It has been noted by various scholars that this autobiographical section of the Life bears great similarity to the Vita Alcuini’s description of Alcuin entering the service of Charlemagne. Unlike many of his Carolingian counterparts, Asser’s biography features himself as a major character, providing an account of his journey to Alfred’s service. This article examines parallels between Asser’s Life of King Alfred and another, more obscure, continental source, the anonymous ninth-century Vita Alcuini, a text which has received little scholarly attention. Asser’s biography draws on a variety of continental sources, the most famous and widely-discussed being Einhard’s Life of Charlemagne. Asser’s Life of King Alfred, a biography of Alfred the Great composed by a Welsh monk from St Davids in 893, is a key source for understanding connections between ninth-century England and the continent.
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