The Monarchs

Athelstan was the first King of England.  

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Born in 894, Athelstan, despite his royal lineage, remains one of the least known Stans, behind more famous names such as Laurel, Lee and Afghani. 

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He belonged to the ruling royal dynasty of Wessex - a part of England steeped in history, containing some of the most spectacular sites worth visiting, for any tourist to the country: Avebury, Stonehenge, the Uffington White Horse and, of course, beautiful Swindon. 

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On the death of Athestan's father, Edward the Elder, Athelstan became the King of Wessex - a line which had passed back back through failed pastry chef Alfred the Great; Ine, the lowest-scoring Scrabble name of all British monarchs (whose most notable achievement was making peace with Kent in 694. I mean, fuck me. Peace? With Kent?); and the first King of Wessex, Cerdic, who claimed he could trace his ancestry all the way back to Wōden and the Antediluvian Patriarchs (an early, indy band). 

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Athelstan died on 27 October 939 in Gloucester, and his mortal remains were interred in Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire. 

Edmund I, born around 921 AD, was the second King of England and a member of the Wessex royal family.

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Vikings. 

That will be how the trailer opens on the Netflix mini-series,  Edmund I episode, based on this website. 

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Viking invasions.  

Battles.  

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Existential threats to the kingdom.  

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It'll all be in there.  Accompanied by throbbing music and MTV-style jump cuts.  

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And then the Pucklechurch incident.  

That bit will be Hollywoodised, obviously.

A punch-up.  Someone twatted him.  He twatted back. 

A right, royal scrap.  And, with that, a death.  

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Because Edmund I - Edmund the Magnificent - was killed in a fistfight. 

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Arsehole. 

Eadred, born around 923 AD, became the third King of England in 946 AD, succeeding his brother, Edmund I.

So, he took over the throne from his brother, despite Edmund having two sons, Eadwig and Edgar.  Bit bloody previous.  

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I mean, if Kinging is based on who your father happens to be, then Eadred should have left Eadwig to it. Right? 

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But Eadwig was only six when Edmund died.  And he succeeded Eadred at fifteen.  So, in many ways, Eadred was a caretaker-King.  

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Eadred - Eadred the All Gracious - faced down Viking incursions during his rule.  He expanded and solidified his rule, extending his authority over Northumbria, a part of England known for the Lindisfarne Gospels (an acapela choir) and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles (an early newspaper). 

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Eadred was a confirmed bachelor, leading to many salacious stories about his private life in contemporary tabloids. 

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