At the opening of the tenth century monasticism was at its lowest ebb in England. King Alfred's attempts to revive the regular life had failed; some of the monasteries were homes of married priests, many more were ruinous and deserted. When Edgar had come into his kingdom, and was able to fulfil the vow which he had made as a boy to restore the monasteries to their former splendour, the time was ripe for success. The land had recovered from the ravages of war, and ‘the three torches’ of the Church—Dunstan, Athelwold, and Oswald—were ready to guide him. However, the brief but brilliant revival was checked by national disaster. From the time of the renewed Danish invasions monastic life steadily languished.