Æthelstan – The First King of England

This episode chronicles the life and reign of Æthelstan, grandson of Alfred the Great, and the first ruler to unite all of England under one crown. Raised in Mercia and crowned in both Mercia and Wessex, Æthelstan combined military might with diplomatic finesse. His greatest triumph came at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937, where he defeated a coalition of Scots, Norse, and Strathclyde forces, solidifying his rule. Beyond the battlefield, he established legal reforms, encouraged education, strengthened the Church, and forged international alliances. Æthelstan's reign transformed England from a collection of rival kingdoms into a single, unified nation—earning him the legacy as the first true King of the English.