Athelstan

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 BritanniaeKing 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. Free Download Athelstan author Tom Holland For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr A useful introduction to a king who has been overlooked in part because sources on the man Athelstan are sparse In some 100 pages Mr Holland provides useful background to Athelstan s father Edward and grandfather Alfred and how he transformed his kingdom from reigning over the Anglo Saxons to all of England ...I m assuming this is a good general biography of Athelstan, but I felt thatcontext and detail of the era was needed to have things make sense To say my knowledge of Anglo Saxon England is rudimentary is being kind No doubtbackground reading would have been necessary to get rea...The epic first installment of the Penguin Monarchs series, describing Athelstan s achievements uniting England, establishing diplomatic relations with continental European powers and managing a fractious royal succession Athelstan s personality and even the site of the most decisive battle of his reign remain elusive but...Due to my terrible memory I know very little about this period of British history Holland s work was really fascinating as he drew together facts in an understandable and engaging way, and has left me with a real sense of how England was formed The book is written at a good level for people with little prior knowledge, and goes into enough detail to interest those who are better informed as well I also appreciated the author s efforts to elaborate on the effects of various events, so that the Due to my terrible memory I know very little about this period of British history Holland s work was really fascina...After King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex and his son Edward expanded it, his grandson Athelstan inherited the rule of Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and was hailed King of the whole of Britain Holland recounts this extraordinary story and makes it full of drama We are transported back to a time of omens and blood red battlefields As well as giving form to Athelstan, Holland introduces the great figures of the time, including Alfred and his daughter, Aethelflaed Holland ma After King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex and his son Edward expanded it, his grandson Athelstan inherited the rule of Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and was hailed King of the whole of Britain Holland recounts this extraordinary story and makes it full of drama We are transported back to a time of omens and blood red battlefields As well as giving form to Athelstan, Holland introduces the great figures of the time, including Alfred and his daughter, Aethelflaed Holland makes sense of the family rivalries and conflicts of the Anglo Saxon rulers Holland shows us how a royal dynasty rescued their kingdom from near obli...A very readable, succinct but scholarly study of this under appreciated monarch I was particularly impressed by the breadth of the author s research as outlined in the extensive and useful suggestions for...This new entry in the Penguin Monarchs series is a superb introduction to a sadly neglected at least on this side of the pond and yet terrifically important Saxon king Nothan a couple of chapters into Holland s account and I was an absol...Fascinating well written history of England s first and greatest king Very brief in length but definitely fires your brain to doresearch about England s roots.That a union as long lasting as that of Great Britain might fray can hardly help but serve as a reminder that the joining of different peoples in a shared sense of identity is not something easily achieved and maintained Tom Holland s illuminating biography of 10th century s Athelstan, the first true British king, has enormous relevance and resonance with our situation at the beginning of the 21st century With focus, energy, discipline and luck Athelstan brought the kingdoms of Britain togeth That a union as long lasti...A good brief overview of a little known monarch in English History.Tom Holland s style of writing can be a bit florid at times and you may need to re read paragraphs to get the sense of where he s going with the narrative sometimes.On the whole though a ve...

• English
• 19 November 2017
Tom Holland
• Hardcover
• 116 pages
• 0241187818
• Tom Holland
• Athelstan