Athelstan (c. 895–October 27, 939) was the King of England from 924 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, whom he succeeded as the ruler of all England on August 2, 924. There is a question of his legitimacy, as his mother was first known as a poor shepherd's daughter with whom Edward fell in love. She was later described as "a noblewoman".
Political and military life
Athelstan is generally regarded as the first proper English king. He achieved considerable military successes over his rivals, including the Vikings, and extended his rule to parts of Wales and Cornwall. His greatest victory, over an enemy alliance that included Constantine II of Scotland, was the Battle of Brunanburh in 937.
Although he established many alliances through his family, he had no children of his own. He fostered Hakon the Good, who later became king of Norway.
Foreign Contacts
Athelstan's court was in contact with the rest of Europe; his half sisters married into European noble families, and foreign visitors sought it out. Among them was Egill Skallagrimsson, the subject of the Icelandic 'Egils Saga'.
Athelstan was religious and gave generously to the church in Wessex, when he died in 939 at Gloucester he was buried at his favourite abbey rather than with his family at Winchester. He was succeeded by his younger half-brother, King Edmund I of England.
England is named after the Angles, one of a number of Germanic tribes believed to have originated in Angeln in Northern Germany, who settled in England in the 5th and 6th centuries.
England comprises the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, plus offshore islands of which the largest is the Isle of Wight.
Although being in South West England, which is the 4th strongest region in England, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (combined into a NUTS:3 region for statistical purposes) is the weakest area in England, with a GDP per capita of €15 366 per capita, or 73% of the EU average of €21 170.
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