Gone Medieval - Æthelstan: First King of the English

Episode Date: August 11, 2023

The grandson of Alfred the Great, Æthelstan the Glorious was the first King of England, reigning from 924 to 939. Æthelstan inherited the title King of Mercia from his father Edward the Elder, but was not immediately accepted as King of England. Shortly after his crowning he married one of his sisters to the Viking King of Northumbria, Sithric. When Sithric died only a year later, Æthelstan seized Northumbria making him king of more land than any other before him, roughly the same as modern England.In this explainer episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis tells the story of a reign that is sometimes overlooked but which was of great importance to political developments in the 10th century.This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Elena Guthrie.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians including Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code MEDIEVAL. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up here > You can take part in our listener survey here. If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here: https://insights.historyhit.com/signup-form Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From long-loss Viking ships and kings buried in unexpected places to tales of murder, power, faith, and the lives of ordinary people across medieval Europe and beyond. Join me, Matt Lewis, Dr. Eleanor Jarniger, and some of the world's leading historians as we bring history's most fascinating stories to life, only on history hit. With your subscription, you'll unlock hundreds of hours of exclusive documentaries

with a brand-new release every week exploring everything from the ancient world, to World War II. Just visit historyhit.com forward slash subscribe. Welcome to this episode of Gone Medieval. I'm Matt Lewis. And today, I thought we take a look at the story of the first man to call himself Rex Anglorum, King of the English. When Rome evacuated the British Isles in the 5th century, it created a power vacuum. Into that came Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and other. Germanic tribesfolk. They bought paganism back to Britain and precisely how they settled is a hotly

debated matter. Were they violent invaders or settling traders? Fortunately for me, I don't have to try and answer that today. They came and they stayed. Their Germanic origins gave rise to the term Anglo-Saxon, which is now used to describe the period between the withdrawal of Rome and the Norman conquest. Like everything else, it isn't quite that same. simple. And it's also an odd thing that that term has been hijacked to give it nationalistic, peculiarly English connotations when it really describes a group of people coming to England to make their homes. After a period of conflict, numerous smaller kingdoms eventually merged and melded together into the heptarchy, the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. These were

East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex, and the powerhouses of Wessex, Mercia, Mercia, and the powerhouses of Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria. By the end of the 8th century, increasing Viking incursions threatened the stability of these kingdoms. They'd frequently been at war with each other, but an external threat may have forced them to become more united

than they'd ever been. Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, famously defied the Vikings and halted their advance. But he also cut England in two. The Dane Law in the north and east and the remaining Anglo-Saxon realms in the South and West, nominally controlled by Wessex. The story of the unification of the English was begun. This is the tale of the completion of that project.

Well, nearly. Alfred died in 899, aged around 50, having retained Wessex and taken the title King of the Anglo-Saxons. Two of Alfred's children would be central to the effort to continue his work. Edward the elder was Alfred's oldest son and succeeded his father as King of Wessex. He was in his mid-20s and would rule for quarter of a century, yet he remains little known today. Edward worked in partnership with his sister, who is perhaps better known than he is. Ethel fled, Lady of the Mercians, was married to Ethelred, King of Mercia. When her husband died in 9-11, Ethel fled became Queen of Mercians.

regnant of Mercia. Between them, Edward and Ethel fled made an incredibly effective team. As he pushed into East Anglia and Essex, she crossed the old Roman road of Watling Street into the East Midlands. Together, they secured the submission of Danish groups and took control of more and more land. Athelstan had been born in 894. Edward later remarried. it's unclear whether Athelstan's mother, Equin, died or was set aside in favour of a more politically prestigious bride. Either way, young Athelstan was packed off to the court of his aunt Ethel fled in Mercia, as his father began a new family. Edward would go on to have two sons and three daughters by his second wife, and then two sons and a daughter with a third wife.

That must have been pretty tough for young Athelstan, but there were few better places to learn what he needed to know for the future than Mercia. When Ethelphlet died in 918, aged about 48, she was briefly succeeded by her daughter Elfwyn, a second Lady of the Mercians, until Edward swept into the kingdom and took his niece to Wessex, claiming rule over both realms. Edward died in 924, by which time he ruled all England south of the Humber. York was ruled by the Viking Citric and King Eldred reigned in Northumbria. With the help of his sister, Edward had continued Alfred's work and expanded Wessex's influence. Athelstan was quickly recognised as the new ruler of Mercia.

His upbringing there, his familiarity with the people and their colleagues. culture, as well as being Edward's oldest son, probably made him a natural choice. The same considerations, though, made Wessex wary of him. There, Edward's son from his second marriage, Elfweird, seems to have been accepted as king, but would die almost immediately afterwards. Following that, it took Atholstan several months to gain control of Wessex, where he was finally crowned in 925, despite the strong positions of his other. half-brothers. Athelstan was crowned at Kingston up on Thames on the 4th of September 925. Kingston was often used for Anglo-Saxon coronations at this time. It sits outside London on the

border between Wessex and Mercia. There's a lump of stone in the middle of Kingston today that claims to be from an old Anglo-Saxon church in which the coronations took place. It almost certainly isn't. The name Kingston is sometimes thought to be. be derived from the king's stone, but it isn't. It meant the king's manor or estate. It was the king's town. Athelstan was around 30 when he was crowned. There's an image of him in Beed's life of St Cuthbert. In it, he wears a crown and presents a book to St Cuthbert. This is the earliest manuscript portrait of an English king that survives, and the book itself is the oldest one that was made for an English king, that still survives today.

Early coronation orders from this period described the king having a helmet placed on his head, representing his position as a warlord. William of Malmesbury claimed several centuries later that as a small child, Atholstan had greatly pleased his grandfather Alfred, who'd identified Athelstan as a suitable future ruler. Having gained control of both Wessex and Mercia,

it remained to be seen whether Alfred was correct. Just two years after his coronation, Athlstan achieved what must have appeared little more than a dream. Citric, who'd been in control of York, was a Viking by heritage. He became King of Dublin from 917 to 920 and then King of Northumbria from 921. He came to Tamworth in the Midlands and was married to one of Atholstan's sisters. When he died shortly after returning home, it left the north wide open. Athelstan wasted no time. He gathered an army and marched north, claiming Northumbria, taking control of York and moving into Cumbria too. On the 12th of July 927, all of the northern

lords gathered at Amont Bridge in Cumbria and submitted to Athelstan's rule. The part of Britain that would become known as England was under the rule of a single king for the first time. King Constantine of Alba, effectively much of Scotland, and King O'Ine of Strathclyde, the western part of modern Scotland, were also present to recognise Athelstan as their overlord. As he headed south, Athelstan met with Welsh rulers at Hereford and took their homage to. They'd owed fealty to his father and his aunt

and confirmed their loyalty to Athelstan, seemingly unopposed and with shocking ease, Athelstan had taken control of vast swathes of land as he moved into the south-west to stretch his reach even further. All of this begged the question, though, what title should Athelstan be known by? Alfred had used King of the Anglo-Saxons, which denoted those not under Viking control.

Now that Athelstan sought to rule over not only the Anglo-Saxons, but also those of Viking descent, not to mention the Celts in the far north and the west, his grandfather's title seemed unsatisfactory, perhaps even divisive. King of the Saxons seems to have been suggested, but that didn't feel any better. Athelstan began to refer to himself in charters

as Rex Anglorum, king of the English. He didn't choose to describe himself as ruler of the land, but rather of all the people within it. The idea of the English was new. It seems to have referred to the language spoken by the majority now under Athelstan's rule. The word English was a corruption of Anglish, the language of the Angles. The Angles took their name from part of the coast of Jutland, from which they originated. It was shaped like a fish hook, angle simply meant bent or curved.

The idea of being King of the English must have been meant to be meant to be. unify a nation under one common idea. If Anglo-Saxon was rejected and Saxon deemed inappropriate, it seems slightly odd that the Anglo part was selected, becoming English. Perhaps it was meant to mean anyone who spoke what must have been the most common language, or at least was now the language of power. Athelstan initiated what might be described as the imperial phase of English control of Britain. He held councils which Northern and Welsh rulers were required to attend. They were described at these meetings as sub-reguli, sub-kings, junior to the authority of Athelstan. You have to suspect that many, particularly amongst his Celtic subjects, resented their subordinate position.

Athelstan's coins also named him Rex Toteus Britannii, king of all Britain. So here, he leans into the idea of ruling all of the land, not just the people. There are even references to him as ruler of the whole world of Britain. Steady on now, Athelstan. The king began to look beyond his own shores too. He took England onto the international stage, marrying one sister, I'd Giffu, to Charles the Simple, king of West Francia, which is basically modern France.

Another sister, I'd held, married huge. Duke of the Franks, and a third, Iydgith married Otto I, King of East Francia, which is roughly equivalent to modern Germany. Not only had Atholstan swiftly taken control of most of the mainland of Britain, but he'd also created an international presence and a reputation for his new kingdom at the highest tables in Europe. Any resentment at home was expressed and exacerbated in 934. For reasons that aren't quite clear, Athelstan invaded the land of Constantine,

King of the Scots. There are a few possible explanations for the move. Constantine seems to have resisted appearing at Atholstan's councils. I'd imagine he didn't want to publicly display his position as Atholstan's subordinate. In 934, Guthrith, a cousin of the Viking ruler Citric, died. He'd tried to take control of Northumbria, after his cousin's death, with a fleet from Dublin, but he'd failed. The death of Citrix's heir may have thrown open the question of control of the north, which was yet to fully

accept Athelstan's control from the south. One chronicle also suggests that Aildred of Bambra, another significant northern ruler, died in the same year. Perhaps Constantine saw in these two deaths, the chance to extend his own authority and to buck against Athelstan's distant overlordship at the same time. The scene was set for a showdown. Athelstan raised another army and marched north again. He was accompanied by four Welsh rulers, and I wonder how much they really wanted to fight Constantine. Maybe they were keen to see how Atholstan fared, trying to enforce his position with an eye to their own. However some may have felt about his rule, Athelstan mustered an impressive force, said to have included 18 bishops and 13

noblemen, six of whom were Danish. By early July, Atholstan was at Chester La Street, making offerings at the tomb of St Cuthbert. Annoyingly, almost no detail of the campaign that followed has survived. Simian of Durham records only that the English king's forces raided as far north as Dunnatar in the northeast of Scotland while his fleet attacked Cath Ness. There are no accounts of any confrontations and no record of how the campaign ended. We do know who won though. By September, Athelstan was back in Buckingham in the south of England. A charter he issued there was witnessed by, amongst others, Constantine. The King of Scots was noted as a sub-regulus, firmly junior to Athelstan. Constantine must have either lost some unrecorded battle or panicked when Athelstan's forces arrived in his territories.

Whatever caused the breach and however he achieved it, Athelstan had reinforced his position as overlord of all Britain. Step back in time with me, Tristan Hughes, on the ancients from history hit as we unearth Pompeii's buried secrets in a special mini-series. You'll discover what life was like in this town before the eruption of Vesuvius, the bustling streets, the roar of the gladiators, and the hidden lives of sex workers. Lost for over 1,500 years and then uncovered, Pompei's saga continues. With the help of leading experts, we'll bust myths and reveal star-sling new research.

So get ready for a dramatic. journey through the echoes of the past. Experience Pompeii like never before on the ancients from history hit. Listen and follow wherever you get to your podcasts. The following year, O'I.N. of Strathclyde was at Athelstan's court, alongside the Welsh rulers, but Constantine was gone. He would soon be back, though, and not as a friend. In 937, a cataclysmic event took place,

a seed from which it can be argued the idea of an English, nation and the political structure of the British Isles would grow. An alliance emerged under the leadership of Olaf Guthrithson that aimed to sweep away Athelstan's dominance. Olaf was the king of Dublin and the son of the Guthrith who had been Atholstan's erstwhile rival in Northumbria. Olaf managed to convince those who had frequently been amongst the enemies of his people to join him.

Constantine was probably a willing participant. O'Ine of Strathclyde became a conspirator too. Whatever their previous differences over the generations, they were faced now with an existential threat that made Athelstan a common enemy. There's lots of suggestion that the Welsh rulers planned to join in with this uprising too, making it seriously threatening to Athelstan's rule. Olaf sailed from Dublin in August 9, 3rd. to join forces with his allies.

Constantine and O'Ein moved south for the rendezvous. It's at this point that our sources begin to grow blurry again. The Battle of Brunenburg was coming, but we don't know when or where it took place. Given Olaf's departure in August, late September or early October seems likely. Much ink has been spilt over the question of where Brunenberg is. At the risk of wading into such a hotly disputed issue, there's a fair amount of evidence to suggest that it's on the Wirral in northwest England, not far from Liverpool. The name Bromberra there, the existence of an open space and archaeological finds are strongly suggestive.

Other names appear across various chronicles, though, from Brunandune to Duinbrun and from Vendun to Vinuskoga. Some sources suggest Olaf's fleet are. arrived at the Humber, meeting the northern forces who were using an eastern route to move south. That would place the battle on completely the opposite side of the island. The Wirral is, at present, the most likely location for the battle, though the evidence is not entirely conclusive yet. It's frustrating that the details of the date and location and the action at Brunenberg are so vague, because the dozens of chronicles that mention the engagement are adamant about one thing.

It was a massive, cataclysmic battle with an impact that lasted for centuries. The Annals of Ulster described the battle as a huge war, lamentable and horrible, noting that thousands of Vikings fell that day. There's a poem about the battle contained in one of the versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. It's in version A. in case you'd care to look it out. It's thought to have been written within 20 years of the battle. Giving it a suitably epic standing,

the writer recorded that it lasted all day. In the aftermath, the poem laments, there lay many a soldier of the men of the north, shot over shield, taken by spears. Likewise, Scottish also, sated, weary of war. Amongst the lists of those killed are five kings, seven Irish earls of Olaf's army, Constantine's son and thousands of others. On the English side, two of Athelstan's cousins, Elfwine and Ethelvine,

are recorded amongst the dead. Olaf sailed back to Dublin and Constantine fled back across the northern border. In that moment, it was a crushing defeat for those seeking to shape. Athelstan's dominance and it reinforced Atholstan's imperial control of Britain. For generations, Brunenberg was remembered simply as the Great Battle. It was perhaps the most important confrontation in Anglo-Saxon England before Hastings. Yet it settled very little. Just two years after Brunenberg in 939, Athelstan died. He was aged around 45, his body was buried at Malmesbury Abbey. The 12th century chronicler William of Malmesbury claimed to have seen inside

Athelstan's coffin. He said the body was slim and the hair blonde flecked with gold. Athelstan had ruled for just 15 years, a decade less than his father, yet he'd achieved an immense amount. The real test of his legacy was how long the authority he'd built up would survive him. The answer, as it turns out, was not very long. York and the North East almost immediately reverted to Viking rule. Scotland and Strathclyde took back their independence. Athelstan had never married or fathered any known children. It's possible that he gained power in Wessex by committing to remain a bachelor

so that his half-siblings would succeed him. Athelstan was followed by his half-brother Edmund I, who ruled from 939 to 946. Edmund's brother, Adrid, followed him from 946 to 95. Next came Edmund's son, Edwig, from 955 to 959, followed by Edwig's brother, Edgar, from 959, from 959 until 975. Edgar, who was remembered as the peaceable, revived his uncle's claim to rule all of Britain. Two of Edgar's sons would rule as Edward the Martyr and then Ethelred the Unready, which brings us up to the Danish invasion and rule and to the brink of Hastings. By then, England and the English people now existed. That idea had taken,

time to mature, but came from Alfred's clever defiance, Edward and Ethel fled's hard work, and Athelstan's sheer will. Later kings, from Henry II to Edward I and beyond, who sought to establish England as the prime imperial crown of all Britain, owed that idea and the knowledge that it was possible to Athelstan. It wasn't until Edward I, more than 300 years later that Atholstan's achievements would really be rivaled. The idea of England wasn't Atholstan's only legacy. His patronage of art is reflected in the image of him in the life of St Cuthbert. He was considered pious, collecting relics and founding churches,

as well as championing learning, much as his grandfather Alfred had done. It's perhaps in the less physical aspects of his reign that Atholstan's true legacy exists. The how of his achievements owes less to battles, even ones as famous as Brunnenberg. More documents from Atholstan's reign survived than for any other Anglo-Saxon king, including Alfred the Great. Athelstan was concerned with the law and with the machinery of government. This, more than anything else, helps to explain his swift success over such a vast area. The use of a council of regional rulers who came to Athelstan created a more centralised government than Britain had known, at least since the Roman Empire.

It was from the foundations laid by Athelstan that his half-brothers and nephews were able to craft one of Europe's most effective and complex governments. When Ethel read the Unready sought names for his eight sons, it was a list of his predecessors. There's an Edwig, an Edmund who became king, and Edward, later known as the confessor. His firstborn son, though, he named Athelstan. Above all others, including Alfred, the name he chose for his youngest son. He chose Athelstan as the ancestor he celebrated the most, and wanted to be most closely associated with. Considered the foremost Anglo-Saxon ruler amongst his peers and successors, Atholstan's reputation slipped from view as that of Alfred the Great came to

dominate accounts of the period. Undoubtedly, Atholstan owed a great deal to his grandfather, to his father and to his aunt Ethel fled. Equally clearly, those who followed him considered Athelstan, not Alfred, the yardstick against which they sought to measure themselves. William of Malmesbury, the 12th century chronicler based at Athelstan's burial place, revived his memory a little. I'll leave you with William's assessment of this king. No one, more just or more learned, ever governed the kingdom. I hope you've enjoyed the story of the first person to call himself king of the English. There are new episodes of Gone Medieval every Tuesday and Friday.

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I've been Matt Lewis, and we've just gone medieval with history hit.