The First King of England

Æthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom

De: David Woodman

Narrado por: Julian Elfer

The First King of England is a foundational biography of Æthelstan (d. 939), the early medieval king whose territorial conquests and shrewd statesmanship united the peoples, languages, and cultures that would come to be known as the “kingdom of the English.”

Set against the backdrop of warring powers in early medieval Europe, The First King of England sheds new light on Æthelstan’s early life, his spectacular military victories and the innovative way he governed his kingdom, his fostering of the church, the deft political alliances he forged with Europe’s royal houses, and his death and enduring legacy. It begins with the reigns of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder, Æthelstan’s grandfather and father, describing how they consolidated and expanded the “kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons.” But it was Æthelstan who would declare himself the first king of all England when, in 927, he conquered the viking kingdom at York, required the submission of a Scottish king, and secured an annual tribute from the Welsh kings.

The First King of England is the most comprehensive, up-to-date biography of Æthelstan available, bringing a magisterial richness of detail to the life of a consequential British monarch whose strategic and political sophistication was unprecedented for his time.

©2025 David Woodman (P)2025 Highbridge Audio

Quite Technical

The Narrator does an excellent job. The reader/listener knows from the outset that this has only patchy sources from which to create an outline of Athelstan and his impact; thus, not an easily understood or absorbed if persuasive in many respects. Not for those expecting a drama! It’s a precise and interesting exploration that takes patience and some background.