King Ine (688–726) and the Writing of English Law in Latin

Bibliographic Data

ID9739810
AuthorsIngrid Ivarsen (0000-0002-9293-2256, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, UK, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume137
Issue584
Pages1-46
Publication date2022-05-09
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe English Historical Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0013-8266 • E-ISSN: 1477-4534
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/ehr/ceac003
OpenAlexW4210543165
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited1

It is commonly supposed that all Anglo-Saxon laws were composed in Old English. This article argues that the law-code in the name of King Ine of Wessex (r. 688–726) was written in Latin in his reign and only assumed its surviving Old English form in the ninth century when it was translated from Latin and appended to King Alfred’s law-code. Linguistic evidence indicates that Ine’s language is that of a ninth-century translator, possibly working with Alfred’s law-code, while its legal content is that of seventh-century Wessex. There are also several close parallels to continental legislation in Ine’s laws, both in language and in content. This article suggests that these may be the result of Frankish legislation serving as a model for or inspiration to the makers of Ine’s laws. The translation theory presented here explains many of the notorious linguistic peculiarities and problems of this text and its role within Alfred’s code

Archaeology · Art · Code (set theory · Common law · English law · Legislation · Literature · Ninth · Old English · Parallels · Physics · Political science · Politics · Reign · Set (abstract data type · Classics · Computer Science · Engineering · History · Law · Linguistics and language evolution · Medieval Literature and History · Multicultural Socio-Legal Studies

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