Athelstan
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- Also spelled:
- Aethelstan or Ethelstan
- Died:
- October 27, 939
- Title / Office:
- king (925-939),England
- Notable Family Members:
- fatherEdward
Athelstan (died October 27, 939) was the first West Saxonking to have effective rule over the whole ofEngland.
On the death of his father,Edward the Elder, in 924, Athelstan was elected king of Wessex andMercia, where he had been brought up by his aunt,Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians. Crowned king of the whole country at Kingston on Sept. 4, 925, he proceeded to establish boundaries and rule firmly. He annexed the Viking kingdom of York in 927. His dominion was significantly challenged in 937 when Constantine of the Scots, Owain of Strathclyde, andOlaf Guthfrithson, claimant of the kingdom of York, joined forces and invaded England. They were routed at Brunanburh.
Six of Athelstan’sextant codes of law reveal stern efforts to suppress theft and punish corruption. They are notable in containing provisions intended to comfort thedestitute andmitigate the punishment of young offenders. The form and language of his many documents suggest the presence of a corps of skilled clerks staffed by the cathedral of Winchester. Both his charters and the silver coinage he issued through strictly controlled regional mints bore the proud titleRex totius Britanniae (“King of all Britain”).
