If you asked people to name the greatest monarch of the UK you would for sure be flooded out with Queen Victoria, Henry V, Henry VIII, Richard the Lionheart or even our present Queen to name just a few. But I doubt very much that you would get many who say Athelstan.
Who was Athelstan?
He was the grandson of Alfred the Great and lived from 894 – 939.
Why is he considered to be so great?
He was the first and perhaps greatest King of England. A great warrior who defeated vast invading armies and created a united country called England which had never really existed before. He was also a statesman of international repute and a social and legal reformer.
Rex totius Britanniae
As a child Athelstan grew up under the rule of his grandfather Alfred the Great who continued to deal with Viking invasions attacking Wessex. There was no united England at this time and several large kingdoms dominated. Athelstan was groomed for a bright future and was even draped in a scarlet cloak by his aged grandfather in a ceremony intended to indicate his royal succession. However, when his father died there was a dispute between Athelstan and his half-brother. Athelstan received Mercia but his half-brother got Wessex (the greater prize). However, within a short time his half-brother died and after some deals and threatening action, Athelstan was crowned King of the English (not to be confused with King of England – as only Wessex and Mercia were his lands really and even there he encountered opposition).
In 927 he marched north and conquered the Viking kingdom of Jorvik (York), leading to a historic meeting where the lords of Northumbria and the Kings of Scotland and Wales accepted the overlordship of Athelstan.
A lay by on the A1’s role in the history of the UK
The peace was short lived however and in 937 Constantine, King of the Scots, made an alliance with Owain, King of the northern Britons and Olaf, King of Dublin, and their combined forces marched south.
Athelstan stayed calm and raised an army meeting the invaders at Brunanburh. The result was a magnificent victory for Athelstan and his forces, indeed even many years later the chroniclers of the time simply referred to it as the “great battle”.
But what about the lay by? Where is Brunanburh? Well the simple answer to that is nobody knows for sure. There are many theories about where Brunanburh actually is but one of the most recent favourites suggested by Michael Wood is somewhere close to the A1 at a lay by with a monument to Robin Hood’s Well.
Great king and statesman
Athelstan took after his grandfather in not only being a great king but also a hardworking and conscientious one. He centralised government by making the Witan (council of advisers to Saxon kings) into a sort of national assembly. This has led some to dubiously believe that he was the “unwitting founder of the English parliament.” He definitely did however, turn England into something like a nation state instead of warlike squabbling kingdoms. He also introduced a proper coin mint. Like Alfred, he attracted some of the greatest minds to his court which became a haven for learning and intellectual pursuits from all over Europe. He developed close ties dynastically with Europe as well through marriages even though he never married or had children. The gifts given to him included the sword of the Emperor Constantine, a piece of the crown of thorns and the lance of Charlemagne. He sent military aid to Norway, the Frankish kingdom and Brittany… being known in Norway for a long time as “Athelstan the Good.”
So next time there is a debate about England’s greatest monarch…perhaps you could add Athelstan’s name to the list of contenders?