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Æthelstan

File:Athelstan_(cropped).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Æthelstan

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Also known as King Æthelstan, King Athelstan, Athelstan, Aethelstan, Ethelstan, King Aethelstan, King Ethelstan, Æthelstan of Wessex

Æthelstan or Athelstan (; ; ; ; – 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. Modern historians regard him as the first King of England and one of the "greatest Anglo-Saxon kings". He never married and had no children; he was succeeded by his half-brother, Edmund I.

OverviewAI-generated

Æthelstan was a male monarch and king of the Kingdom of England, belonging to the House of Wessex. Born in 895 in the Kingdom of Wessex, he was the son of Edward the Elder and Ecgwynn. His siblings included Eadgyth, Eadgifu of Wessex, Eadburh of Winchester, and Edmund I. He adhered to Chalcedonian Christianity and held citizenship in both the Kingdom of Wessex and the Kingdom of England.

Æthelstan participated in the Battle of Brunanburh. He had a child named Haakon the Good. He died in Gloucester on either 26 or 27 October 939. He was buried at Malmesbury Abbey.

Synthesized by Vinony from 26 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, Last.fm, MusicBrainz, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person

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Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
268
Total plays
449

<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/%C3%86thelstan">Read more on Last.fm</a>

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Key facts

Royalty.caption
Æthelstan presenting a book to St Cuthbert, an illustration in a manuscript of Bede's Life of Saint Cuthbert, probably presented to the saint's shrine in Chester-le-Street in County Durham by Æthelstan when he visited the shrine on his journey to Scotland in 934. He wore a crown of a similar design on his crowned bust coins. It is the oldest surviving portrait of an English king, and the manuscript is the oldest surviving made for an English king.
Royalty.alt
refer to caption
Royalty.succession
King of the Anglo-Saxons
Royalty.reign
924–927
Royalty.coronation
4 September 925Kingston upon Thames
Royalty.predecessor
Edward the Elder
Royalty.successor
None
Royalty.succession1
King of the English
Royalty.reign1
927 – 27 October 939
Royalty.predecessor1
None
Royalty.successor1
Edmund I
Royalty.birth_place
Wessex
Royalty.death_date
27 October 939 (aged about 45)
Royalty.death_place
Gloucester, England
Royalty.burial_place
Malmesbury Abbey
Royalty.house
Wessex
Royalty.father
Edward the Elder
Royalty.mother
Ecgwynn

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
male
Citizenship
Kingdom of England
Place of birth
Kingdom of Wessex
Place of death
Gloucester
Child
Haakon the Good
Father
Edward the Elder
Mother
Ecgwynn
Sibling
Eadhild
Occupation
monarch
Position held
monarch of England
Religion
Chalcedonian Christianity
Family
House of Wessex
Noble title
king
Conflict
Battle of Brunanburh
Image
Athelstan (cropped).jpg
Show 5 more facts
Commons category
Æthelstan of England
date of death
0939-10-26
date of birth
0895-00-00
place of burial
Malmesbury Abbey
on focus list of Wikimedia project
Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
Sources (8)

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~58 min read

Encyclopedic overview

24 sections
Contents
  • Background
  • Early life
  • Reign
  • The struggle for power
  • King of the English
  • Invasion of Scotland in 934
  • Battle of Brunanburh
  • Kingship
  • Administration
  • Law
  • Coinage
  • Church
  • Learning
  • British monarch
  • European relations
  • Death
  • Aftermath
  • Primary sources
  • Legacy
  • Notes
  • References
  • Sources
  • Further reading
  • External links

Æthelstan or Athelstan (; ; ; ; – 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. Modern historians regard him as the first King of England and one of the "greatest Anglo-Saxon kings". He never married and had no children; he was succeeded by his half-brother, Edmund I.

When Edward died in July 924, Æthelstan was accepted by the Mercians as king. His half-brother Ælfweard may have been recognised as king in Wessex, but died within three weeks of their father's death. Æthelstan encountered resistance in Wessex for several months, and was not crowned until September 925. In 927, he conquered the last remaining Viking kingdom, York, making him the first Anglo-Saxon ruler of the whole of England. In 934, he invaded Scotland and forced Constantine II to submit to him. Æthelstan's rule was resented by the Scots and Vikings, and in 937 they invaded England. Æthelstan defeated them at the Battle of Brunanburh, a victory that gave him great prestige both in the British Isles and on the Continent. After his death in 939, the Vikings seized back control of York, and it was not finally reconquered until 954.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Æthelstan” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (31)

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