Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs)

Author: Tom Holland
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241187826
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 127

Book Description
The formation of England occurred against the odds: an island divided into rival kingdoms, under savage assault from Viking hordes. But, after King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex and his son Edward expanded it, his grandson Athelstan inherited the rule of both Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and was hailed as Rex totius Britanniae: 'King of the whole of Britain'. Tom Holland recounts this extraordinary story with relish and drama, transporting us back to a time of omens, raven harbingers and blood-red battlefields. As well as giving form to the figure of Athelstan - devout, shrewd, all too aware of the precarious nature of his power, especially in the north - he introduces the great figures of the age, including Alfred and his daughter Aethelflaed, 'Lady of the Mercians', who brought Athelstan up at the Mercian court. Making sense of the family rivalries and fractious conflicts of the Anglo-Saxon rulers, Holland shows us how a royal dynasty rescued their kingdom from near-oblivion and fashioned a nation that endures to this day.

The Age of Athelstan

Author: Paul Hill
Publisher: Revealing History (Paperback)
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Book Description
In an age of evocative names like Eric Bloodaxe and Egil Skallagrimson, one name has been lost in the mists of time: that of Athelstan, ruler of all Britain. From the first raids of the Vikings on the shores of Britain and Ireland, the book traces the response to the threat across the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic worlds. The rise of the kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons, and later, of the English, built from the debris of Viking destruction, is analysed in detail and compared to the struggle for independence in Northumbria.

Learning and Literature in Anglo-Saxon England

Author: Michael Lapidge
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521259029
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 494

Book Description
An collection of essays by specialists in the field examining Anglo-Saxon learning and text interpretation and transmission.

AEthelstan

Author: Sarah Foot
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300160372
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 487

Book Description
The powerful and innovative King AEthelstan 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 AEthelstan, 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. AEthelstan's legacy, seen in the new light of this masterful biography, is inextricably connected to the very forging of England and early English identity.

The Straw Men

Author: Paul Doherty
Publisher: Canelo
ISBN: 1800321457
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 314

Book Description
All the depravity and evil of man is found upon the stage. January, 1381. Guests of the Regent, John of Gaunt, Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston have been attending a mystery play performed by the Straw Men, Gaunt's personal acting troupe. The evening’s entertainment, however, is suddenly and brutally interrupted by the violent deaths of two of Gaunt's guests, their severed heads left on stage. The Regent orders Athelstan to find out who committed such a heinous act, leading him to tackle his most baffling and disturbing case yet... A taut and clever medieval murder mystery that won’t let go, perfect for fans of S G MacLean, S W Perry and Rory Clements.

The First King of England: The Story of Athelstan

Author: Stuart Hill
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472951751
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Book Description
The Saxon King Athelstan is trying to unite the kingdom of England for the first time, aided by his body-servant Edwin, the son of a shoemaker. Written by bestselling author, Stuart Hill, this exciting adventure story is perfect for fans of historical fiction and will have readers gripped from start to finish. After getting into a brawl with Athelstan the future king of England, fourteen-year-old Edwin certainly does not expect to become his body-servant. Now, Edwin sleeps in Athelstan's room, fights with him side-by-side in battle and, most importantly, becomes his close friend and companion. But as tensions between the warring kingdom grow and power shifts over the years, Edwin must protect Athelstan with his life in the fight to unite England. But will Athelstan and his Saxon army succeed against the Scots, the Vikings of Dublin and the Welsh of Strathclyde? This thrilling, dramatic tale is packed with great characters and insight into the world of Saxon Britain. The Flashbacks series offers dramatic stories set in key moments of history, perfect for introducing children to historical topics.

The Nightingale Gallery

Author: Paul Doherty
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0755350545
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 197

Book Description
In 1376, the famed Black Prince died of a terrible rotting sickness, closely followed by his father, King Edward III, who ended his life a bitter old man, his former glories forgotten. The crown of England is left in the hands of a mere boy, the future Richard II, and the great nobles, led by Richard's uncle and Regent, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, gather like hungry wolves round the empty throne. A terrible power struggle threatens the country, and one of London's powerful merchant princes, Sir Thomas Springall, is foully murdered within a few days of the old king's death. Coroner Sir John Cranston and Dominican monk Brother Athelstan are ordered to investigate. As others associated with Springall are found dead, Cranston and Athelstan are drawn ever deeper into a dark web of intrigue...

The Stone of Destiny

Author: Paul Doherty
Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 1448304881
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 223

Book Description
A series of grisly deaths are linked to the sacred Stone of Scone in this compelling medieval mystery featuring friar-sleuth Brother Athelstan. "This abbey is a strange place, Brother Athelstan. A hall of ghosts, a place of flitting shadows. The dead throng here. I can hear them whispering as they ride the air." During the harsh winter of 1381 murder stalks the streets of London in all its grisly forms. The city's prostitutes are falling prey to a silent, deadly assassin known as The Flayer who carefully peels his victims' skins for his collection. At the same time, Westminster Abbey, which houses the sacred Stone of Scone, is plagued by a series of hideous poisonings. Could there be a connection between these brutally violent deaths and the stone, which the English crown cherishes as a symbol of its rule over Scotland? Then there are the two former Upright Men, leaders of the Great Revolt, who are found mysteriously hanged in the Piebald Tavern, close to Brother Athelstan's parish church of St Erconwald - and Athelstan is faced with his most baffling investigation to date. Can he navigate this deadly maze of murder and intrigue and pull the various threads together?

House of the Red Slayer

Author: Paul Doherty
Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 1448300347
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 207

Book Description
December, 1377. A great frost has London in its icy grip; even the Thames is frozen bank to bank. The Constable of the Tower of London, Sir Ralph Witton, is found murdered in a cold, bleak chamber in the North Bastion. The door is still locked from the inside and guarded by trusted retainers. So how did the assassins slip across a frozen moat to climb the sheer wall to commit such a dreadful crime? Appointed to investigate, Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston soon discover that Sir Ralph’s murder is only the first in a series of macabre killings which have their roots in a terrible act of betrayal committed many years previously.

Herald of Hell

Author: Paul Doherty
Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 1780107102
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 223

Book Description
A medieval mystery featuring sleuthing monk Brother Athelstan May, 1381. The Great Revolt draws ever nearer. The Upright Men openly roam the streets of London, waiting for the violence to begin. Their mysterious envoy, the Herald of Hell, appears at night all over the city, striking terror into the hearts of those who oppose them. But who is he? When his chancery clerk is found hanged in a notorious Southwark brothel, the ruthless Thibault, John of Gaunt’s Master of Secrets, summons Brother Athelstan to investigate. Did Amaury Whitfield really kill himself following a visit from the terrifying Herald of Hell? Athelstan is unconvinced. In the dead man’s possession was a manuscript containing a great secret which he had been striving to decipher. If he could only unlock the cipher and interpret the messages being carried to the so-called Herald of Hell, Athelstan would be one step closer to catching the killer. But can he crack the code before the Great Revolt begins?