[98], Æthelstan was a noted collector of relics, and while this was a common practice at the time, he was marked out by the scale of his collection and the refinement of its contents. Early in Æthelstan's reign, different styles of coin were issued in each region, but after he conquered York and received the submission of the other British kings, he issued a new coinage, known as the "circumscription cross" type. His cousin, Adelolf, Count of Boulogne, took his body for burial at the Abbey of Saint Bertin in Saint-Omer. This apparently had little effect, as Æthelstan admitted in the Exeter code: In desperation the Council tried a different strategy, offering an amnesty to thieves if they paid compensation to their victims. Ragnar declares a pilgrimage to the Norse holy place of Uppsala and asks if Athelstan would like to join them. [58], In 934 Olaf Guthfrithson succeeded his father Guthfrith as the Norse King of Dublin. At a very young age, he was placed in a monastery at Lindesfarne. The Last Kingdom (TV Series 2015– ) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Israel and "a certain Frank" drew a board game called "Gospel Dice" for an Irish bishop, Dub Innse, who took it home to Bangor. Æthelstan defeated them at the Battle of Brunanburh, a victory which gave him great prestige both in the British Isles and on the Continent. [144] By contrast with this extensive source of information, no charters survive from 910 to 924, a gap which historians struggle to explain, and which makes it difficult to assess the degree of continuity in personnel and the operation of government between the reigns of Edward and Æthelstan. [74], A key mechanism of government was the Royal Council (or witan). By the ninth century the many kingdoms of the early Anglo-Saxon period had been consolidated into four: Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and East Anglia. Athelstan continues to grow close to king Ecgbert and after spending enough time for Ecgbert to trust him, he brings Athelstan to ancient crypts built by Roman Pagans who traveled to England years before. The Saxon King Athelstan is trying to unite the kingdom of England for the first time, aided by his body-servant Edwin, the son of a shoemaker. Athelstan, also spelled Aethelstan or Ethelstan, (died October 27, 939), first West Saxon king to have effective rule over the whole of England. The death of his half-brother Edwin in 933 might have finally removed factions in Wessex opposed to his rule. King Ecbert said that Athelstan speaking Latin was rare. In 941 Olaf died, and Edmund took back control of the east midlands, and then York in 944. In the autumn they joined with the Strathclyde Britons under Owain to invade England. When he marched north, the Welsh did not join him, and they did not fight on either side. [i] But he remained a resented outsider, and the northern British kingdoms preferred to ally with the pagan Norse of Dublin. Athelstan watches as Haraldson, Haraldson's personal guardsman, and Haraldson's son-in-law are killed and as crowds surround Ragnar in his championship. The invasion was launched by land and sea. She cautions, however, that we have no means of discovering how far William "improved" on the original. The Last Kingdom has been airing since 2015 and the show is based on a series of novels by author Cornwell. Simon Keynes argued that "the consistent usages of Edgar's reign represent nothing less than a determined reaffirmation of the polity created by Æthelstan in the 930s". Malmesbury Abbey, last resting place of the Saxon King Athelstan. After being taken by King Ecgbert, Athelstan's wounds are mended and he is kept close by Ecgbert who even includes him in much of his royal business and even asking him for advice at times. Brother Athelstan is back in another full-throttle medieval mystery, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, E. M. Powell and S. J. Parris. At this celebration Athelstan is mocked by Floki who says that he is the cause for Rollo's suffering. Beornstan was succeeded by another member of the royal household, also called Ælfheah. In 936 he sent an English fleet to help his foster-son, Alan II, Duke of Brittany, to regain his ancestral lands, which had been conquered by the Vikings. In the middle of the century, England came under increasing attack from Viking raids, culminating in invasion by the Great Heathen Army in 865. [139] An important source is the twelfth-century chronicle of William of Malmesbury, but historians are cautious about accepting his testimony, much of which cannot be verified from other sources. [16] By 920 Edward had taken a third wife, Eadgifu, probably after putting Ælfflæd aside. His retinue also included eighteen bishops and thirteen earls, six of whom were Danes from eastern England. Thereafter Athelstan focused on building the strength of the kingdom. Four years later Athelstan has supposedly converted to Viking Paganism and is part of society although Floki doesn't think his conversion is true. Ragnar and Lagertha seem unaffected by this and continue on without him. [90], In the 970s, Æthelstan's nephew, King Edgar, reformed the monetary system to give Anglo-Saxon England the most advanced currency in Europe, with a good quality silver coinage, which was uniform and abundant. [116] Some historians are not impressed. In season three Athelwolf destroyed the Viking Settlement in Wessex. John Maddicott goes further, seeing them as the start of centralised assemblies that had a defined role in English government, and Æthelstan as "the true if unwitting founder of the English parliament". [99] The abbot of Saint Samson in Dol sent him some as a gift, and in his covering letter he wrote: "we know you value relics more than earthly treasure". William did not know her name, but traditions first recorded at. Athelstan was a young Anglo-Saxon, once a Christian monk taken as a slave by Ragnar Lothbrok and his fellow Vikings from Lindisfarne monastery. Torstein is later found killed by an unknown individual and Athelstan is asked by Ragnar to be taught the Lord's Prayer, a request Athelstan accepts. His own father considered him an unsuitable heir because of his debauchery and youthful lack of concern for the kingdom's business. [110] The style influenced architects of the late tenth-century monastic reformers educated at Æthelstan's court such as Æthelwold and Dunstan, and became a hallmark of the movement. The first of these later codes, issued at Grately, prescribed harsh penalties, including the death penalty for anyone over twelve years old caught in the act of stealing goods worth more than eight pence. Keynes, "England, c. 900–1016", p. 467; Abels. The Last Kingdom follows Uhtred, a warrior who adopts the name Uhtred Ragnarson, and has a stepfather called Ragnar. [9], According to William of Malmesbury, Æthelstan was thirty years old when he came to the throne in 924, which would mean that he was born around 894. At a very young age, he was placed in a monastery at Lindesfarne. Athelstan to Ragnar, Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! [a] He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. [142] Charters, law codes, and coins throw considerable light on Æthelstan's government. One of Æthelstan's half-sisters, Eadgifu, married Charles the Simple, king of the West Franks, in the late 910s. After "Æthelstan A" retired or died, charters reverted to a simpler form, suggesting that they had been the work of an individual, rather than the development of a formal writing office. His return to England less than two years later would be in very different circumstances. [104], He also sought to build ties with continental churches. Athelstan and the Vikings return to their homes while Ragnar goes to Götaland. Welsh kings attended Æthelstan's court between 928 and 935 and witnessed charters at the head of the list of laity (apart from the kings of Scotland and Strathclyde), showing that their position was regarded as superior to that of the other great men present. Features. The Last Kingdom: Aethelflaed disobeys Aethelred Last Kingdom season 5 could definitely be on the cards for Netflix, with cast and crew saying they are keen to carry on the story. Athelstan observes many of the Pagan rituals and is given intoxicating mushrooms by Rollo. While admiring the Bible and reversing his days as a monk, a monk surprises him and urging him not steal anything. [27] Ælfweard, Edward's eldest son by Ælfflæd, had ranked above Æthelstan in attesting a charter in 901, and Edward may have intended Ælfweard to be his successor as king, either of Wessex only or of the whole kingdom. I was dead, but… I’m reborn. According to the twelfth-century chronicler Simeon of Durham, his land forces ravaged as far as Dunnottar in north-east Scotland, while the fleet raided Caithness, then probably part of the Norse kingdom of Orkney. [15], William of Malmesbury wrote that Alfred the Great honoured his young grandson with a ceremony in which he gave him a scarlet cloak, a belt set with gems, and a sword with a gilded scabbard. In 935 a charter was attested by Constantine, Owain of Strathclyde, Hywel Dda, Idwal Foel, and Morgan ap Owain. Haraldson has men go to his home and attack him and his family. A few months later Ragnar goes to meet with fellow Norsemen and Athelstan attends to serve as usual and attends to a pregnant Lagertha. Resources In 1891 there was 1 Athelstan family living in Norfolk. [100] Æthelstan was also a generous donor of manuscripts and relics to churches and monasteries. Michael Wood titled an essay, "The Making of King Aethelstan's Empire: an English Charlemagne? [89] David Pratt describes his legislation as "a deep and far-reaching reform of legal structures, no less important than developments under King Alfred two generations earlier". [47][h] His successes inaugurated what John Maddicott, in his history of the origins of the English Parliament, calls the imperial phase of English kingship between about 925 and 975, when rulers from Wales and Scotland attended the assemblies of English kings and witnessed their charters. 211–222. Edward is the son of Alfred and Ælswith, and the younger brother of Æthelflæd. The Bishop of Winchester, Frithestan, did not attend the coronation or witness any of Æthelstan's known charters until 928. Nicholas Brooks sees the role of the bishops as marking an important stage in the increasing involvement of the church in the making and enforcement of law. Later when building a boat Floki has a vision of blood coming out of wood and sees it as a sign he must spill blood. [71], Beneath the ealdormen, reeves—royal officials who were noble local landowners—were in charge of a town or royal estate. Content from both the books and the TV series are welcome! … Foreign scholars at Æthelstan's court such as Israel the Grammarian were practitioners. The French chronicler Flodoard described him as "the king from overseas", and the Annals of Ulster as the "pillar of the dignity of the western world". In ninth-century Wessex they each ruled a single shire, but by the middle of the tenth they had authority over a much wider area, a change probably introduced by Æthelstan to deal with the problems of governing his extended realm. Bailey, "Ælfwynn, Second Lady of the Mercians", p. 114; Thacker, "Dynastic Monasteries and Family Cults", pp. After the treaty Athelstan is faced with a choice between staying with Ecbert or leaving with Ragnar and after much consideration chooses his long and best friend, Ragnar. But in light of the efforts made in the last years by Edward to weld Wessex and Mercia into one kingdom, it seems unlikely that he contemplated such a division. When Ragnar meets them at the river, wounded, he falls from the cliff into the river unconscious, and Athelstan jumps into the river to save him. The English also suffered heavy losses, including two of Æthelstan's cousins, sons of Edward the Elder's younger brother, Æthelweard.[60]. Four legal codes were adopted at Royal Councils in the early 930s at Grately in Hampshire, Exeter, Faversham in Kent, and Thunderfield in Surrey. I was blind, but now I see. Athelstan was brought to live in Viking society and struggles to maintain his beliefs in an environment very different from his home across the sea. The arrival of Aslaug causes feud to the Lodbrok family to Athelstan's discomfort, and after Ragnar refuses to make Aslaug leave, his wife Lagertha leaves him along with his son Bjorn. Frank Stenton sees Æthelstan's councils as "national assemblies", which did much to break down the provincialism that was a barrier to the unification of England. C.B. The 9th century had been a tumultuous one for the Saxon kingdoms of England, which had fallen one by one to invading Danes with the exception of Alfred’s kingdom: Wessex. Later in the century, Æthelweard praised him as a very mighty king worthy of honour, and Æthelred the Unready, who named his eight sons after his predecessors, put Æthelstan first as the name of his eldest son. [12] Modern historians also disagree about her status. This strategy did not last long, and at Thunderfield Æthelstan returned to the hard line, softened by raising the minimum age for the death penalty to fifteen "because he thought it too cruel to kill so many young people and for such small crimes as he understood to be the case everywhere". [106] He was renowned in his own day for his piety and promotion of sacred learning. It is also believed that Torstein is alive and that Floki (who Horik told to murder Torstein) had Torstein fake his death so that he may grow closer to Horik. When asked why she does this she simply says "Because I must". Their courts were peripatetic, and their councils were held at varying locations around their realms. After Ragnar returned and discovered the fate of his daughter he left to fight Jarl Borg and his traitor brother but eventually made peace by convincing Borg's clan and King Horik's clan (who Ragnar sided with) to raid together. He eventually styled himself as the "King of the Anglo-Saxons", and is driven by a vision for a united Kingdom of all the English (England). Sarah Foot commented that tithing and oath-taking to deal with the problem of theft had its origin in Frankia: Historians differ widely regarding Æthelstan's legislation. Athelstan unconsciously never abandoned his Christian faith. Some historians believe that Sihtric renounced his wife soon after the marriage and reverted to paganism. [31] However, Sarah Foot ascribes his decision to remain unmarried to "a religiously motivated determination on chastity as a way of life". In 927 he conquered the last remaining Viking kingdom, York, making him the first Anglo-Saxon ruler of the whole of England. Modern historians regard him as the first King of England and one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon kings. Athelstan was actually introduced in The Last Kingdom season 4, although there he is young boy, years away from becoming England’s first king. Athelstan is shocked and clutches at his cross hidden in his sleeve. He made a confraternity agreement with the clergy of Dol Cathedral in Brittany, who were then in exile in central France, and they sent him the relics of Breton saints, apparently hoping for his patronage. [126] Another reason lay in the common interest on both sides of the Channel in resisting the threat from the Vikings, while the rise in the power and reputation of the royal house of Wessex made marriage with an English princess more prestigious to European rulers. [135], After Æthelstan's death, the men of York immediately chose the Viking king of Dublin, Olaf Guthfrithson (or his cousin, Anlaf Cuaran[l]), as their king, and Anglo-Saxon control of the north, seemingly made safe by the victory of Brunanburh, collapsed. That night Horik launches an attack on Ragnar with what he believes to be the help of Siggy and Floki although it is revealed that all the information Horik has told them, they have told Ragnar, thereby letting him defeat Horik's forces. The battle was reported in the Annals of Ulster: A generation later, the chronicler Æthelweard reported that it was popularly remembered as "the great battle", and it sealed Æthelstan's posthumous reputation as "victorious because of God" (in the words of the homilist Ælfric of Eynsham). At first Æthelstan behaved as a Mercian king. After suffering mutilation she is spared death by Ecgbert after she confesses to being Athelstan's love and the father of their infant baby boy, Athelwulf is forced to believe that Athelstan was a man "touched by God" and that God had a hand in the baby's conception and is ordered by Ecgbert to raise it as his own - the child is named Alfred which implies he would later grow up to become King Alfred the Great. Folcuin stated that Æthelstan sent alms to the abbey for his dead brother and received monks from the abbey graciously when they came to England, although Folcuin did not realise that Æthelstan died before the monks made the journey in 944. She wrote: The West Saxon court had connections with the Carolingians going back to the marriage between Æthelstan's great-grandfather Æthelwulf and Judith, daughter of the king of West Francia (and future Holy Roman Emperor) Charles the Bald, as well as the marriage of Alfred the Great's daughter Ælfthryth to Judith's son by a later marriage, Baldwin II, Count of Flanders. [121] In the view of Veronica Ortenberg, he was "the most powerful ruler in Europe" with an army that had repeatedly defeated the Vikings; continental rulers saw him as a Carolingian emperor, who "was clearly treated as the new Charlemagne". The ancient royal line of the West Saxons provided an acceptable alternative, especially as they (wrongly) claimed descent from the seventh-century king and saint, Oswald, who was venerated in Germany. After meeting with Ragnar they have a small heart felt conversation about each other's gods and whether or not Athelstan will go back with Ragnar. Athelstan. England and Saxony became closer after the marriage alliance, and German names start to appear in English documents, while Cenwald kept up the contacts he had made by subsequent correspondence, helping the transmission of continental ideas about reformed monasticism to England. 211–215; Foot, Sharp, "England, Europe and the Celtic World", p. 198, Ortenberg, "The King from Overseas", pp. He is grief stricken when he discovers Ragnar's daughter has been killed by the plague and watches with the other Norseman as Lagertha performs a cremation and funeral for the girl. Buy 'the last kingdom' by athelstan as a Mug. You’ve answered my prayers. [147], 10th-century King of the Anglo-Saxons, King of the English, This article is about the tenth-century king. The Normans, post the 1066 conquest, abolished the practice and replaced it with serfdom. By his own wish he was buried at Malmesbury Abbey, where he had buried his cousins who died at Brunanburh. Wood also suggests that Æthelstan may have been the first English king to be groomed from childhood as an intellectual, and that John was probably his tutor. He was the grandson of King Alfred the Great of Wessex, and united Wessex, Norse York and the Saxon Earldom of Bamburgh, into a singular Kingdom of England. [28] When Edward died, Æthelstan was apparently with him in Mercia, while Ælfweard was in Wessex. [e] Guthfrith, a cousin of Sihtric, led a fleet from Dublin to try to take the throne, but Æthelstan easily prevailed. He reigned between 925 and 939 AD. [97] Oda may have been present at the battle of Brunanburh. Æthelstan stayed mainly in Wessex, however, and controlled outlying areas by summoning leading figures to his councils. On the death of his father, Edward the Elder, in 924, Athelstan was elected king of Wessex and Mercia, where he had been brought up by his aunt, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians. 26, 33; Foot, Ryan, "Conquest, Reform and the Making of England", p. 296, Williams, "Ælfflæd"; Miller, "Edward the Elder". When Edward died in July 924, Æthelstan was accepted by the Mercians as king. Roman III – The Wrath of Boudicca. [24] Eadgifu also had two sons, the future kings Edmund and Eadred. [47], Whereas Æthelstan was the first English king to achieve lordship over northern Britain, he inherited his authority over the Welsh kings from his father and aunt. This endured until 927, when Æthelstan conquered Viking York, and adopted the title. … Fearless, gutsy, outspoken, and a born fighter, Brida feels at home in the boisterous world of the Danes. Æthelred ruled English Mercia under Alfred and was married to his daughter Æthelflæd. In a manner quite fitting for its protagonist, The Last Kingdom marches fearlessly into this daunting new era with a fast-paced first act. [157] In his biography of Æthelred, Levi Roach commented: Memory of Æthelstan then declined until it was revived by William of Malmesbury, who took a special interest in him as the one king who had chosen to be buried in his own house. The contacts resulted in a surge in interest in England for commemorating Breton saints. Alex Woolf describes it as a "pyrrhic victory" for Æthelstan: the campaign seems to have ended in a stalemate, his power appears to have declined, and after he died Olaf acceded to the kingdom of Northumbria without resistance. After his death in 939 the Vikings seized back control of York, and it was not finally reconquered until 954. [11] Medieval chroniclers gave varying descriptions of her rank: one described her as an ignoble consort of inferior birth, while others described her birth as noble. [153] Historian Charles Insley, however, sees Æthelstan's hegemony as fragile: "The level of overlordship wielded by Æthelstan during the 930s over the rest of Britain was perhaps not attained again by an English king until Edward I. [77] It remained in force throughout the tenth century, and Æthelstan's codes were built on this foundation. Later Athelstan is watched playing a game with Ragnar and Bjorn by Floki for unknown reasons although Floki seems to have gone unnoticed. Ragnar takes an interest with Athelstan and thinks he may be able give information that could be valuable for his next raid. [120] Some historians take a similar view. He was Edward's only son by his first consort, Ecgwynn. … Athelstan attends mass but lies about taking the bread of Christ as he spits it out after taking it, showing that Paganism is still a strong factor in his life. Æthelstan's court played a crucial role in the origins of the English monastic reform movement. *the ‘last kingdom’ collector’s edition* Featuring a gold foil designed case – limited to the first print run. The book I received today, the day of release (with the number 1 in the indicia, indicating first printing) is simply the standard edition. A gospel book he donated to Christ Church, Canterbury is inscribed "Æthelstan, king of the English and ruler of the whole of Britain with a devout mind gave this book to the primatial see of Canterbury, to the church dedicated to Christ". [138] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in Æthelstan's reign is principally devoted to military events, and it is largely silent apart from recording his most important victories. Æthelwold of Wessex was a main character in both The Saxon Stories novel series and The Last Kingdom television series. [146], The reign of Æthelstan has been overshadowed by the achievements of his grandfather, Alfred the Great, but he is now considered one of the greatest kings of the West Saxon dynasty. The second enforces the duty of charity on Æthelstan's reeves, specifying the amount to be given to the poor and requiring reeves to free one penal slave annually. Alcuin was born around 735 AD in York, Northumbria. Later, Egbert sends Athelstan to go and visit with Ragnar and his Vikings to negotiate peace. He then roams the campsite that night and watches the revelry of the Pagan celebration. Guthfrith, the Norse king of Dublin who had briefly ruled Northumbria, died in 934; any resulting insecurity among the Danes would have given Æthelstan an opportunity to stamp his authority on the north. Athelstan goes to Uppsala with the Vikings where he is asked by many if he is still Christian, which he denies. [69] One of the ealdormen, who was also called Æthelstan, governed the eastern Danelaw territory of East Anglia, the largest and wealthiest province of England. Alfred had repelled many Danish invasions and earned his epithet, and by the time Athelstan was born he had left a legacy of good governance, well-fortified towns and military success. [127] In 926 Hugh, Duke of the Franks, sent Æthelstan's cousin, Adelolf, Count of Boulogne, on an embassy to ask for the hand of one of Æthelstan's sisters. Days later Ragnar prepares for his next raid and Lagertha accompanies him while Athelstan is placed in charge of the children. The show's hero, Uhtred, is fictional, but he interacts with many important figures from England's past, including the now deceased Alfred and his … [29], Even after Ælfweard's death there seems to have been opposition to Æthelstan in Wessex, particularly in Winchester, where Ælfweard was buried. He needed a royal marriage for his son to establish his legitimacy, but no suitable Carolingian princesses were available. Entries on ninth century West Saxons kings describe them as kings of Wessex in Lapidge, et al., ed., Foot, "Æthelstan (Athelstan) (893/4–939), king of England". [35], Opposition seems to have continued even after the coronation. Athelstan became the first king to rule all the Anglo-Saxon people of Britain, and was in effect the overlord of all Britain. When the word of what had transpired reached Kattegat the messenger was taken to Ragnar by Floki. [93], Æthelstan appointed members of his own circle to bishoprics in Wessex, possibly to counter the influence of the Bishop of Winchester, Frithestan. [20] Lapidge and Wood see the poem as a commemoration of Alfred's ceremony by one of his leading scholars, John the Old Saxon. David Dumville goes so far as to dismiss William's account entirely, regarding him as a "treacherous witness" whose account is unfortunately influential. The new marriage weakened Æthelstan's position, as his step-mother naturally favoured the interests of her own sons, Ælfweard and Edwin. The Last Kingdom season 4 episode 2. [141], In Dumville's view, Æthelstan has been regarded by historians as a shadowy figure because of an ostensible lack of source material, but he argues that the lack is more apparent than real. Despite Athelstan's worldliness - extensive linguistic skills, logical mind, knowledge of the Bible, etc - he was hopelessly innocent when dealing with other people, especially the ambitious. Living in the monastery also saved him from possibly dying of fever like the rest of his family.