Fresh assessments of Edgar's reign, reappraising key elements using documentary, coin, and pictorial evidence. King Edgar ruled England for a short but significant period in the middle of the tenth century. Two of his four children succeeded him as king and two were to become canonized. He was known to later generations as "the Pacific" or"the Peaceable" because his reign was free from external attack and without internal dissention, and he presided over a period of major social and economic change: early in his rule the growth of monastic power and wealth involved redistribution of much of the country's assets, while the end of his reign saw the creation of England's first national coinage, with firm fiscal control from the centre. He fulfilled King Alfred's dream of the West Saxon royalhouse ruling the whole of England, and, like his uncle King AEthelstan, he maintained overlordship of the whole of Britain. Despite his considerable achievements, however, Edgar has been neglected by scholars, partly becausehis reign has been thought to have passed with little incident. A time for a full reassessment of his achievement is therefore long overdue, which the essays in this volume provide. CONTRIBUTORS: SIMON KEYNES, SHASHI JAYAKUMAR, C.P. LEWIS, FREDERICK M. BIGGS, BARBARA YORKE, JULIA CRICK, LESLEY ABRAMS, HUGH PAGAN, JULIA BARROW, CATHERINE KARKOV, ALEXANDER R. RUMBLE, MERCEDES SALVADOR-BELLO

About the Author
CATHERINE E. KARKOV is Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of Leeds.

Reviews
A welcome cheaper reprint of important papers. * NORTHERN HISTORY *
[An] academic history, aimed at those with a serious interest in Anglo-Saxon history. It will be of great value for them, casing light on this otherwise obscure reign. * WWW.HISTORYOFWAR.ORG *
A timely reassessment of this monarch and reign. * YEAR'S WORK IN ENGLISH STUDIES *
Illuminates aspects of Edgar's reign that have not been well covered in most general works, and its consistently high standard will ensure that it becomes essential reading for those who wish to understand the life and times of Edgar the Peaceable. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *



Book Information
ISBN 9781843839286
Author Professor Donald Scragg
Format Paperback
Page Count 294
Imprint The Boydell Press
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd