|
Product Description
The powerful and innovative King Æthelstan reigned only briefly (924-939), yet his achievements during those eventful fifteen 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 Æthelstan, 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 multiethnic 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. Æthelstan's legacy, seen in the new light of this masterful biography, is inextricably connected to the very forging of England and early English identity.
Features
- Used Book in Good Condition
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
- Alfred the Great
- Cnut the Great (The English Monarchs Series)
- Edward the Elder and the Making of England
- The Warrior Queen: The Life and Legend of Aethelflaed, Daughter of Alfred the Great
- Henry II (English Monarchs)
- Æthelred: The Unready (English Monarchs)
- William the Conqueror (The English Monarchs Series)
- The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
- Britain After Rome: The Fall and Rise, 400 to 1070
- King Stephen (The English Monarchs Series)
*If this is not the "Aethelstan: The First King of England" product you were looking for, you can check the other results by clicking this link. Details were last updated on Nov 4, 2024 08:49 +08.