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Primary sourceDocumentc. 873–888

Will of Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great · c. 873–888

Alfred's will, dividing his lands and money among his family, surviving in a later copy made for New Minster.

Alfred's own will, dividing his property and recording his succession agreement with his brother.

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Manuscript page in brown ink on aged parchment, handwritten in Old English in a medieval hand, with the red-and-blue initial and marginal heading 'Testamentum' visible. The page number 30 appears at top left. Dense lines of text run down the page.
Will of Alfred the Great, copied in the New Minster Liber Vitae. British Library, Stowe MS 944.

About this source

What it is

This is a manuscript copy of the will of Alfred the Great, recorded in the Liber Vitae of New Minster. It dates from around 873–888 and is kept today at the British Library.

Why it matters

The will shows how Alfred divided his lands and money among his family, and it also recounts the agreement he made with his brother Æthelred over the royal succession. It gives historians rare evidence of how Anglo-Saxon kings managed property and passed on power.

Look closer

  • What does dividing property among family members tell you about how kingship and inheritance worked at this time?
  • Why might a king's will also need to explain a succession agreement with his brother?
  • This is a later copy, not the original document — what might that mean for how reliable it is as evidence?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Alfred the Great on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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