Alfredian military reform: the materialization of ideology and the social practice of garrisoning

Georgina Pitt

doi:10.1111/emed.12560

Alfredian military reform: the materialization of ideology and the social practice of garrisoning

Georgina Pitt

Discipline of History

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

King Alfred could not coerce his elites into implementing his ambitious military reforms. Instead, he had to persuade them to participate. Ideology can induce action, but how did an ideology focused on Christian wisdom motivate military reform? Different theoretical frameworks can help to identify promising new lines of enquiry. Assemblage theory illuminates the materialization of ideology in the burhs, the instantiation of relationships of power in the landscape. Social practice theory elucidates the consolidation of ideology through the social practice of garrisoning the burhs. These theories offer a fresh perspective on the subtle connection between Alfredian ideology and military reform.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	408-436
Number of pages	29
Journal	Early Medieval Europe
Volume	30
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/emed.12560
Publication status	Published - Aug 2022

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10.1111/emed.12560

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abstract = "King Alfred could not coerce his elites into implementing his ambitious military reforms. Instead, he had to persuade them to participate. Ideology can induce action, but how did an ideology focused on Christian wisdom motivate military reform? Different theoretical frameworks can help to identify promising new lines of enquiry. Assemblage theory illuminates the materialization of ideology in the burhs, the instantiation of relationships of power in the landscape. Social practice theory elucidates the consolidation of ideology through the social practice of garrisoning the burhs. These theories offer a fresh perspective on the subtle connection between Alfredian ideology and military reform.",

author = "Georgina Pitt",

note = "Funding Information: I gratefully acknowledge receipt of the following scholarships: the Hackett Postgraduate Research Scholarship, the Frank Broeze Postgraduate Scholarship, and the Patricia Crawford Research Award in History, all from the University of Western Australia, and an Australian Government Research Training Programme Scholarship. I am profoundly indebted to Andrew Lynch, Kirk Essary, and Francis Leneghan for their guidance. This article was greatly improved by the feedback from the anonymous reviewers, and I thank them for their time and effort. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 John Wiley \& Sons Ltd.",

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N2 - King Alfred could not coerce his elites into implementing his ambitious military reforms. Instead, he had to persuade them to participate. Ideology can induce action, but how did an ideology focused on Christian wisdom motivate military reform? Different theoretical frameworks can help to identify promising new lines of enquiry. Assemblage theory illuminates the materialization of ideology in the burhs, the instantiation of relationships of power in the landscape. Social practice theory elucidates the consolidation of ideology through the social practice of garrisoning the burhs. These theories offer a fresh perspective on the subtle connection between Alfredian ideology and military reform.

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Alfredian military reform: the materialization of ideology and the social practice of garrisoning

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