The Life And Reign Of The Mighty King Aethelstan

 

King Aethelstan ruled between 924 and 939 and he would become arguably the most important ruler in the entire history of the English monarchy. Family pedigree certainly favoured Aethelstan. His father Edward The Elder was a fine king in his own right, his grandfather was Alfred The Great and his aunt was Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, who all made significant contributions towards the unification of the country that we now call England. It could be said that Aethelstan surpassed the accomplishments of all three of these magnificent rulers. And it is Aethelstan who is widely regarded as the first true king of England.

On the death of his father Edward in 924, Aethelstan was declared king. Aethelstan was a mature man when he succeeded, aged around 30. Growing up, Aethelstan had spent time with his grandfather, Alfred, who was fond of his grandson. On one occasion, Alfred gave the boy a spectacular cloak, belt and sword as a gift. It was clear that Alfred recognised in his grandson a boy who would one day perhaps become king and, if he did (which there was no guarantee of in these hard and dangerous times where mortality was high) then he would rule mightily. Alfred then encouraged the boy to be educated at the court of Aethelflaed who, alongside her husband Aethelred, kept a watchful eye over Aethelstan's progress. Alfred was perhaps keen to encourage his grandson's learning as he knew Aethelstan's father, Edward, was not as keen on education as Alfred had been and perhaps might neglect this aspect of Aethelstan's childhood.

When Aethelstan had come to the throne in 924, there were some question marks over his right to rule as he had a half brother who technically ranked above him in the line of succession. However, this half brother died a little over a fortnight after Edward The Elder had done. There remained objections to Aethelstan's potential kingship but he was eventually crowned in 925. He quickly set to work. He made a marriage treaty with the Viking ruler of York who agreed to marry Aethelstan's sister. Very conveniently, Aethelstan's new brother in law died the following year and he took York under his control. He marched further Northwards and seized Northumbria. However, the Northumbrians resented Southern control and would resist for several more decades. Aethelstan then threatened the King of Scots, Constantine II, with war if he did not accept Aethelstan's overlordship. Constantine, for the time being at least, agreed but he would be problematic in the years to come

With his campaigns in the North proving to be successful, Aethelstan then wanted to ensure the continuing loyalty of his subjects. In York, he razed to the ground a castle that had been built there by the Vikings so that it would not become a potential rallying point for any potential rebellions. The king was also careful to ensure that he rewarded his followers who joined him on his campaigns by generously handing over to them money, treasures and other spoils of war that had been captured on his campaigns. Aethelstan was also a deeply pious man and, having adequately rewarded his supporters, he then made generous donations to monasteries and other religious buildings. Whilst Aethelstan's motives for his generosity can be attributed to his piety, he also knew that this would help his public image. He rewarded loyalty and was generous to the church. People who continued to doubt or even resent his rule would not be able to accuse Aethelstan of a greedy or tyrannical rule in the manner of later kings. Aethelstan was winning the propaganda war against his enemies and showing himself to be not only an excellent military leader but also a canny and pragmatic king as well.

Aethelstan also showed himself to be a man of the people as well. He was kind and approachable to his subjects, whatever walk of life they came from, whether this be the nobility, the clergy or the poor. Physically, he was thin with flaxen hair. Accompanied with his mild mannered personality, people might have been forgiven for thinking, on first meeting with the king, that he was almost a bit of pushover. However, this was certainly not the case as his enemies would find out.

Aethelstan then subdued the rebellious Northern Welsh who, after a meeting at Hereford, paid homage to the king. Aethelstan remained in the South West where he spend much time building towers and castles in the event of further trouble in the region. His reputation as a formidable and proactive king was not just growing in the British Isles but further afield as well. The Norwegian king Harald Fairhair sent Aethelstan a ship along with some ambassadors to establish diplomatic relations. Henry The Fowler, king of Germany and a great ruler in his own right, then asked for a marriage treaty with Aethelstan which would see Aethelstan's sister marry Henry's son Otto. The prestigious marriage did indeed take place in 930. As for Aethelstan himself, he would remain unmarried, perhaps due to his piety, and so bore no children or heirs.

The most famous event of Aethelstan's reign is unquestionably the Battle of Brunanburh, fought in 937.  The battle would prove to be a spectacular success for Aethelstan. In the years leading up to Brunanburh, the Scottish king Constantine had been causing trouble with Aethelstan being forced to lead several campaigns against him. Constantine knew that he needed an ally if he was to overcome the mighty Aethelstan in battle. Fortunately for him, he did have a potential ally. This came in the shape of the Vikings who had still not given up hope of reclaiming York. And so, the Vikings, led by the king of Dublin, and the Scots, led by Constantine, invaded England, seeking to undo much of Aethelstan's hard work in unifying England and seizing territories for themselves.

However, it would prove to be a grave mistake as Aethelstan's army routed the invaders. So bloody was the battle that it was said that no great a slaughter had ever taken place. Any question marks over Aethelstan's authority were completely destroyed. Just two years later, Aethelstan died in 939, probably in his mid 40s. Whether it can be said he was the first king of England is up for debate. As mentioned earlier, there would still be work to do regarding the subjection of Northumbria.  What is not up for debate is the spectacular success Aethelstan had been as king.