The First King Of England: Æthelstan And The Birth Of A Kingdom A Deep And Nuanced Analysis Of A Complex Monarch

(MENAFN- The Conversation) The reign of Æthelstan (924 to 939) has excited a significant amount of study in recent years. In 2004 there was The Age of Athelstan , by Paul Hill. In 2011, Sarah Foot published Æthelstan: The First King of England , and in 2018, Tom Holland released Athelstan: The Making of England . A key theme in these books is the role of Æthelstan as unifier of the kingdom of England.

Æthelstan's most famous battle, Brunanburh (937) was fought against a coalition of vikings and Celtic-speaking peoples. Brunanburh was seen, perhaps erroneously, to secure the future of a unified England. As a historian of this period, I have argued that the“kings and battles” story of the past often cloaks the longer-term engines of political change .

This latest book to add to this history is The First King of England: Æthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom by David Woodman, which addresses both themes of English unification and viking politics. It also seeks to provide deeper insights into the personality of King Æthelstan. The result is a highly engaging and informative biography.

The writing is well pitched for a general reader. The terminology used in tenth-century political history is explained in a clear and concise way without seeming patronising to the reader. This is particularly useful in the introduction where the different sources for Æthelstan's reign are discussed, inviting the reader to consider how historical narratives are constructed from the evidence that survives.

Woodman draws on a range of contemporary sources. He also makes extensive use of the 12th-century text, Gesta regum Anglorum (Deeds of the kings of England), by historian William of Malmesbury , which is a key source for the life of Æthelstan. Given that legends surrounding this tenth-century king were already evolving and developing a life of their own in William's time, a deeper dive into that particular text to evaluate its reliability, would have been welcome.

Princeton University Press

There is intriguing discussion in Woodman's book around the challenges that Æthelstan faced at the start of his reign. Tensions had arisen between Æthelstan and his father Edward the Elder, as the king appears to have favoured Æthelstan's half and younger brother Ælfweard of Wessex as his successor. Such family rivalries provide relatable drama to usher in the reign of the new king.

Æthelstan's support was based in Mercia (a powerful kingdom which was in the Midlands) while his brother's was in Wessex (a major kingdom in what is now south west England). When Edward the Elder died in 924, Æthelstan was accepted as King of Mercia but reluctantly in Wessex, even though Ælfweard died shortly after his father.

These rivalries and family dramas could suggest that the rebellion at the Mercian stronghold of Chester, which just preceded the death of Edward the Elder in 924, had been instigated by Æthelstan himself (although this point is not made by Woodman). The intrigue continues as some years later, Æthelstan was implicated in the death of Ælfweard's full brother Edwin.

The circumstances in which Æthelstan later extended his power over Northumbria and how he held together a unitary“kingdom of England” are explored in thoughtful detail. One of the greatest strengths of the book is the discussion of categories of contemporary sources: diplomas (written grants of lands and privileges), laws and coinage.

Æthelstan's diplomas were issued at his court, recording time and place and witness lists. Their records are skilfully deployed by Woodman to trace Æthelstan's travels, the changing membership and hierarchy of his assemblies, his claims to power, and the literary skills and possible identity of their authors.

Far from being a dry and dusty subject, Woodman writes vividly about Æthelstan's laws. Legal punishments reveal harsh insights.

For example, according to one code, if an enslaved man is found guilty of theft of goods over a certain value, he was to be stoned to death by fellow slaves. Æthelstan took a harsher line than his predecessors on theft, and comparison with earlier codes may have merited more overarching consideration to understand his reign.

This uptick in state violence may correlate with growing imbalances of power and concerns over obedience as government became more powerful. Centralisation of authority and obedience are themes in Woodman's discussion of coin iconography, the locations of mints and how the recorded names of those who minted the coins demonstrate cultural diversity in Æthelstan's England.

Woodman provides a well-rounded analysis of Æthelstan's government, dealing with ecclesiastical politics and piety. Æthelstan offered conspicuous gifts to churches whose favour he sought to win at home and abroad.

There are also insightful discussions around Æthelstan's scholarly interests and his collection and donation of relics and manuscripts. These provide compelling glimpses into the king's personality.

The desire to dominate neighbouring peoples also appears as a less savoury personality trait. Æthelstan sought to make his bombastic claims to be king of all Britain, or“Rex totius Britanniae,” which became a reality through negotiation and threats of violence. The 934 campaign, which the king led to North Britain (Scotland and England did not exist in 926 but this would have been modern-day Scotland), gives rise to extended discussion and helps readers understand the events leading to the famous Battle of Brunanburh, three years later.

Another significant bonus in this book is the analysis of Æthelstan's continental links. As accounts of his reign tend to be focus on the“making of England” (and even a“making of Britain”) narrative, this dimension of his reign and his legacy has not always received the attention it deserves. Woodman brings together the significant articles on this topic composed by Sarah Foot , Simon MacLean and others, and combines them with perceptive analysis of primary sources.

Overall, Woodman presents Æthelstan as a European king, a scholar, with ruthless ambitions and a strong streak of piety. It would be easy to caricature Æthelstan within certain narratives that aligns with views of English nationhood as it is today, but this book provides a deeper and more nuanced analysis of this fascinating king.

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