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The age of Athelston
book_athelston
The age of Athelston
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.
Athelstan's achievement in establishing an empire for which he became famous is a key focus of the tale, along with the extraordinary history of the hunt for the lost battle of Brunanburh (AD 937), a clash which defined a people. For hundreds of years, no king would rule as much of Britain as Athelstan. His reputation survived the medieval period in the form of histories, songs and poems only to be lost at a later date, and yet its essence can still be found today all over the country.
Paul Hill was formerly curator at Kingston Museum where Athelstan was crowned. He has appeared on Channel 5's BATTLEFIELD DETECTIVES series in 'Bloodbath at Hastings' as an Anglo- Saxon military specialist.
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