Tom Holland ´ 1 REVIEW
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This short book is about the life and reign of the Anglo Saxon king Athelstan a ruler who should be better known, as he was effectively the architect of England as a ( or less) united country, bringing into reality the vision and concept of his famous grandfather Alfred. The fact of his being (almost certainly) brought up at the Mercian court for his own protection from rival factions to his Wessex father Edward the Elder, led to his being accepted eventually as the best ruler for both Wessex and Mercia. Then later he was to challenge and overthrow Viking rule in York, the capital of Northumbria (though that was reversed after his and his successor's deaths, and only eventually cemented in the reign of his much younger half brother Edred). Athelstan's vision went even further to include overlordship of the whole British isles (rex totius Britanniae the contemporary chroniclers called him), defeating Scottish, Welsh and Irish rulers at the decisive battle of Brunanburh in 937 (a battle the site of which remains unknown to this day). This did not outlast his death; but Athelstan saw himself, and was seen by many of his contemporaries, as a European monarch of the stature of Charlemagne, marrying off several of his many half sisters to Frankish and German princes. When he died, an Ulster chronicler described him as the roof tree of the dignity of the western world. The author Tom Holland is better known for his excellent books on ancient history, such as Rubicon, about the fall of the Roman Republic, and other works covering a broad sweep of ancient history. While a new period for him, he has a similar broad view here when he concludes that In a country that has been a unitary state for longer than any other in Europe, the sheer feat of statecraft that was required to bring it into existence risks being signally underestimated. The king who founded England has largely been forgotten even by the English. Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs): The Making of England (English Edition) eBook : Holland, Tom A fine intro to the first King of Britain. Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs): The Making of England (English Edition) eBook : Holland, Tom Excelente. Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs): The Making of England (English Edition) eBook : Holland, Tom This biography of His Late Majesty King Athelstan makes a delicious and informative read for it is an inspiring work about a Christian King who sought to bring royal unity and justice to a fractious island a thousand years ago. Well done! Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs): The Making of England (English Edition) eBook : Holland, Tom A really well told story. Easy to read and well structured. I would have loved to get some insight into the origins of the House of Cerdic and also the what if scenarios around the relationship of England and Scotland are not really obvious. But, anyhow, a very thrilling story. Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs): The Making of England (English Edition) eBook : Holland, Tom