Constructing a King: William of Malmesbury and the Life of Æthelstan

IF 0.1 0 MEDIEVAL & RENAISSANCE STUDIES
M. Firth
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Gesta regum Anglorum, written by William of Malmesbury in the twelfth century, is a key source for the life of the tenth-century Anglo-Saxon king, Æthelstan (924–939). Contemporary narrative histories provide little detail relating to Æthelstan’s kingship, and the account of Gesta regum Anglorum purports to grant an unparalleled insight into his life and reign. William’s abbey at Malmesbury had a unique connection to Æthelstan—the Anglo-Saxon king had gifted the abbey lands and relics in life, and in death had been laid to rest there. Thus, two-centuries after his death, Malmesbury was perhaps the most likely region in England to retain an affection for Æthelstan. However, due to this regional affinity with the Anglo-Saxon king, William’s narrative must be viewed with some suspicion, designed as it is to emphasise Æthelstan’s connection to Malmesbury and eulogise the abbey’s Anglo-Saxon benefactor. It is a complex literary construction that at times demonstrates an historian’s concern for the veracity of sources and the integrity of their interpretation, while at others is wont to delve into hagiographical hyperbole. This paper undertakes to examine critically William’s historiographical methodologies as identified within his life of Æthelstan, thereby exposing the intrinsic interrelation between source documents, local tradition, material history, and authorial invention in his construct of the Anglo-Saxon king.
构建一个国王:马姆斯伯里的威廉和他的一生Æthelstan
由马姆斯伯里的威廉于12世纪所著的《英国王室纪事》(Gesta regum Anglorum)是了解这位10世纪盎格鲁-撒克逊国王生平的重要资料,网址为Æthelstan(924-939)。当代叙事性历史几乎没有提供与Æthelstan的王权有关的细节,而对Gesta regum Anglorum的描述旨在为他的生活和统治提供无与伦比的洞察力。马姆斯伯里的威廉修道院与Æthelstan-the有着独特的联系盎格鲁-撒克逊国王生前曾赠予修道院土地和遗物,死后也长眠于此。因此,在他死后的两个世纪里,马姆斯伯里可能是英国最有可能对Æthelstan保持感情的地区。然而,由于与盎格鲁-撒克逊国王在该地区的亲密关系,威廉的叙述必须带着一些怀疑来看待,其目的是强调Æthelstan与马姆斯伯里的联系,并颂扬修道院的盎格鲁-撒克逊恩人。这是一种复杂的文学结构,有时表现出历史学家对资料来源的真实性及其解释的完整性的关注,而在其他时候则倾向于钻研圣徒式的夸张。本文致力于批判性地考察威廉在他的Æthelstan生活中确定的历史编纂方法,从而揭示源文件,当地传统,材料历史和作者在他的盎格鲁撒克逊国王建构中的发明之间的内在相互关系。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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