The prologue Alfred cut from Ine's code that erased his name

A king who coined "Englisc" builds a people's laws - then abdicates and is erased from the record; how do you fall from that high? The prologue Alfred cut from Ine's code that erased his name In this episode, we trace the surviving fragments of Ine of Wessex’s lawcode and the strange choices that left his name out of later memory. We follow the manuscript trail, the political landscape he inherited, and the edits that shaped what posterity would read - so why did he vanish from the story? Person: Ine of Wessex Event: Composition of a lawcode introducing the word "Englisc" Period: Reign beginning c. 688, ruled thirty-seven years Person: Alfred the Great Date: Fire at Ashburnham House, October 23, 1731 - Ine produced the first Anglo-Saxon lawcode outside Kent containing practical penalties for offenses and the word "Englisc" - The laws may have been composed in Latin and translated into Old English to make the code legible to non-Latin readers - By the 18th century two manuscript copies existed; one now at Corpus Christi College, the other mostly destroyed in the 1731 fire - Alfred the Great reviewed earlier laws a century and a half later and kept some clauses while setting others aside without specifying which - The surviving Cambridge manuscript represents Ine’s code filtered through Alfred’s editorial judgment To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].