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Masters, Samuel (2024) Power, Provision and Punishment: Alfred’s Presentation of a King’s Responsibilities in the 'Old English Pastoral Care' and the 'Old English Boethius'. MRes thesis, University of Nottingham.

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Abstract

Alfredian literature is at the forefront of early-medieval English (AngloSaxon) literary studies today. Scholars have largely been preoccupied with debating how much of the corpus is authentically Alfred’s and how much was composed by others under the king’s name. I shall address a more pertinent question: what do these texts reveal about Anglo Saxon expectations of kingship? Pratt argues Alfred’s translations present a rare depiction of an early-medieval king’s beliefs on ‘the source, distribution and uses of legitimate power’.

To demonstrate this, I have focused my analysis on two Alfredian translations of sixth-century Latin texts. The Old English Pastoral Care (hereafter OEPC) translates Pope Gregory the Great’s advice to bishops, Regula Pastoralis ‘Pastoral Rule’ (RP). Meanwhile the Old English Boethius (OEB) reworks Boethius’ philosophical treatise, De Consolatione Philosophiae ‘The Consolation of Philosophy’ (DCP). Both texts are adapted from their sources to align with Alfred’s own views of leadership and were circulated to relay this to his people and under-lords – thereby promoting Alfred’s public image as king. Yet there are some key differences. Notably, OEB argues that a good king should keep giving to all his people and providing for them, while a bad king uses his power to command and becomes corrupted by pride. In contrast, OEPC does not see giving and commanding as mutually exclusive, contending that a good king is one who both cares and provides for his people and disciplines and commands them when they go wrong. But generally speaking, both promote the same new kingship image – an image which had a profound impact on subsequent Anglo-Saxon kings.

For the sake of clarity, I will first outline in this Introduction the contextual background to the Alfredian corpus. Afterwards, Chapter 1 will examine how both texts emphasise a ruler’s need for humility beneath God, and how kings are often corrupted and misled by pride. Chapter 2 will discuss the extent to which each text promotes a ruler’s duty to give before commanding or disciplining. I will conclude by noting Alfred’s lasting impact on Anglo-Saxon kingship, and the implications of this for further studies into this discipline.

Item Type:	Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (MRes)
Supervisors:	Lee, Christina Findell, Martin
Keywords:	Alfred, King of England, 849-899, King Alfred, Old English Literature, early-medieval English, Old English Boethius, Old English Pastoral Care
Subjects:	P Language and literature > PR English literature
Faculties/Schools:	UK Campuses > Faculty of Arts > School of English
Item ID:	77409
Depositing User:	Masters, Samuel
Date Deposited:	20 Jul 2024 04:40
Last Modified:	20 Jul 2024 04:40
URI:	https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/77409

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