This important volume traces the institutional, administrative and ideological crystallisation of the ancestor of modern England over the course of a century. Molyneaux's central argument is that the machinery of late Anglo-Saxon government, so celebrated for its achievements in the eleventh century, was largely a development of the later tenth century, particularly the reign of Edgar (959–75). In the first three chapters he sets the stage for later developments by surveying the various structures which English rulers from the late ninth to mid-tenth centuries used to accomplish a series of military conquests. The major achievement of this period was the creation of a large, geographically contiguous kingdom, albeit one still marked by important regional differences. Molyneaux is careful to define this as expansion rather than conquest. Kings extended their power in several different ways using both violent and non-violent techniques. What fuelled English (or, as Molyneaux terms the ruling dynasty, Cerdicing) success at this time was probably weight of numbers and wealth: the Viking onslaught had transformed the political map of England and left the kings of the West Saxons as the richest and politically dominant figures of lowland Britain. When they turned their resources against smaller, less co-ordinated powers the odds were stacked heavily in the Cerdicings’ favour. Molyneaux proposes that the principal aim of expansion in the first half of the tenth century was the establishment of security against Vikings and other enemies, rather than unification of the English (not least because some of the English, even in the tenth century, ended up ruled by the kings of the Scots).

The last two (long) chapters and the conclusion are dedicated to showing how kings in the more peaceful second half of the tenth century capitalised on the military achievements of their forebears. Coinage, local administrative geography and the personnel of government were all substantially modified, and in general became more uniform across the kingdom (at least as far north as Yorkshire). While relative peace facilitated these changes, Molyneaux discusses at length the ideology which propelled them, emphasising the moral and religious motivations which grew up in the context of monastic reform from the mid-tenth century. He highlights strengthening views of royal responsibility and uniformity which impacted upon the general populace – but also notes elements of continuity across the tenth century in dealing with the political elite. The result was a powerful new political entity, propped up by the interlocking support of elite and administration, which remained strongly committed to the kingdom (even if not to an individual king or dynasty).

Molyneaux's rich study of tenth-century England is among the most important monographs on the subject to have appeared in decades. Its thesis is meticulously argued, based on profound knowledge of all the critical sources and scholarship. Some elements of the later tenth-century transformation find precursors earlier in the tenth century (for instance in the coinage and legislation of Æthelstan), and the first appearance of new practices under Edgar and his successors sometimes leaves open the possibility that they originated earlier but only materialise in later sources. On the whole, however, Molyneaux's emphasis on the innovations of Edgar and his heirs is well founded, and deserves careful consideration from all students interested in the period.