Athelstan
King of the English
The tomb of King Athelstan in Malmesbury Abbey
Reign	August 2, 924 (or 925 [1]) – October 27, 939
Predecessor	Ælfweard
Successor	Edmund
Father	Edward the Elder
Mother	Egwina
Born	895 Wessex, England
Died	October 27, 939
Burial	Malmesbury Abbey

Athelstan or Æþelstān (c. 895 – October 27, 939), called the Glorious, was the King of England from 924/925 to 939. Births Athelstan of England King Eric I of Norway Gaozu of Later Han Liu Min Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. This article is about the year 939. For the CPU socket see Socket 939 Events By Place Asia The Kings of Wessex, who conquered Kent and Sussex from Mercia in 825 became increasingly dominant over the other kingdoms of England during For the automobile see Porsche 924. Events By Place Europe King Athelstan succeeds to the throne of Mercia For the area code see Area code 925. For the hallmark 925 see Sterling silver. This article is about the year 939. For the CPU socket see Socket 939 Events By Place Asia He was the son of King Edward the Elder, and nephew of Ethelfleda (Æthelflæd) of Mercia. Edward the Elder ( Old English: Ēadweard se Ieldra) (c 870 &ndash 17 July 924) was King of England (899 &ndash Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Æthelstan's success in securing the submission of Constantine II, King of Scots, in 927 through to the Battle of Brunanburh in 937 led to his claiming the title "King of all Britain". Constantine son of Áed ( Mediaeval Gaelic: Constantín mac Áeda; Modern Gaelic: Còiseam mac Aoidh) known in most modern regnal lists The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. Events Asia The Chu State is founded by Ma Yin. Korea: Hubaekje sacks the Silla capital of The Battle of Brunanburh was a West Saxon victory in 937 by the army of Athelstan, King of England, and his brother Edmund, Events By Place Europe Battle of Brunanburh: King Athelstan of England defeats the Viking king of See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands ^[2] His reign is frequently overlooked, with much focus going to Alfred the Great before him, and Edmund after. Alfred the Great (also Ælfred from the Old English Ælfrēd ˈælfreːd (c Edmund I (or Eadmund) 922 &ndash May 26 946) called the Elder, the Deed-Doer, the Just or the Magnificent However, his reign was of fundamental importance to political developments in the 10th century.

Sources

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which is so vocal during the reigns of Alfred and Edward the Elder, falls into relative silence during Athelstan's reign, and what entries survive are retrospective. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. A few references tell us of his military campaigns, the longest entry being a poem about the Battle of Brunanburh (937), probably composed in his successor Edmund's reign. The Battle of Brunanburh was a West Saxon victory in 937 by the army of Athelstan, King of England, and his brother Edmund, Edmund I (or Eadmund) 922 &ndash May 26 946) called the Elder, the Deed-Doer, the Just or the Magnificent Other narrative sources from across Europe, though, provide us with more information. The Annals of Flodoard contain several references to Athelstan's dealings with the rulers of west and east Francia, as does the Chronicle of Nantes. Flodoard (894&ndash966 was a French Chronicler. He was born at Épernay, and educated at Reims in the cathedral school which had been established Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire (imperium Francorum Frankish Kingdom (Latin regnum Francorum, "Kingdom of the The original of the eleventh-century Chronicle of Nantes, kept in Latin in the city of Nantes, has not survived but there exist a late fifteenth-century French translation of William of Malmesbury, however, writing in the early 12th century, provides us with the greatest detail. Biography The education William received at Malmesbury Abbey included a smattering of Logic and Physics; Moral philosophy and History, His work might even draw on a (now lost) Vita Æthelstani, as Michael Wood argues, but caution is called for as this case has yet to be proven and William's account can rarely be verified. Michael David Wood (born 23 July 1948 in Moston, Manchester) is a popular English Historian and broadcaster

Documentary sources come in the form of charters and laws. Anglo-Saxon Charters are documents from the early medieval period in Britain which typically make a grant of land or record a privilege While there is virtually no evidence of Anglo-Saxon Law per se (i Numerous charters exist that tell us about where Athelstan was, who was with him, and to whom he was granting land. Through these it is possible to trace his peregrinations, particularly between 927 and 932 when all diplomas were drafted by the extraordinary scribe known as 'Athelstan A'. We have several law codes attributed to Athelstan; a couple are law codes after the tradition of Alfred and Edward; the others are less 'official', but nonetheless reveal aspects of Athelstan's administration. While there is virtually no evidence of Anglo-Saxon Law per se (i

Non-written sources are also available. Perhaps most useful are coins, which give Athelstan a title which reveals how widespread he (or rather the minters) felt his reign extended: throughout all Britain. main - title Coin keywords numismatics coin review See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Also of interest are the manuscripts and relics Athelstan collected and donated - many of the former contain notices giving the details of these donations. These particularly shed light on Athelstan's patronage of the cult of St Cuthbert's in Northumbria, to whom he gave two lavish manuscripts containing our earliest surviving English ruler portraits, the Corpus Christi Manuscript. Chester-le-Street is the main town in the Chester-le-Street district of County Durham, England.

Reign

Athelstan DCCCCXXV on the modern plinth of the Saxon Coronation Stone,Kingston upon Thames

Athelstan was the son of Edward the Elder, and grandson of Alfred the Great. Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough Edward the Elder ( Old English: Ēadweard se Ieldra) (c 870 &ndash 17 July 924) was King of England (899 &ndash Alfred the Great (also Ælfred from the Old English Ælfrēd ˈælfreːd (c His father succeeded, after some difficulty, to the Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons formed by Alfred. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland His aunt, Edward's sister, Æthelflæd, ruled western Mercia on his behalf following the death of her husband, Ealdorman Æthelred. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. On Æthelflæd's death, Edward was quick to assume control of Mercia, and at the time of his death he directly ruled all the English kingdoms south of the Humber. The Humber is a large tidal Estuary on the east coast of northern England Athelstan was fostered by his family as 'Half-King' in Mercia, perhaps as a method of encouraging Mercian loyalty to the West Saxon dynasty. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. On Edward's death, Athelstan immediately became King of Mercia, though it seems to have taken longer for him to be recognised in Wessex where his half-brothers Ælfweard and Edwin had support. The Kingdom of Mercia was an important state in the English Midlands from the 6th century to the 10th. Ælfweard (born 904 died 2 August, 924) was the second Son of Edward the Elder, the eldest born to Ælfflæd. Edwin (died 933 was the younger son of King Edward the Elder and Ælfflæd, his second wife

Political alliances seem to have been high on Athelstan's agenda. Only a year after his crowning he married one of his sisters to Sihtric Cáech, the Viking King of Jórvík at Tamworth,^[3] who acknowledged Æthelstan as over-king, adopting Christianity. Sigtrygg Caech (or Sihtric) (died 927 was a Norse-Gael King of Dublin who later reigned as king of York. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Within the year he may have abandoned his new faith and repudiated his wife, but before Æthelstan and he could fight, Sihtric died suddenly in 927. His kinsman, perhaps brother, Gofraid, who had remained as his deputy in Dublin, came from Ireland to take power in York, but failed. Gofraid or Gothfrith ( Old Irish Gofraid ua Ímair, Old Norse Góröðr) (died 934 was a Norse-Gael King of Dublin Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Æthelstan moved quickly, seizing much of Northumbria. This bold move brought the whole of England under one ruler for the first time, although this unity did not become permanent until 954. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events By Place Europe King Máel Coluim I of Scotland is killed in battle against the Highlanders In less than a decade, the kingdom of the English had become by far the greatest power in Britain and Ireland, perhaps stretching as far north as the Firth of Forth. The Firth of Forth ( Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe) is the Estuary or Firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows ^[4]

Initially the other rulers in Great Britain seem to have submitted to Athelstan at Bamburgh: "first Hywel, King of the West Welsh, and Constantine II, King of Scots, and Owain, King of the people of Gwent, and Ealdred. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Bamburgh is a large village on the coast of Northumberland, England. Huwal ( Welsh: Hywel; modern English: Howell) "King of the West Welsh" was a Celtic monarch of the early-mid 10th century Constantine son of Áed ( Mediaeval Gaelic: Constantín mac Áeda; Modern Gaelic: Còiseam mac Aoidh) known in most modern regnal lists The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. Owain is a name of Welsh origin and may refer several people Owain mab Urien (d Gwent was one of the kingdoms or principalities of Mediæval Wales, in the Welsh Marches. Ealdred was the son of Eadwulf. He was a ruler or nobleman in Northumbria in the early tenth century . . of Bamburgh" records the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. William of Malmesbury adds that Owain of Strathclyde was also present. Owen I, Ywain I or Eógan I ( Latin Eugenius; Modern Gaelic Eòghann; Mod The list of the Kings of Strathclyde concerns the kings of Alt Clut later Strathclyde, a Brythonic kingdom ^[5]

Similar events are recorded along the western marches of Athelstan's domain. According to William of Malmesbury, Athelstan had the kings of the North British (meaning the Welsh) submit to him at Hereford, where he exacted a heavy tribute from them. Hereford ( ˈhɛrɨfəd is a city, Civil parish and County town of Herefordshire, England. The reality of his influence in Wales is underlined by the Welsh poem Armes Prydein Fawr, and by the appearance of the Welsh kings as subreguli in the charters of 'Αthelstan A'. Similarly, he drove the West Welsh (meaning the Cornish) out of Exeter, and established the border of Cornwall along the River Tamar. The Cornish people (Kernowyon are regarded as an Ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall. Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar The Tamar is a River in south western England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east and Cornwall (to the west

John of Worcester's chronicle suggests that Æthelstan faced opposition from Constantine, from Owain of Strathclyde, and from the Welsh kings. John of Worcester (died Circa 1140 was an English Monk and chronicler. William of Malmesbury writes that Gofraid, together with Sihtric's young son Olaf Cuaran fled north and received refuge from Constantine, which led to war with Æthelstan. Biography The education William received at Malmesbury Abbey included a smattering of Logic and Physics; Moral philosophy and History, Amlaíb mac Sitric ( c. 926?&ndash981 Old Norse Óláfr Sigtryggsson, commonly called Amlaíb Cuarán, in Old Norse Óláfr A meeting at Eamont Bridge on 12 July 927 was sealed by an agreement that Constantine, Eógan of Strathclyde, Hywel Dda, and Ealdred would "renounce all idolatry": that is, they would not ally with the Viking kings. Eamont Bridge is a small village immediately to the south of Penrith Cumbria. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Events Asia The Chu State is founded by Ma Yin. Korea: Hubaekje sacks the Silla capital of Hywel Dda (c 880?&ndash950 (English Hywel the Good, sometimes anglicized to Howell the Good) was a well-thought-of king of Deheubarth in south-west William states that Æthelstan stood godfather to a son of Constantine, probably Indulf (Ildulb mac Constantín), during the conference. Ildulb mac Causantín, Anglicised as Indulf, nicknamed An Ionsaighthigh, "the Aggressor" (died 962 was King of Scots from 954 ^[6]

Æthelstan followed up his advances in the north by securing the recognition of the Welsh kings. ^[7] For the next seven years, the record of events in the north is blank. Æthelstan's court was attended by the Welsh kings, but not by Constantine or Eógan of Strathclyde. This absence of record means that Æthelstan's reasons for marching north against Constantine in 934 are unclear. ^[8]

Æthelstan's campaign is reported by in brief by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and later chroniclers such as John of Worcester, William of Malmesbury, Henry of Huntingdon, and Symeon of Durham add detail to that bald account. For Earl Henry father of two Scottish kings see Henry of Scotland 3rd Earl of Huntingdon Henry of Huntingdon (c Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (d after 1129 English chronicler, embraced the monastic life before the year 1083 in the monastery of Jarrow; Æthelstan's army began gathering at Winchester by 28 May 927, and reached Nottingham by 7 June. Winchester or Winton ( archaic) is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40000 within a radius of its centre Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Events Asia The Chu State is founded by Ma Yin. Korea: Hubaekje sacks the Silla capital of Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins He was accompanied by many leaders, including the Welsh kings Hywel Dda, Idwal Foel, and Morgan ab Owain. From Mercia the army went north, stopping at Chester-le-Street, before resuming the march accompanied by a fleet of ships. Chester-le-Street is the main town in the Chester-le-Street district of County Durham, England. Eógan of Strathclyde was defeated and Symeon states that the army went as far north as Dunnottar and Fortriu, while the fleet is said to have raided Caithness, by which a much larger area, including Sutherland, is probably intended. Geography Caithness extends about 40 Miles (64 Kilometres) north-south and about 30 miles (50 km east-west Sutherland (In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas Dùthaich 'Ic Aoidh (NW Asainte (Assynt and Cataibh (East It is unlikely that Constantine's personal authority extended so far north, and while the attacks may have been directed at his allies, they may also have been simple looting expeditions. ^[9]

The Annals of Clonmacnoise state that "the Scottish men compelled [Æthelstan] to return without any great victory", while Henry of Huntingdon claims that the English faced no opposition. The Annals of Clonmacnoise chronicle events in Ireland from pre-history to A A negotiated settlement may have ended matters: according to John of Worcester, a son of Constantine was given as a hostage to Æthelstan and Constantín himself accompanied the English king on his return south. ^[3] He witnessed a charter with Æthelstan at Buckingham on 13 September 934 in which he is described as subregulus, that is a king acknowledging Æthelstan's overlordship. Buckingham is a Town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, approximately from the border with Northamptonshire. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Events By Place Asia The Goryeo army defeats Hubaekje forces in present-day Hongseong County. ^[10] The following year, Constantine was again in England at Æthelstan's court, this time at Cirencester where he appears as a witness, appearing as the first of several subject kings, followed by Eógan of Strathclyde and Hywel Dda, who subscribed to the diploma. Cirencester is a Market town in Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles (150 km west northwest of London ^[11] At Christmas of 935, Eógan of Strathclyde was once more at Æthelstan's court along with the Welsh kings, but Constantine was not. His return to England less than two years later would be in very different circumstances. ^[12]

Brunanburh and after

Following Constantine's disappearance from Æthelstan's court after 935, there is no further report of him until 937. Constantine son of Áed ( Mediaeval Gaelic: Constantín mac Áeda; Modern Gaelic: Còiseam mac Aoidh) known in most modern regnal lists In that year, together with Eógan of Strathclyde and Olaf Guthfrithson, King of Dublin, Constantine invaded England. Olaf III Guthfrithson ( Óláfr Guðrøðarson; OIr Amlaíb mac Gofraidh) (died 941 a member of the Norse-Gael Uí Ímair dynasty The resulting battle of Brunanburh—Dún Brunde—is reported in the Annals of Ulster as follows:

a great battle, lamentable and terrible was cruelly fought. The Battle of Brunanburh was a West Saxon victory in 937 by the army of Athelstan, King of England, and his brother Edmund, . . in which fell uncounted thousands of the Northmen. . . . And on the other side, a multitude of Saxons fell; but Æthelstan, the king of the Saxons, obtained a great victory. ^[13]

The battle was remembered in England a generation later as "the Great Battle". When reporting the battle, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle abandons its usual terse style in favour of a heroic poem vaunting the great victory. In this the "hoary" Constantine, by now around 60 years of age, is said to have lost a son in the battle, a claim which the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba confirms. The Annals of Clonmacnoise give his name as Cellach. For all its fame, the site of the battle is uncertain and several sites have been advanced, with Bromborough on the Wirral the most favoured location. Bromborough is a small town on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. ^[14]

Brunanburh, for all that it had been a famous and bloody battle, settled nothing. On 27 October 939 Æthelstan, "pillar of the dignity of the western world" in the words of the Annals of Ulster, died at Malmesbury. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. This article is about the year 939. For the CPU socket see Socket 939 Events By Place Asia Malmesbury is a south Cotswold town and Civil parish in south west England in the county of Wiltshire. He was succeeded by his brother Edmund the Elder, then aged 18. Edmund I (or Eadmund) 922 &ndash May 26 946) called the Elder, the Deed-Doer, the Just or the Magnificent Æthelstan's empire, seemingly made safe by the victory of Brunanburh, collapsed in little more than a year from his death when Amlaíb returned from Ireland and seized Northumbria and the Mercian Danelaw. Edmund spent the remainder of Constantín's reign rebuilding the empire. ^[15]

Athelstan is generally regarded as the first king of England and his reign is seen as the first time that kingdoms of England, Wales and Scotland were united under one ruler as "King of all Britain". England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland ^[2] He achieved considerable military successes over his rivals, including the vikings, and extended his rule to parts of Wales and Cornwall. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar

Administration and law

As Athelstan's kingdom grew it posed new challenges in administration. Towards the end of his reign we hear of another Athelstan, termed 'half-king', who was Ealdorman for much of eastern Mercia and East Anglia. An ealdorman (modern Alderman) was the prior magistrate of an Anglo-Saxon shire from 900 to the time of the Danes. Ian Walker has argued that, as the extent of Athelstan's power grew, the extent of rule of the next level of the aristocracy had to grow too. This points towards an increasing stratification of Anglo-Saxon society, a development that can (possibly) be traced from earliest Anglo-Saxon times right up to the Norman Conquest and beyond. The History of Anglo-Saxon England covers the history of Early medieval England from the end of Roman Britain and the establishment of Anglo-Saxon

A relatively large number of law codes have come down to us from Athelstan's reign. To examine each in detail would take too much space here, but two viewpoints summarise the arguments around them. Patrick Wormald, who has argued that written law had little practical use in Anglo-Saxon England, states that there is little homogeneity to the laws, and that the sporadic nature of them indicate little sign of a coherent system based on written law. Charles Patrick Wormald ( 9 July 1947 &ndash 29 September 2004) was an English historian The History of Anglo-Saxon England covers the history of Early medieval England from the end of Roman Britain and the establishment of Anglo-Saxon Simon Keynes has instead argued that there is a pattern to the laws of Athelstan's reign, and that the laws are evidence 'not of any casual attitude towards the publication or recording of the law, but quite the reverse'. Simon Douglas Keynes MA, PhD, LittD, FBA (born 23 September 1952) is the current Elrington and Bosworth Professor

Athelstan and the Welsh

Athelstan's reign marks a hiatus in sporadic unrest between the English and Welsh kingdoms. According to Asser, a monk from St David's, Dyfed, several kingdoms of Wales submitted (including eventually those ruled by the sons of Rhodri Mawr) to Alfred. Asser (d 908/909 was a Welsh Monk from St David's, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s Dyfed ('dɪ ved is a preserved county of Wales. Dyfed was created by the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974. No battles between the English and the Welsh are recorded during Athelstan's reign, but charters show Welsh kings attending his court, possibly coming with him on campaign. D. P. Kirby argued that Athelstan was repressing the Welsh kings, keeping them close in order to maintain their loyalty. Yet it is also possible that some Welsh kings, in particular Hywel Dda, were benefiting from this relationship. Hywel Dda (c 880?&ndash950 (English Hywel the Good, sometimes anglicized to Howell the Good) was a well-thought-of king of Deheubarth in south-west Hywel may have been influenced by English ideas of kingship - he is the first Welsh king associated with a major Welsh law code, and a coin, minted at Chester, carries his name. Welsh law, the Law of Wales, was traditionally first codified by Hywel Dda ("Hywel the Good" during the period between 942 and 950 when Chester is the County town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77040

Foreign contacts

Like those of his predecessors, Athelstan's court was in contact with the rest of Europe. His half-sisters married into European noble families. Ædgyth was married to future Holy Roman Emperor Otto, son of Henry I of Saxony, and another to Egill Skallagrímsson, the subject of the Icelandic Egils Saga. Otto I the Great ( 23 November 912 &ndash 7 May 973) son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke Egill Skallagrímsson (910-c990 was a Viking Skald and the great Anti-hero of Icelandic literature. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Egils saga is an epic Icelandic saga possibly by Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241 AD who may have written the account between the years 1220 and Alan II, Duke of Brittany and Haakon, son of Harald of Norway, were both fostered in Æthelstan’s court, and he provided a home for Louis, the exiled son of Charles the Simple. Alan II Wrybeard or Barbe-Torte (died 952 was Count of Vannes, Poher, and Nantes, and Duke of Brittany from 938 to his death Haakon I ( Old Norse: Hákon Aðalsteinsfóstri, Norwegian: Håkon Adalsteinsfostre) (c Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair ( Old Norse: Haraldr hárfagri, Norwegian: Harald Hårfagre) (c Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Louis IV ( 10 September 920 – 30 September 954) called d'Outremer or Transmarinus (both meaning "from overseas" Charles III ( September 17, 879 – October 7, 929) called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the contemporary

Athelstan might have considered his rule in some way imperial: the style basileus is found in his charters, whilst he is the first king to bear the title r[ex] tot[ius] B[ritanniae]. "Basilissa" redirects here For the saint of this name see Julian and Basilissa. According to William of Malmesbury, relics such as the Sword of Constantine (Emperor of Rome) and the Lance of Charlemagne (first Holy Roman Emperor) came to Athelstan, suggesting that he was in some way being associated with past great rulers. Biography The education William received at Malmesbury Abbey included a smattering of Logic and Physics; Moral philosophy and History, Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his

Although he established many alliances through his family, he had no children of his own.

Athelstan was religious and gave generously to the church in Wessex, and when he died in 939 at Gloucester he was buried at his favourite abbey (Malmesbury) rather than with his family at Winchester. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. This article is about the year 939. For the CPU socket see Socket 939 Events By Place Asia Gloucester (ˈɡlɒstɚ) is a city, district and County town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Winchester or Winton ( archaic) is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40000 within a radius of its centre Though his tomb is still there, his body was lost centuries later. There is nothing in the tomb beneath the statue, the relics of the king having been lost in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 by King Henry VIII. The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the formal process between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of The remains may have been destroyed by the King's Commissioners or hidden before the Commissioners arrived to close down the Abbey. An abbey (from Latin abbatia derived from Syriac abba "father" is a Christian Monastery or In Malmesbury, his name lives on into the 20th and 21st centuries, with everything from a bus company and a second-hand shop to several roads and streets named after him. Malmesbury is a south Cotswold town and Civil parish in south west England in the county of Wiltshire. His patronage of the abbey, and his gift of freemen status to the town also lives on with the Warden and Freemen of Malmesbury.

He was succeeded by his younger and more famous half-brother, King Edmund of England. Edmund I (or Eadmund) 922 &ndash May 26 946) called the Elder, the Deed-Doer, the Just or the Magnificent

See also

• House of Wessex family tree
• Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
• List of monarchs of England
• Kingdom of England
• Malmesbury, Wiltshire

External links

• Documentary - The Making of England: King Athelstan

Bibliography

• Wessex and England from Alfred to Edgar: six essays on political, cultural, and ecclesiastical revival, David Dumville, (Woodbridge, 1992)
• "England, c. The following chart is a Family tree of the Kings of the House of Wessex, a Dynasty whose members were Kings of Wessex, and then from Athelstan The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames ( is a borough in south-west London, England. The Kings of Wessex, who conquered Kent and Sussex from Mercia in 825 became increasingly dominant over the other kingdoms of England during The Kingdom of England was a State (927-1707 located in Western Europe dating from the ninth or tenth century to the early eighteenth century when it was legally Malmesbury is a south Cotswold town and Civil parish in south west England in the county of Wiltshire. 900-1016", Simon Keynes, in The New Cambridge Medieval History, vol. II. ed. R. McKitterick, (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
• The Age of Athelstan: Britain's Forgotten History, Paul Hill, (Tempus Publishing, 2004). ISBN 0-7524-2566-8

On Athelstan and the Welsh:

• D. P. Kirby, 'Hywel Dda: Anglophil?', Welsh Historical Review, 8 (1976-7)
• H. R. Loyn, 'Wales and England in the tenth century: the context of the Athelstan Charters', Welsh History Review 10, (1980-1)

For law in Athelstan's reign:

• Patrick Wormald, The Making of English Law: King Alfred to the Twelfth Century, vol. 1, (Blackwell, 1999)
• Simon Keynes, 'Royal government and the written word in late Anglo-Saxon England' in The Uses of Literacy in Early Medieval Europe. ed. R. McKitterick, (Cambridge University Press, 1990)

Compilations of sources can be found in:

• The Laws of the Earliest English Kings, F. L. Attenborough, (Cambridge University Press, 1922)
• English Historical Documents c. 500-1042, 2nd ed. , D. Whitelock, (Eyre and Spottisoode, 1980)

References