Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs) cover art

Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs)

The Making of England

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Athelstan: The Making of England by Tom Holland, read by Roy McMillan.

The formation of England happened against the odds - the division of the country into rival kingdoms, the assaults of the Vikings, the precarious position of the island on the edge of the known world. But King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex, his son Eadweard expanded it, and his grandson Æthelstan finally united Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and became Rex totius Britanniae.

Tom Holland recounts this extraordinarily exciting story with relish and drama. We meet the great figures of the age, including Alfred and his daughter Æthelflæd, 'Lady of the Mercians', who brought Æthelstan up at the Mercian court. At the end of the book we understand the often confusing history of the Anglo-Saxon kings better than ever before.

 Europe Great Britain Historical Medieval Politics & Activism Royalty England Middle Ages
All stars
Most relevant
This is a short, factual biography of the history of King Athelstan, the first King of the English, and the creation of England as we know it today - history that is seldom if at all covered in school curricula that begin in 1066 with Norman Conquest (aka the last Viking invasion of Britain). King Athelstan, the grandson of King Alfred of Wessex, who saved his kingdom from total conquest by the Danes and dreamt of a united, Christian kingdom of the English, was a master strategist who step by step realised his grandfather's vision, building on solid foundations laid by his father, King Edward. An easily digestible, highly engaging book for anyone interested in how England really came to be.

Superb introduction to the foundation of England

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very good brief history. Interesting to compare with the last kingdom books. Well written and narrated

A tour de force

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
How tantalising … how just out of reach… how much on a knife edge …. A different twist of fate and maybe England would only have been Mercia and Wessex … maybe …if Athelstan had been less successful then England would have been a less attractive target for William of Normandy. Would the Britons have got their act together in time to rival the French in empire building? Would the British empire have even existed? Fascinating

Just how little the English know / are told about their foundation

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.