The Legal Code of Alfred the Great [1893]

A legendary figure in medieval history, Alfred of Wessex [871-899], also known as Alfred the Great, founded the first significant centralized kingdom in present-day England and Wales. A learned monarch, he was well-versed in Christian theology and classical thought.

Also known as the Doom Book, his legal code synthesized original laws and decrees with those of his predecessor, King Ine of Wessex [d.c. 726], the Ten Commandments, and parts of the Book of Exodus and the Apostolic Letter from the Acts of the Apostles.

An important landmark in early English law, it helped to establish a body of centralized English law and a sense of national identity. It was also a powerful statement about the duty of subjects, the king's authority and the collective destiny of the kingdom.

This edition contains the complete text of the code with full scholarly apparatus and an extensive introduction that discusses manuscripts of the code, philological issues and the code's legal and literary qualities.

viii, 147 pp.