Athelstan

The powerful and innovative King Athelstan reigned only briefly (924-939), yet his achievements during those eventful twelve years changed the course of English history. He won spectacular military victories (most notably at Brunanburh), forged unprecedented political connections across Europe, and succeeded in creating the first unified kingdom of the English. To claim for him the title of 'first English monarch' is no exaggeration. In this nuanced portrait of Athelstan, Sarah Foot offers the first full account of the king ever written. She traces his life through the various spheres in which he lived and worked, beginning with the intimate context of his family, then extending outward to his unusual multi-ethnic royal court, the Church and his kingdom, the wars he conducted, and finally his death and legacy. Foot describes a sophisticated man who was not only a great military leader but also a worthy king. He governed brilliantly, developed creative ways to project his image as a ruler, and devised strategic marriage treaties and gift exchanges to cement alliances with the leading royal and ducal houses of Europe. Athelstan's legacy, seen in the new light of this masterful biography, is inextricably connected to the very forging of England and early English identity.

ISBN 0300125356   Pages 336 ISBN13 9780300125351 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 676 Publisher Yale University Press   Published in New Haven Imprint Yale University Press   Series title Yale English Monarchs Series Format Hardback   Height (mm) 238 Publication date 03 May 2011   Width (mm) 164 DEWEY 942.0171092   Spine width (mm) 30 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level General

"[An] enthralling work of historical detection. . . . In the pages of this remarkable biography--a work suffused with a rare empathy--AEthelstan emerges as a character of flesh and blood."--Hywel Williams, "Times Literary Supplement"--Hywel Williams"Times Literary Supplement" (09/30/2011)

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