Kings and Queens

England's First King: King Aethelstan

King Edward's son, or as they would have called him: 'his bastard son', King Aethelstan was the first ever King to control the whole area, which would form England. Aethelstan's sister had married the Northumbrian Viking ruler called Sihtric. Sihtric had died in 927 which caused Aethelstan to succeed to that kingdom.

Aethelstan's charters and coins had began to describe him as 'king of the English'. Aethelstan's ambitions didn't end there, his charters also had began to describe him as 'king of Britain' and 'emperor'.

In 937, Aethelstan and Edmund, his brother, defeated a combined force of the Dublin, Scots, Strathclyde and others' kings at Brunanburh. This victory was celebrated in an Old English poem that was copied into the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

King Aethelstan, lord of nobles, dispenser of treasure to men, and his brother also, Prince Edmund, won by the sword's edge undying glory in battle 'round Brunanburh. They clove the shield-walla, hewed in the linden-wood shields with hammered swords...the people of the Scots and the pirates fell doomed.

Never yet in this island before this, by what books tell us and our ancient sages, was a greater slaughter of a host made by the edge of the sword, since the Angles and Saxons came hither form the East, invading Britain over the broad seas, and the proud assailants, warriors eager for glory, overcame the Britons and won a country

King Aethelstan secured his power by a combination of military power, gifts and diplomacy. He is notable for his practice of giving books to religious houses, including the powerful Community of St Cuthbert in the North. The West Saxon dynasty's rule could only be maintained if the northerners percieved it to be in their own interest. King Aethelatan also exercised authority at assemblies held across his kingdom, at which he issued laws and charters.

Before Aethelstan: The Dream of an England

King Alfred was born in 849 and served as King of Wessex, a Saxon kingdom based in the southwest of modern day England, from 871 to his death on 26th October 899 AD. In this time he ruled successfully over his Anglo-Saxon kingdom and emerged as a military force, a strong leader and a prmoter of reforms. His most important achievement was to prevent an island-wide invasion from the Danes (Danish vikings) and establish a united Anglo-Saxon culture.

Alfred's father was King Aethelwulf, which translates from Old English as "Noble Wolf", King of the West Saxons. He is said to have had 6 children, one of whom was Alfred, born at Wantage, Oxfordshire. Being the fourth of fifth child in line to the throne, it had seemed unlikely that Alfred would ever reign over his kingdom. Each of the sons succeeded to the role of king in turn. Alfred was still only a young boy when on 13th January 858 his father died, leaving Alfred's older brothers to take control.

By 868 Alfred was recorded as having fought alongside his brother Aethelred, fighting what was proving to be a constant threat of attack from the Danes. Two years later, at the Battle of Merton in March 871, Alfred and his brother suffered a serious defeat by the Danes. His brother, the king, died a month later and Alfred was left to rule as leader of the Saxon kingdom.

In May at Wilton, Alfred and his Saxon army suffered another defeat. Sensing that they coud not drive out the Danish invaders from their land, he was forced to make peace with them instead. The decision resulted in the Vikings temporarily withdrawing to London (Lundene) and subsequently occupying the majority of England for the next five years.

By the year 876, the Danes had regrouped and made their assault on Wessex. The occupation of Wareham forced Alfred to negotiate a more permanent peace deal... a deal that disintegrated almost as soon as it was sealed.

The conflict raged on with Alfred making a strategic calculation to blockade Danish ships forcing the vikings to withdraw to Mercia. In January the following year, the Danes pushed ahead once more, attacking Chippenham which - at the time - served as the royal household of Alfred the Great. The element of surprise meant that Alfred and his people were completely taken off guard, resulting in a high death toll and forcing the king and a small band of men into the nearby woods.