- 📝 What evidence is there that English Political divisions from the 1600s are replicated in American politics today?
- 📝 What evidence is there to suggest that 'fear of the bomb' is culturally specific?
- 📝 What evidence is there that Bell stole the telephone design from Gray?
- 📝 What hard, physical evidence is there that Davy Crockett actually died at the Alamo?
- 📝 Is there any evidence to support the claim that the United States was "suckered into WW1" by Zionists, made by Benjamin Freedman in his 1961 speech?
- 📝 What led some people to (correctly) believe that there was no land under the ice cap at the North Pole?
- 📝 Is there any evidence that Cleopatra and Caesarion considered fleeing to India to escape the Romans?
- 📝 What is the evidence to claim that political order in ancient Rome was sufficiently different under "kingdom", "republic" and "empire"?
- 📝 What evidence is there of the vision aids people used before the invention of eyeglasses in about 1286?
- 📝 Is there any evidence that the Catholic Church slowed innovation during the Middle Ages?
- 📝 Is there any evidence to support the claim that the US Strategic Defense Initiative played any significant role in undermining the USSR?
- 📝 What historical evidence is there for the existence of Jesus Christ? What do we know about him?
- 📝 What documentary evidence is there that Roman crucifixion victims were completely nude?
- 📝 Is there convincing evidence that the language of Bulgars (proto-Bulgarians) was not Turkic, but Indo-European?
- 📝 Is there any evidence besides the scriptures that the Ark of the Covenant existed?
- 📝 Is there documentary evidence that Stalin intended/prepared to fight Germany after the Nazi-Soviet pact?
- 📝 Is there evidence that working for the Pony Express was dangerous, or not dangerous?
- 📝 What is the historical evidence behind the claim that the Soviet armies perpetrated mass rapes during their stay in Germany?
- 📝 Is there evidence that the annual pilgrimage to Mecca facilitated cultural exchanges?
- 📝 What evidence is there of Asians and Africans in medieval Britain other than Moors in the 7th century?
- 📝 What evidence support the theory that the killing of unwanted children was practiced in ancient Athens?
- 📝 What Land Runs were there in the U.S., and were the Indians paid for their land?
- 📝 Is there evidence that scrubbing floors on one's hands and knees was a commonplace drudgery for women in the past?
- 📝 What evidence supports the claim that Shivaji's father was Muslim?
- 📝 Is there any evidence that the book of Isaiah was written before Cyrus?
- 📝 What evidence is there for the severity of Roman scourging before crucifixion?
- 📝 What is the evidence that Galerius raised Severus II to the rank of Augustus?
- 📝 Is there any evidence to support the claim that Richard Burton told John Speke he would return home via Jerusalem after their Nile Quest?
- 📝 Is there evidence of a pagan temple on the site of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem that predated the Jewish Temple?
