Æthelstan and the foundation of England: your guide to the 'first king of the English'
Danny Bird reveals everything you need to know about the Anglo-Saxon ruler regarded as the first true ‘King of the English’ – from his battlefield achievements to his political reforms
Who was Æthelstan?
Born around AD 894, Æthelstan was a member of the royal House of Wessex – a grandson of Alfred the Great and son of Edward the Elder. Though there is some debate among historians, it is believed that Alfred may have preferred Æthelstan to succeed him as king; indeed, writing two centuries later, the Anglo-Norman chronicler William of Malmesbury recorded that Alfred conferred upon his infant grandson a scarlet cloak, a bejewelled belt and a sword with a gilded scabbard during an elaborate ceremony, perhaps indicating his designs for the dynasty after his death.
However, when Æthelstan’s father ascended the throne in 899, his stepmother advanced the interests of her own sons, leading to a sudden shift in Æthelstan’s standing. At some point in his childhood he was fostered by his paternal aunt Æthelflæd, the queen consort and later ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.
What kind of world did Æthelstan grow up in?
In the centuries following the decline of Roman rule in Britain, a series of kingdoms had arisen across what is now England, including Mercia, Northumbria and Wessex. By the early ninth century, Wessex had become the most influential of these kingdoms to such an extent that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle described King Ecgberht as bretwalda (‘wide ruler’) of the Anglo-Saxons.
However, Vikings from Scandinavia began raiding the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the late eighth century and soon settled in the north and east of the British mainland. In early 878, the Vikings won an important victory over Alfred the Great at the battle of Chippenham, but he regrouped and defeated them at nearby Edington, before converting them to Christianity. By the end of the ninth century, the House of Wessex had established a relatively unified realm, but the eastern half of southern Britain remained under Danish control at the time of Alfred’s death in 899.
When did Æthelstan become king?
Æthelstan’s upbringing in his aunt’s court proved instrumental to his later success. Following her husband’s death in 911, Æthelflæd had been accepted by the Mercians as their ruler. A shrewd political and military strategist, she worked alongside her brother Edward (Æthelstan’s father) to rout the Danes. In the year before her own passing, she had procured Viking York’s allegiance, and after a brief succession by her daughter Ælfwynn in 918, her territories were inherited by Edward himself.
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In 924, Æthelstan succeeded his father and he was crowned in Kingston, along the boundary of Wessex and Mercia, the following year. In 927, his brother-in-law – Sihtric, the Viking ruler of Northumbria – died, and Æthelstan acquired that kingdom, too. Having become the ‘King of the English’, he also established himself as the overlord of Britain, receiving tribute from the Welsh, the Scots and the kingdom of Strathclyde.
How important was the battle of Brunanburh to Æthelstan’s reign?
Æthelstan’s enemies spent the next decade building a coalition against him. Matters came to a head in 937 when the armies of Constantine II of Scotland, Owain of Strathclyde and Olaf Guthfrithson of Dublin clashed with Æthelstan’s army at the battle of Brunanburh in northern England.
Often associated with Bromborough on the Wirral, the battlefield’s precise location has in fact been lost to history. However, the historian Michael Wood has suggested that the medieval sources point to Went Hill, an area south of York along the Great North Road. It’s a theory based on the little-known, alternative Northumbrian name for the battle: Wendun.
Lasting a full day, the fighting at Brunanburh was ferocious, with both sides suffering heavy losses. Ultimately, though, Æthelstan’s forces emerged victorious, securing his supremacy over the island. It marked a turning point in Anglo-Saxon history, paving the way for the unification of England under the rule of the House of Wessex and securing Æthelstan’s status as the de facto Rex totius Britanniae (‘King of the whole of Britain’).
What did Æthelstan achieve as king?
Having unified the Anglo-Saxons under his kingship, the cultural and political customs that developed at this time proved fundamental to the nascent English state. There not only emerged a distinct ‘English’ identity through the promotion of the English language and literature, but his court became a centre of learning, patronising the arts and overseeing a thriving culture of manuscript production.
Importantly, the system of government became centralised in the king’s hands, with a network of royal officials responsible for collecting taxes, enforcing laws and maintaining order throughout the kingdom set up under his rule. Meanwhile, bishops, ealdormen (high-ranking law enforcers) and local magnates routinely assembled at the king’s councils, taking stock of the realm in what has been described as a rudimentary ‘parliament’. But Æthelstan’s achievements weren’t purely domestic: as a skilled diplomat, he also forged alliances with his European counterparts, too.
Crucially, Æthelstan was a devout Christian who was committed to promoting the Church’s interests. His concern for clemency and legal propriety in accordance with his faith inspired him to raise the age at which a child could be executed for petty theft from 10 to 15, while his reign also saw the foundation of several churches and monasteries. In addition, he worked to standardise the Church’s liturgy, and endorsed the use of the English language in religious services.
What was Æthelstan’s legacy?
Æthelstan died in Gloucester in 939 and, in a break with the tradition of his dynasty, was buried in Malmesbury Abbey.
He never married or produced an heir, but his profound achievements endured. Just over a century later, when the Norman Conquest marked the end of Anglo-Saxon rule, William of Normandy won a kingdom whose cohesion was the product of Æthelstan’s remarkable statecraft. Later eclipsed by his grandfather, he was ‘rediscovered’ in the late 20th century and acknowledged as the true unifier of England.
This article was first published in the July 2023 issue of BBC History Revealed
Authors
Danny Bird is the Staff Writer at BBC History Magazine. Danny Bird is the Staff Writer at BBC History Magazine and previously held the same role on BBC History Revealed. He joined the brand in 2022. Fascinated with the past since childhood, Danny completed his History BA at the University of Sheffield, developing a special interest in the Spanish Civil War and the Paris Commune. He subsequently gained his History MA from University College London, studying at its School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES)
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