Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs)

The Making of England

Format: Hardback
RRP: £12.99
£11.82
Save £1.17 (9%)

Free UK P&P on online orders over £25

Adding to basket… The item has been added
R/P

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.

Write a Review

There are no reviews for this product yet - be the first

Authors:
Holland, Tom
Year Published:
2016
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Format:
Hardback
ISBN:
9780241187814
Number of Pages:
128
Publication Date:
30/06/2016
Publisher:
Penguin Books Ltd
Series:
Penguin Monarchs
Imprint:
Allen Lane
Place of Publication:
London
SKU:
9780241187814

Customers also bought