The Laws Of The Earliest English Kings

The most impressive contribution to the bibliography of Anglo-Saxon legal sources since Thorpe and Liebermann, this edition contains the texts of the Kentish laws, the laws of Ine and Alfred the Great, treaties with the Danes, and the laws of Edward the Elder and Aethelstan. The texts are in Anglo-Saxon with English translations. (Latin texts are used if the Anglo-Saxon originals were lost.) "Mr. Attenborough has done a very useful work in providing a critical translation of the Anglo-Saxon dooms for English-speaking students who are unable, or do not go far enough to find it needful, to make use of Liebermann's great and apparently final edition. Not that advanced scholars can afford to neglect Mr. Attenborough, for he shows himself fully capable of independent judgement and makes many observations deserving their attention": Frederick Pollock, Law Quarterly Review 38 (1922) 511.

Excerpt from The Laws of the Earliest English Kings: Edited and Translated More than eighty years have elapsed since an English edition of these Laws appeared, and great as were the merits of Thorpe's work, I think it will be generally agreed that a new edition is now required - not only because of the additions which have been made to the knowledge of the subject, but also because the work in question has long been out of print and is now accessible to but few readers. A substantial advance in certain respects was made by R. Schmid's edition, Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen, especially the second edition which appeared in 1858. Latterly, all previous editions have been eclipsed by F. Liebermann's great work (under the same title), which will long remain the standard authority on the subject. This book makes of course no attempt to compete with Liebermann's edition. For those who desire to make a study of the texts and their history, or to enter into a full discussion either of the Laws themselves or of the terms which are employed therein, the latter is indispensable. There are however, I am sure, many English readers interested in the early social and constitutional history of our country, who through ignorance of German are unable to use more than the text of the Laws in Liebermann's work, and many others who, though they may know German, cannot but be hampered by the very fulness of the material offered and at the same time by the conciseness with which the editor's explanations are expressed. It is primarily for such students that the present work is intended. But I would not let this opportunity pass without expressing my deep sense of the obligations laid upon me - as upon all students of our early history - by Professor Liebermann's monumental work. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

First published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The Earliest English Kings is a fascinating survey of Anglo-Saxon History from the sixth century to the eighth century and the death of King Alfred. It explains and explores the 'Heptarchy' or the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England, as well as the various peoples within them, wars, religion, King Offa and the coming of the Vikings. With maps and family trees, this book reveals the complex, distant and tumultuous events of Anglo-Saxon politics.

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