Unit 1: Anglo-Saxon England
The Anglo-Saxon Golden Age Following King Alfred’s death in 899, it fell to his son King Edward the Elder to continue the fight against the Vikings. Edward was greatly helped by his older sister, Æthelflæd, who, at the age of 15, had been sent by their father Alfred to marry the Lord of Mercia. Æthelflæd was famed for her intelligence and strength, and with her husband she won much of Mercia back from the Vikings. When her husband died in 911, Æthelflæd continued to rule Mercia on her own as the ‘Lady of Mercia’, leading her army into battle. Just like her father, Æthelflæd built fortress burhs on land won back from the Vikings, in places such as Chester, Stafford, Warwick and Tamworth. King Edward was so impressed by his tough older sister Æthelflaed that he sent his own son, Æthelstan, to be brought up by her. Though he is not much talked about today, some historians say Æthelstan should be remembered as the first King of England. Northumbria remained as an outpost of Viking power when he became king, centred around the Viking capital of Jorvik. Æthelstan slowly asserted Anglo-Saxon power over Northumbria, and in 937 he won a great victory at the Battle of Brunanburh, against an enormous Scottish, Viking and Northumbrian army. The Anglo-Saxon chronicle recorded, “Never was there more slaughter on this island, never yet as many people killed before this with sword’s edge: never according to those who tell us from books, old wisemen, since from the east Angles and Saxons came up over the broad sea.” This victory confirmed Æthelstan’s rule of all England. During his reign, Æthelstan had new coins minted for his kingdom, on which he gave himself the title Rex Anglorum, meaning ‘King of the English’. For the first time since the Roman conquest, England could be described as a single unified country.
Peace and prosperity For the next 50 years, England experienced unprecedented peace, and grew increasingly wealthy. Kings ruled alongside the Witan, a collection of Anglo-Saxon noblemen and senior members of the church summoned by the king to offer him advice and discuss important issues. This ensured that the king’s decisions had the support of the people he ruled. Anglo-Saxon England also developed a single currency, a legal code written in Old English and a centralised government. Anglo-Saxon government sent out royal charters to every corner of the kingdom. The country was divided into individual counties, known as shires,
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Anglo-Saxon silver penny from the late 10th or early 11th century
Unit 1: Anglo-Saxon England
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