Ethelstan: Or, the Battle of Brunanburgh, a Dramatic Chronicle

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Narrator: And just as Alfred had predicted, Athelstan became a great king. He helped the poor and passed laws to make the kingdom safer… He built churches and monasteries, promoted learning and had The Bible translated into English… On the show, Athelstan claims to have learned the tongue as a missionary, and this is possible. Missionaries were active in Scandinavia from the 8 th century, though conversions were few until the 10 th century. Robert of Gloucester. ”Metrical Chronicle". In The Battle of Brunanburh. A Casebook. Ed. Michael Livingston. University of Exeter Press. 2011. pp. 84–89 Breeze, Andrew (4 December 2014). "Brunanburh in 937: Bromborough or Lanchester?". Society of Antiquaries of London: Ordinary Meeting of Fellows . Retrieved 4 April 2015. Unhappy with this change in power, the York Vikings and the Scots combined forces to invade England in 937. Athelstan, in alliance with the King of Dublin, defeated the combined Viking and Scottish forces, earning him great respect as a ruler across Europe.

Athelstan: Athelstan’s army met the forces, led by Constantine, at a place called Brunanburgh in 937… Athelstan met the forces at the Battle of Brunanburh. Supported by his younger half-brother Edmund, he defeated the combined forces. However, the English suffered heavy losses, including the two sons of Athelstan’s dead half-brother. s victory prevented the dissolution of England, but it failed to unite the island: Scotland and Strathclyde remained independent. [44] Foot writes that "[e]xaggerating the importance of this victory is difficult". [44] Livingston writes that the battle was "the moment when Englishness came of age" and "one of the most significant battles in the long history not just of England but of the whole of the British isles". [45] The battle was called "the greatest single battle in Anglo-Saxon history before the Hastings" by Alfred Smyth, who nonetheless says its consequences beyond Æthelstan's reign have been overstated. [46] In any case, Athelstan retained control over most of what is now England, save for, technically, the Celtic kingdom of Cornwall. Brunanburh has been called one of the most important battles in British history.

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invaded Scotland with a large military and naval force in 934. Although the reason for this invasion is uncertain, John of Worcester stated that the cause was Constantine's violation of the peace treaty made in 927. [6] Æthelstan evidently travelled through Beverley, Ripon, and Chester-le-Street. The army harassed the Scots up to Kincardineshire and the navy up to Caithness, but Æthelstan's force was never engaged. [7] Far from being the father of Alfred, Athelstan was actually his grandson, the son of King Edward the Elder and his wife Ecgwynn. Edward's heir Athelstan (reigned 925-39) was also a distinguished and audacious soldier who pushed the boundaries of the kingdom to their furthest extent yet. In 927-8, Athelstan took York from the Danes; he forced the submission of king Constantine of Scotland and of the northern kings; all five Welsh kings agreed to pay a huge annual tribute (reportedly including 25,000 oxen), and Athelstan eliminated opposition in Cornwall. William Ketel's De Miraculis Sancti Joannis Beverlacensis (early 12th century) relates how, in 937, Æthelstan left his army on his way north to fight the Scots at Brunanburh, and went to visit the tomb of Bishop John at Beverley to ask for his prayers in the forthcoming battle. In thanksgiving for his victory Æthelstan gave certain privileges and rights to the church at Beverley. [32] In 926, Hugh, Duke of the Franks, asked for the hand of one of Athelstan’s sisters. He sent gifts like spices, swift horses, a crown made of solid gold, the lance of Charlemagne, the sword of the Roman Emperor Constantine I, and a piece of the Crown of Thorns. Athelstan sent his half-sister Eadhild to be his wife.

One of the most popular characters on the History Channel’s Vikings is undoubtedly the monk Athelstan, who finds himself torn between the Viking and Christian worlds, and his loyalty to his own people and his friendship with Ragnar Lothbrok. Historians disagree on the effects of Athelstan’s victory. Some say it was a pyrrhic victory and demonstrated the decline of Athelstan’s power. Others say that it was an important battle during his lifetime but did not have overreaching consequences after his death. Still, others assert that had the Anglo-Saxons lost, the history of England would have looked very different indeed. Sihtric posthumous coin Diplomatic Ties with Europe in the year 937 of the Lord´s Nativity, at Wendune which is called by another name Et Brunnanwerc or Brunnanbyrig, he [Æthelstan] fought against Anlaf, son of former king Guthfrith, who came with 615 ships and had with him the help of the Scots and the Cumbrians. [33] It is not a stretch to imagine some Christian living in Viking territory being slain as a result of their beliefs.a b John of Worcester. ”Chronicon". In The Battle of Brunanburh. A Casebook. Ed. Michael Livingston. University of Exeter Press. 2011. pp. 56–57 Much of his reign was occupied, as were his forefather's, with the ongoing struggle with the Viking invaders. Athelstan concluded a treaty with them at Tamworth, by the terms of which he married his sister, Edith, to the Danish leader Sihtric, King of York. Sihtricdied the following year and Athelstan seized the opportunity to take Northumbria. His kingdom thereby became roughly equivalent in size to modern England.

The battle of Brunanburh in 937, in which Athelstan led a force drawn from Britain and defeated an invasion by the king of Scotland in alliance with the Welsh and Danes from Dublin, earned him recognition by lesser kings in Britain. Athelstan is recorded as being a tall and handsome youth with light flaxen hair. As a youth, he had been ennobled by his grandfather, of whom he was said to be a great favourite. To mark the occasion King Alfred endowed his grandson with a mantle of royal purple, a girdle set with precious stones and a Saxon seax (sword) in a golden scabbard. Described in the Gesta Regum Anglorum of William of Malmesbury (c.1080-1143) as 'of handsome appearance and graceful manners... [N]ot beyond what is pleasing in stature and slender in body; his hair, as we ourselves have seen from his relics, flaxen, with gold threads.'Wood, Michael (2001). In Search of England: Journeys into the English Past. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23218-1. But, while the Athelstan that we see in the Vikings series may not be named for or based on a specific personage similar to himself, his character rings true for the historical period. The Annals of Ulster describe the battle as "great, lamentable and horrible" and record that "several thousands of Norsemen... fell". [22] Among the casualties were five kings and seven earls from Olaf's army. [18] The poem records that Constantine lost several friends and family members in the battle, including his son. [23] The largest list of those killed in the battle is contained in the Annals of Clonmacnoise, which names several kings and princes. [24] A large number of English also died in the battle, [18] including two of Æthelstan's cousins, Ælfwine and Æthelwine. [25] Medieval sources [ edit ] Hector Boece. ”Historiae". In The Battle of Brunanburh. A Casebook. Ed. Michael Livingston. University of Exeter Press. 2011. pp. 146–153 Narrator: Athelfleda was a powerful queen and also a good teacher. She taught Athelstan to love books and learning and her warriors taught him fighting skills. She taught him how to lead an army into war and she also taught him how to make peace.