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THECITYTHATISNOT:APOPHASISANDANGLO-SAXONURBANISM
13
See;heanointedthechildAlfredasking,ordaininghimproperly,re-
ceivedhimasanadoptivesonandconfirmedhim.”2Whilethemention
oftheboybeinganointedfuturekingisinalllikelihoodaninstance
ofroyalhagiographyonAsser)spart,3fromthepopehimselfwehear
aboutanhonourequallyextraordinary.Inalettertotheboy)sfather,
KingÆthelwulf,PopeLeowrites:FiliumvestrumErfred[i.e.Alfred],
quemhocintemporeadsanctorumapostolorumliminadestinarecurates,
benignesuscepimus,etquasispiritalemfliumconsulatescingulihonore
vestimentisque,utmosestRomanisconsulibus,decoravimus,eoquodin
nostrissetradiditmanibus.
4
—uWehavenowgraciouslyreceivedyourson
Alfred,whomyouwereanxioustosendatthistimetothethresholdsof
theHolyApostles,andwehavedecoratedhim,asaspiritualson,with
thedignityofthebelt[orsword]andthevestmentsoftheconsulate,
asiscustomarywithRomanconsuls,becausehegavehimselfintoour
hands.”5WhatLeodescribesasAlfredugivinghimself”intohishands
wasconceivablyaformofallegiance,albeitsymbolic,thatthepopewas
eagertosetwithadistantChristiankingdom.
AsserclaimsthatAlfred)ssecondjourneytoRomethreeyearslater
wasevenmorestately;heaccompaniedhisfather,theking.Asthey
slowlyprogressedthroughcontinentalEuropetheywerereceivedand
providedwithassistancebythegrandsonofCharlemagneandkingof
theFranks,CharlestheBald,whotwentyyearslaterwastobecome
HolyRomanEmperor.TepartyeventuallyreachedRome,where,ac-
cordingtoAsser,thekingandhissonspentoneyear:Eodemqueanno
2Asser,LifeofKingAlfredinAlfredtheGreat.Asser’sLifeofKingAlfredand
OtherContemporarySources,trans.SimonKeynesandMichaelLapidge(London:
PenguinBooks,2004),69.HenceforthreferredtoasAsser,LifeofKingAlfred.
3Cf.,forinstance,AllenJ.Frantzen,KingAlfred(Boston:TwaynePublishers,
1986),4-5.
4uLeoEdelvulforegiAnglorum,”inMonumentaGermaniaeHistorica.
EpistolarumTomusV.KaroliniAeviiIII,eds.Gesellschaffürälteredeutsche
Geschichtskunde(Berlin:ApudWeidmannos,1899),602.
5
Asser,LifeofKingAlfred,232.KeynesandLapidgepointtothefactthat
thelettermaybeanueleventh-centuryforgery,contrivedbyPopeGregoryVIIin
hisattempttoestablishafeudalrelationshipwithWilliamtheConqueror”(232).
See:JanetL.Nelson,uTeProblemofKingAlfred)sRoyalAnointing,”Journalof
EcclesiasticalHistory18(1967):145-63.
