King Alfred of Wessex, who died in 899, is the only English
king to whom is accorded the title “Great”, but perhaps his grandson Athelstan
was equally deserving of that honour, given that that he was the first king of
what is recognisable as modern England.
Athelstan’s early life
Athelstan was the son of Edward the Elder, who ruled Wessex
from 899 until his death in 924. Athelstan was born in about the year 894 (this
is uncertain) and he was regarded from an early age as a potential king.
It has to be remembered that the Anglo-Saxon monarchies did
not adopt the custom of primogeniture that is typical of most modern monarchies.
Kings were elected to office by the nobility, and simply being the eldest son of
a king did not guarantee that one would succeed as the next king.
However, Alfred decided to give his grandson a training in
kingship by sending him to the court of his daughter Aethelflaed, who was
married to Ethelred, the king of West Mercia, which was in any case a puppet
regime under the control of Wessex.
This arrangement paid dividends for Athelstan who was
elected king of the Anglo-Saxons in 924 thanks in part to the votes of the
Mercian lords who had got used to the idea of Athelstan being “one of them”.
Athelstan as king
Athelstan saw no need to bother with the business of providing
an heir, as he had three younger brothers. He also had four sisters who could
be married off to supply useful links with the crowned heads of Europe.
A deeply religious man, Athelstan was free to pursue his
hobby of collecting religious relics which in turn gave him great credit with
the Church. This may in turn have something to do with the generally favourable
accounts given of him by contemporary scribes, most of whom would have been
churchmen!
One of Athelstan’s sisters, Eadgyth, married King Sihtric of
the Kingdom of York which was in the hands of Irish Norsemen at the time. The
move for this match came from Sihtric, who was willing to convert to
Christianity in order to secure good relations with his southern neighbours.
The marriage took place in 926.
Athelstan no doubt saw this marriage as a convenient way of
bringing York into his sphere of influence, if not immediately. After all, the
kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia had been united as the result of a marriage, so
why should the same not apply in the case of York?
Forced to fight
However, things did not work as smoothly as might have been
hoped. Sihtric’s move was not popular with his fellow Norsemen, who forced him
to renounce his new religion. He was then overthrown and had died within a year
of the marriage – possibly murdered.
The leaders in York elected a new king, this being Olaf, the
son of Sihtric’s kinsman Guthfrith who promptly arrived from Ireland with an
army to support Olaf against any threats from the south.
Athelstan had no choice but to counter this move, and he
marched on York.
The campaign was a huge success, with the result that
Guthfrith was sent packing northwards into Scotland, where he sought sanctuary,
and Olaf was forced to flee to Ireland.
Domination of the north
Athelstan continued northwards to launch an invasion of the
Kingdom of Strathclyde, which extended into what is now northern England.
Athelstan summoned the kings of the north to a conference at
Eamont, near Penrith (in modern Cumbria). He also summoned King Constantine of
Scotland to meet him there and to bring Guthfrith with him. However, Guthfrith
managed to escape (possibly with Constantine’s connivance) and made his way
back to York.
At Eamont, on 12th July 927, Athelstan received
submissions from Constantine, Owain of Gwent and Hywel of Strathclyde, as well
as Ealdred who ruled the Northumbrians from his stronghold at Bamburgh. They
all recognised Athelstan as sole ruler of the English kingdoms.
Securing the kingdom
Despite the submissions referred to above, Athelstan was far
from secure as overlord of England. There was much work still to be done.
In 928 Athelstan once again attacked the Kingdom of York and
again found it easy to defeat Guthfrith. However, Athelstan showed clemency to
his enemy and allowed him to return to Ireland. Large quantities of treasure
were discovered in York, but Athelstan shared the booty between the victorious
soldiers.
He then turned his attention westwards and subdued the kings
of Wales. He called them to a conference at Hereford, where they were required
to agree to pay him large annual tributes.
Another source of trouble was Cornwall, where the “west
Welsh” (who were Celts who spoke a language related to Welsh) had infiltrated
Devon and settled in Exeter on equal terms with the English. Athelstan drove
them out and forced them back across the Tamar.
Athelstan’s government
Athelstan made absolutely sure that the whole of his united
kingdom would be treated fairly and according to laws that applied to everyone,
whether from Wessex, Mercia or Northumbria, and whether native English, Dane or
Norseman.
He established his rule by means of granting charters that
made it clear that he saw himself as God’s emissary and that his power to
punish breakers of the terms of such charters had divine sanction.
His most important charters were witnessed by all the
highest people in the land, including the archbishops of Canterbury and York
and representatives of all the nationalities that were now incorporated in his
kingdom.
Local administration was devolved to English ealdormen
(nobles) in Essex, East Anglia and West Mercia, but to Danish earls in the
former Danelaw. All the land, however, was subject to English law.
Athelstan’s laws recognised the equality of all his
subjects. These laws sought to crack down on crimes such as theft, perjury and
non-observance of the Sabbath.
English towns (the “burghs” founded during Alfred’s reign) flourished
under Athelstan’s rule, as he decreed that no trade could be carried out except
within their walls, which were required to be maintained. Many market towns of
the present day can trace their origin to this period of history.
Keeping the peace
Athelstan still faced challenges to his overlordship of the
former English kingdoms, particular those in the north.
In 934 he marched north to face a challenge from King
Constantine of Scotland. His army and fleet caused considerable havoc in
Scotland, and no doubt he hoped that – by showing who was boss – he would
dissuade any other challengers to his authority from flexing their muscles.
However, this proved to be a forlorn hope. In 937
Constantine joined forces with the King of Strathclyde and an expeditionary
force of Norsemen from Ireland. Olaf, the former Norse King of York, was
anxious to reclaim his throne and saw an alliance with Athelstan’s other
northern enemies as his best means of so doing.
The Battle of Brunanburh
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the forces joined
battle at Brunanburh, although it is not clear exactly where this was. It might
have been somewhere in Cumbria, or possibly on the Wirral peninsula where the
town of Bromborough is a contender for the battle site. Another candidate is
Burnswark Hill in Annandale, southern Scotland.
Athelstan fought alongside his half-brother Edmund and was
completely victorious. The battle was commemorated in an epic poem that gave
details of the casualties that included “five young kings” and numerous Norse
and Scots noblemen. The main contenders
all escaped with their lives, with Olaf having to flee to Dublin yet again.
The battle was the defining moment of Athelstan’s reign in
that it showed where the real power lay. However, that dominance was entirely dependent
on Athelstan’s skills as a battle commander, because his successors would not
find things so easy. Olaf was still waiting in the wings, and was destined for
better success after Athelstan’s death.
Athelstan’s legacy
Athelstan died at Gloucester on 27th October 939,
at the age of about 45, to be succeeded by his young half-brother Edmund who
had fought with him at Brunanburh.
Athelstan’s claim to be the first king of a united England
is a strong one, although, as mentioned above, this was not to be a permanent
state of affairs given the continuing threats from Danes and Norsemen that
would continue for much of the Anglo-Saxon period.
What Athelstan did was to show that it was possible for
England to be defended and ruled with justice and efficiency. His successors
therefore had a benchmark and a standard to aim for, even if they found it
difficult (and sometimes impossible) to follow where Athelstan had led.
© John Welford
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