King Alfred the Great had a will?
King Alfred’s will is one of only two Anglo Saxon kings wills that have survived the other being King Eadred’s (946 – 955AD). It is a fascinating document in which the rights of succession, property, tenure, gifts and personal privileges are laid out. It also shows the complexity of Anglo Saxon property estates and throws a wonderful light on the great Anglo Saxon king that Alfred was. The document can be seen in the British Library digitised manuscripts site, where it is part of a collections of manuscripts dated between 455 and 1023 relating to Hyde Abbey in Winchester but is also the topic for their Medieval Manuscript blog which is well worth reading.
