Holy Roman Emperoris the title history gives to the ruler of the empire in west-central Europe that began
with the crowning of Charlemagne in 800 Ƌƍ and lasted until Francis II resigned the title in 1806, after his
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King Aethelstan
(894–939Ƌƍ
Aethelstan’s grandfather
Alfred is definitely the more
famous of the two. But it was
Aethelstan who united the
British kingdoms and served
as the first King of England.
Renowned as a devout ruler
and an exceptional military
leader, he defeated powerful
Danish enemies to establish
his kingdom. His victory at
the Battle of Brunanburh
(see illustration below) over
Danish and Scottish foes is
his best-known achievement.
In fact, his victory was
immortalized in written
sources such as The Anglo-
Saxon Chronicle. The battle
itself continues to puzzle
historians, as they still have
not discovered its location
with certainty. Such military
conquests, however, pale in
comparison to the king’s
foreign affairs achievements.
Aethelstan strove to
make profitable relationships
with powerful kingdoms in
continental Europe. He never
married, but he did arrange
successful marriages for his
female relatives. He then
used these unions to establish
connections to numerous
Frankish Kingdoms and to
Otto, the future Holy Roman
Emperor. He also developed
alliances by sponsoring noble
young men in his court and
effectively raising them as a
foster-father. These youngboys included such future
rulers as Duke Alain II of
Brittany, King Haakon of
Norway, and King Louis IV of
France. Through these
relationships, Aethelstan was
able to increase his influence
and establish England as a
kingdom on the rise.
The 12th-century historian
William of Malmesbury did
praise Aethelstan in his Lives
of the English Kings. History,
however, has too often
neglected this man who was
a major figure in English
history. Aethelstan’s
impressive kingship is a
reminder that, if we are not
careful, even important
individuals can slip through
the cracks of history.“Forward we go! Victory will
be ours here at Brunanburh!”
shouts Aethelstan to his
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