sign in sign up
<<
Home , Alfred the Great, Edgar the Peaceful, Edward the Elder, Sweyn Forkbeard

Who were the famous Anglo Saxon Kings? Who was the Great?

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxsbcdm/articles/z9tdq6f Ruled899 – 924

• King Edward was well trained by his father, . • He was a bold soldier who won large portions of land from the Danes in the east and the north. • Much of his success was thanks to the help of his sister, the mighty Aethelflaed. • Edward set up his court in the city of and built a fine cathedral there. He was married three times and had at least fourteen children. • Some say he was a great supporter of the Church. Others say he was scolded by the Pope for neglecting his faith. • Edward died as he would have wished - at the head of his army, leading his men into battle against a band of rebels. He was laid to rest in his new cathedral at Winchester. Athelstan Ruled 924 - 939

• Athelstan was a daring soldier who fought many battles. But his greatest triumph was the , when he was faced with an army of Scots and Welsh and Danes. • After this great victory, he seized control of York - the last of the Viking strongholds. Then he forced the kings of Scotland and to pay him large sums of money. • Athelstan wasn't just a soldier. He worked hard to make his kingdom strong, writing and encouraging trade. • Athelstan was buried at . At the time of his death he was recognised as the very first King of All . Ruled 959 - 975

• Edgar became king when he was just 16 years old. He wasn't a warrior king like his ancestors and his reign was mostly peaceful. He built new monasteries and created new laws to help him rule. • Edgar was a small man, neither tall nor rounded in the stomach. He was no warrior like his ancestors, but he was a great king all the same. • He kept a glorious court at Winchester and he ruled over a peaceful land, making new laws and helping to reform our kingdom's monasteries. • One of the high points of Edgar's reign was his coronation, which took place 14 years after he came to the throne. • He was rowed in a royal barge down the river. • It is said that eight British kings manned the oars, as an act of homage to him. Ethelred The Unready Ruled 978 – 1013 and 1014 - 1016

• Ethelred wasn't a very successful king, because he was often given bad advice. There were many clashes with the Danes during his reign. He was forced into exile in Normandy, when an invading Danish army took control of England. • Ethelred was named the 'Un-raed' by his people, because he lacked good raed, or wise advice. And our kingdom suffered sorely for this, as the Danes arrived once more, hungry for our land. • Ethelred first tried fighting them but that didn't work. Then he tried to make them go away by paying large sums of money. But all his payments were in vain. • Later, he gave orders for a massacre. He decreed that all Danish men living in England should be put to death. • This caused great fury in the Danish lands, and the following year King launched his invasion. • Ethelred fled to France and we had a Danish king! King Ethelred's reign had been a total disaster! Ruled 1042 - 1066

• Edward came to the throne after 27 long years of Danish rule. His reign was peaceful and Edward devoted himself to religion. When he died without leaving an heir in 1066, there was a struggle for control of England. • When the last of our Danish kings died without an heir, our nobles invited Edward, son of King Ethelred, to be our king. • At first he seemed strange to us, having been brought up in exile in France. • But he was tall and handsome and very dignified. And he was devoted to the service of God. • He spent many hours each day in prayer and he paid for the building of our wondrous Abbey. • Sadly, Edward died without an heir, and this led to a fierce struggle for our land. • Within nine months, our kingdom was in the hands of a Norman king. Task

• Create a timeline of Anglo Saxon Kings. • Research a little more about them and add a description. • Draw pictures of them.

• Extension – Find out about other Anglo Saxon Kings.