In the ninth century, under King Alfred the Great, England had achieved considerable military, political, cultural, and even some ecclesiastical recovery from the Viking invasions. It was not until the following century, however, that there was a revival of monasticism and spirituality. In that, the leading figure was Dunstan.

Dunstan was born about 909 into a family with royal connections. He became a monk and, in 943, was made Abbot of Glasto…