When Edmund was killed in 946 his two sons, Eadwig and Edgar, were still just infants. Thus, the witan chose to elevate Edmund’s brother, Eadred, to the throne so as to avoid the dangers of having a child king. Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAnglo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edmund was an important ruler in shaping the future course of English history whatever his personal failings. In the end he died too soon to know how he would have fared without his mother or when powerful nobles began to chafe under his authority. Perhaps that is for the best since as it stands he can easily be held in some, albeit qualified, esteem.Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAnglo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last time we looked at how Æthelstan ruled his kingdom but this is only half of the story of his reign. Much like his grandfather Æthelstan sought to forge close links with rulers and ecclesiastics throughout western Europe in an effort to solidify the intellectual, cultural, and political prestige of England on an international stage.Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAnglo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Æthelstan is routinely regarded as one of Anglo-Saxon England’s greatest kings. This is a reputation ascribed to him not only for his military and political achievements, but also for the remarkable impression that his decades on the throne have left in the historical record. The abundance of material provides unparalleled insight into how the royal government of Æthelstan functioned and how the king’s policies shaped English culture for the next several generations.Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAnglo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We look at the second half of Æthelstan's reign from its peak to its complex end.Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAnglo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To celebrate the season, I wanted to revive one of my favorite December traditions: the Christmas ghost story. M R James is without doubt the master of the English ghost story and of all his chilling tales, the most 'Anglo-Saxon' remains 'A Warning to the Curious'. I recorded a reading of it last year and since we are all recovering from the festive hubbub it seemed like a good time to share it again. Listen to the end for a brief historical overview of the story's implications for Anglo-Saxon history. We will return to our regularly scheduled episodes next week.Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAngloInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story of Æthelstan from his debated birth to his becoming the first King of England.Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAngloInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Æthelflæd, one of the most important women in Anglo-Saxon history, ruled Mercia during the reign of Edward the Elder. Through her military endeavours, she was instrumental in securing the reconquest of the southern Danelaw and securing the Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons from future attack.Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAngloInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edward the Elder (899-924) is often overlooked given the towering fame of his father and son. When we look at his career, though, we find a king whose actions earn him acclaim and criticism.Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAngloInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle we have not only an account of Anglo-Saxon history but also an attempt at identity creation which served part of the mission to forge a new united English identity from the disparate collection of tribes and kingdoms that was the base of Anglo-Saxon society. Even taken with a hefty spoonful of salt, it is nevertheless one of the single most important texts produced from the Anglo-Saxon period and continues to inform the narrative of English history up to the present day.Credits – Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdeninghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8DdeningSocial Media - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anglosaxonenglandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anglo-Saxon-England-Podcast-110529958048053Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnglandAngloInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglosaxonenglandpodcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzyGUvYZCstptNQeWTwfQuA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices