Æthelstan (c. 894–939), grandson of Alfred the Great, was the first king to rule over a unified England. Though often eclipsed in the popular imagination by more mythologised figures, he was revered in his own time and by Æthelstan (c. 894–939), grandson of Alfred the Great, was the first monarch to rule a unified England. Though less celebrated in popular culture, he was lauded in his own time and by many historians as the architect of the English kingdom, combining military dominance with religious devotion and political reform.
Early Life and Rise to Power
Æthelstan, son of Edward the Elder, was likely born in Wessex but raised in Mercia under the care of his aunt, Æthelflæd. This upbringing gave him a deep connection with both major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
His accession was contested, but after the sudden death of his half-brother Ælfweard, Æthelstan was crowned at Kingston upon Thames in 925. William of Malmesbury later called him “the first to wear the whole crown of England,” and said he “excelled all his predecessors in the glory of his deeds.”
Military Success and the Birth of England
In 927, Æthelstan seized control of York, bringing the last of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms under his authority. He then compelled the kings of Scotland, Strathclyde, and Wales to acknowledge him as overlord, a moment chronicled in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as “the submission of all Britain.”
His greatest military success came at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937. A coalition of Norse, Scots, and Cumbrians attempted to break English unity. Æthelstan, alongside his half-brother Edmund, led the English to a decisive and bloody victory. The Chronicle recorded:
“They cleft the shield-wall, hewed battle-shields with hammer-forged swords, the sons of Edward, as it was natural to them from their ancestry.”
Sarah Foot describes Brunanburh as “the defining moment of English unity, the moment when the very idea of ‘England’ was forged in war.”
Arms and Armour
As a king and war leader, Æthelstan would have been equipped with high-status arms. Likely clad in a mail hauberk with a conical helmet, he would have borne a pattern-welded sword, the premier weapon of his class. His wooden shield may have featured religious symbols, such as a cross, reflecting his Christian devotion. These elements marked him as both a warrior and a ruler in a society where leadership was often demonstrated through strength in battle.
Law and Kingship
Æthelstan issued more law codes than any Anglo-Saxon king before him. His legislation promoted social justice, protected Church property, and standardised punishments. He summoned large councils, witans, to enforce consensus and legitimacy, and used written charters to assert his authority.
Asser’s earlier description of kings as “shepherds of the people” applies to Æthelstan, who balanced power with piety.
Religion, Diplomacy, and Culture
He was a pious benefactor of the Church and a skilled diplomat. His court was a centre of European influence, receiving exiles and royal guests from across the continent. He married off several sisters to European nobles, strengthening ties with the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of France.
Michael Wood has referred to Æthelstan’s court as “the intellectual hub of the 10th-century Anglo-Saxon world,” with monks, relics, and illuminated texts circulating freely through his patronage.
Death and Legacy
Æthelstan died in 939 and was buried at Malmesbury Abbey, not Winchester, underscoring his ties to older monastic centres. He left no heirs and was succeeded by his half-brother Edmund. Later chroniclers held him in high regard. William of Malmesbury even placed him above Alfred, calling him “more just and learned” and “more devoted to God.”
Modern historians like Tom Holland consider him “the maker of England”- the monarch who turned a patchwork of kingdoms into a single political entity.
Artefacts and Archaeology
Several important objects linked to Æthelstan’s reign survive:
- The Æthelstan Psalter, held at the British Library, is a richly decorated manuscript thought to have belonged to the king himself. It reflects his piety and interest in Carolingian learning.
- Royal charters bearing Æthelstan’s name survive in various archives, including the British Library and the Bodleian Library. These documents show his administrative reach and the emergence of a formalised royal chancery.
- The Exeter Book, one of the oldest collections of Old English poetry, was gifted to Exeter Cathedral by Bishop Leofric, a century after Æthelstan, but represents the literary culture his reign helped nourish.
As for Brunanburh, its exact location remains debated. Proposed sites include Bromborough on the Wirral (the leading candidate), Burnley in Lancashire, and Burghwallis in Yorkshire.
While no conclusive battlefield excavation has been confirmed, metal detectorists and archaeologists have uncovered Saxon and Norse weapons fragments in the Wirral region, including spearheads and broken sword parts. In 2022, researchers from the University of Nottingham and Wirral Archaeology CIC published new findings that support the Bromborough theory, based on landscape features, place-name studies, and recovered artefacts.
Future surveys using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and LIDAR may yet uncover definitive evidence. Brunanburh remains one of the most sought-after lost battlefields in Britain.
Æthelstan was a reformer, warrior, and unifier whose reign shaped the political, legal, and spiritual framework of England. As William of Malmesbury wrote, “No one more just or learned ever ruled this kingdom.”
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