The first King of England : Æthelstan and the birth of a kingdom /
'The First King of England' is a foundational biography of Æthelstan (d. 939), the early medieval king whose territorial conquests and shrewd statesmanship united the peoples, languages and cultures that would come to be known as the "kingdom of the English." In this panoramic wo...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Princeton, New Jersey :
Princeton University Press,
[2025].
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| Summary: | 'The First King of England' is a foundational biography of Æthelstan (d. 939), the early medieval king whose territorial conquests and shrewd statesmanship united the peoples, languages and cultures that would come to be known as the "kingdom of the English." In this panoramic work, David Woodman blends masterful storytelling with the latest scholarship to paint a multifaceted portrait of this immensely important but neglected figure, a man celebrated in his day as much for his benevolence, piety and love of learning as he was for his ambitious reign. Set against the backdrop of warring powers in early medieval Europe, The First King of England sheds new light on Æthelstan's early life, his spectacular military victories and the innovative way he governed his kingdom, his fostering of the church, the deft political alliances he forged with Europe's royal houses and his death and enduring legacy. It begins with the reigns of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder, Æthelstan's grandfather and father, describing how they consolidated and expanded the "kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons." But it was Æthelstan who would declare himself the first king of all England when, in 927, he conquered the Viking kingdom at York, required the submission of a Scottish king, and secured an annual tribute from the Welsh kings. Beautifully illustrated and breathtaking in scope, The First King of England is the most comprehensive, up-to-date biography of Æthelstan available, bringing a magisterial richness of detail to the life of a consequential British monarch whose strategic and political sophistication was unprecedented for his time. |
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| Physical Description: | xviii, 307 pages, [16] pages of color plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780691249490 0691249490 |