How Did the First King of England Become King?

Nothing can be compared to the United Kingdom, from its unfathomable reign to pleasing weather, everything is special about Britain. But how well do you know about the kingdom of Britain and its very first king? Get to know about this famous Britain kingdom history here at Trivia Sharp. 

Timeline of the King of England

As we all know that the United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The country’s head of state is the reigning monarch or queen. The prime minister and the cabinet have all political authority, and the king must follow their recommendations. But decades ago it was totally different.  

The history of the British royal family demonstrates their reign with tremendous power, great responsibility, and of course a lot of laws. While the Crown’s function in modern culture is primarily symbolic, relics of customs passed down over the monarchy’s thousand-year rule serve as powerful reminders of the past. 

Athelstan (895-939 AD), was the first West Saxon monarch (first English monarch) to hold effective authority over all of England. He was the grandson of Alfred the Great and Queen Elizabeth II’s 30th great-granduncle, was the first king of Britain. When his father, Edward the Elder, died in 924, Athelstan was elected king of Wessex and Mercia, where he had been raised by his aunt, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians. 

On September 4, 925, he was crowned king of the entire kingdom at Kingston and proceeded to set boundaries and govern firmly. In 927, he seized the Viking kingdom of York. When Constantine of the Scots, Owain of Strathclyde, and Olaf Guthfrithson, pretender of the kingdom of York, joined forces and invaded England in 937, his rule was severely tested. From 925 to 939 AD, the Anglo-Saxon king defeated the last Viking invaders and consolidated Britain.

Athelstan, son of Edward the Elder, expanded his kingdom’s borders in the Battle of Brunanburh in 937. Athelstan beat a united army of Scots, Celts, Danes, and Vikings in what is considered to be one of the deadliest battles ever fought on British soil, gaining the title of King of all Britain. For the first time, different Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were brought together to form a single, undivided England during the war. Athelstan was buried in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.