Athelstan of England

Athelstan (c. 895–October 27, 939) was the King of England from 924 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, whom he succeeded as the ruler of all England on August 2, 924. There is a question of his legitimacy, as his mother was first known as a poor shepherd's daughter with whom Edward fell in love. She was later described as "a noblewoman".

Political and military life

Athelstan is generally regarded as the first proper English king. He achieved considerable military successes over his rivals, including the Vikings, and extended his rule to parts of Wales and Cornwall. His greatest victory, over an enemy alliance that included Constantine II of Scotland, was the Battle of Brunanburh in 937.

Although he established many alliances through his family, he had no children of his own. He fostered Hakon the Good, who later became king of Norway.

Foreign Contacts

Athelstan's court was in contact with the rest of Europe; his half sisters married into European noble families, and foreign visitors sought it out. Among them was Egill Skallagrímsson, the subject of the Icelandic Egils Saga.

, Malmesbury, England. 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. The remains may have been destroyed by the Kings Commissioners or were hidden before the Commissioners arrived to close down the Abbey.

Athelstan was religious and gave generously to the church in Wessex, when he died in 939 at Gloucester he was buried at his favourite abbey rather than with his family at Winchester. He was succeeded by his younger half-brother, King Edmund I of England.

See also