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WorksheetsAsser and the ASC - Sources
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
What was the name of Alfred's biographer?
(a)
2.
What is a chronicle?
a)
A factual written account of important historical events in the order of their occurrence.
b)
A written life of a saint.
c)
A collection of factual texts produced on a regular basis.
d)
A text written to systematically lay out an argument on an issue.
3.
When, approximately, was the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle first produced?
a)
892
b)
894
c)
878
d)
865
4.
What was probably the purpose of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle? Select all that apply.
a)
To boost Anglo-Saxon morale in the face of Viking attacks.
b)
To unite the Anglo-Saxon peoples into one - the 'English'.
c)
To persuade the Welsh to submit to Alfred's kingship.
d)
To support Alfred's claim to the throne against his brother.
5.
MS A is the earliest version of the Chronicle still surviving. Where was this produced?
a)
Winchester, Wessex
b)
Abingdon, Mercia
c)
Wearmouth, Northumbria
d)
Peterborough, Mercia
6.
What does 'corroborate' mean?
a)
'Back up'; to support or confirm something else.
b)
Dispute; to challenge or undermine something else.
c)
To add detail to an argument.
d)
An early medieval form of execution.
7.
Where did Asser come from?
a)
Dyfed, Wales
b)
Gwynedd, Wales
c)
York, Northumbria
d)
Brycheinog, Wales
8.
What is one STRENGTH of Asser's Life of King Alfred, when used as a primary source?
a)
Asser knew Alfred very well; he was present at his court for a number of years.
b)
It is extremely well-preserved.
c)
It is highly accurate as its contents were peer-reviewed by fellow historians at the time.
d)
Asser was a foreigner and therefore had no relationship with Alfred, and was impartial.
9.
Where did Alfred make Asser bishop of in 892, as a reward for his service?
a)
Sherborne
b)
London
c)
Worcester
d)
Exeter
10.
Roughly when was the Life of King Alfred completed?
a)
893
b)
865
c)
894
d)
871
11.
Why was Asser initially summoned to Alfred's court?
a)
To tutor him in Latin
b)
To take over from Alfred's old personal priest
c)
To tidy up his library and filing system
d)
To negotiate an agreement with his Welsh king
12.
Why was Asser probably asked to write his biography of Alfred? Select all that apply.
a)
To convince the Welsh that Alfred was worth submitting to.
b)
To unite the Anglo-Saxon peoples into one - the 'English'.
c)
To appeal to the Frankish court and promote an alliance
d)
To dissuade the Vikings from targeting Alfred
13.
Asser's work borrowed heavily from the biography of an earlier Frankish emperor, Charlemagne, written around 50 years before. Who wrote this text?
(a)
14.
Why did the historian Galbraith claim, in the 1960s, that Asser's work was a forgery?
a)
It contained details he said were anachronistic
b)
He claimed the handwriting was not Asser's
c)
The ink did not date from the correct period
d)
Some of the spelling was from a much later period
15.
Who did he claim had really written the work?
a)
A C11th bishop from Exeter
b)
A monk called Byrthferth in the year 1000
c)
A Victorian forger called Parker
d)
Alfred's wife, Aelswith
16.
The historian Smyth also claimed Asser's work was a fake. Who did he claim wrote it?
a)
A monk called Byrthferth in the year 1000
b)
A C11th bishop from Exeter
c)
A Victorian forger called Parker
d)
Alfred's wife, Aelswith
17.
Name of Alfred's grandfather, who had added Essex, Sussex and Kent to the West Saxon kingdom?
(a)
18.
Name the puppet king of Mercia, installed by the Vikings in 873.
a)
Ceolwulf
b)
Aethelred
c)
Edmund
d)
Aella
19.
Name the commander of the Great Summer Army, arriving to reinforce the Vikings in 871.
(a)
20.
What happened to Burgred, king of Mercia?
a)
He fled to Rome in 873.
b)
He was executed by the Vikings.
c)
He made a deal with the Vikings to remain as puppet.
d)
He took refuge in the West Saxon royal court.
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