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New
Year 6
Athelstan and the making of England
I can describe how Athelstan united his kingdoms to create England.
New
New
Year 6
Athelstan and the making of England
I can describe how Athelstan united his kingdoms to create England.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- In 925, Edward’s son, Athelstan, was consecrated King of Mercia and Wessex with a crown: a new ceremony of coronation.
- In 927, Athelstan captured the last Viking stronghold, York and began to mint coins bearing the title ‘rex Anglorum’.
- The north had not had a southern king; Athelstan assembled the rulers of Scotland and Northumbria to submit to him.
- The Welsh kings already recognised the overlordship of the King of Wessex.
- Athelstan was now the overlord of all of Britain and some historians have called him the first ‘King of England’.
Keywords
Consecrated - to be consecrated, a ceremony takes place to show you are dedicated to the service and worship of God
Crown - a crown is worn by a monarch (King or Queen) as a symbol of authority
Submit - to submit means to accept the authority of another person
overlordship - overlordship means to have great power or authority over other lords
Common misconception
Pupils may think Athelstan easily united the kingdoms to create England.
It is likely that Aethelstan was able to achieve so much due to the success and influence of his father, Edward, and aunt, Aethelflaed.
Show pupils images of the mint Athelstan created and use clay to let pupils create their own.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of serious crime
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a historical document that contains a collection of...
coins
weapons
names
Q2.
Select all the possible reasons that Aethelflaed's story has been forgotten.
Nobody wrote down any history from this time.
Aethelflaed didn’t do anything important.
Q3.
Aethelflaed was also known as the 'Lady of '.
Q4.
Michael Wood is a modern who has tried to tell Aethelflaed's forgotten story.
Q5.
Aethelflaed’s story is important because...
it is the story of battles.
she was well educated.
she was a powerful ruler.
Q6.
Select the qualities that the Worcester annals describe Aethelflaed as having.
jealousy
laziness
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Match the person to their relationship to Athelstan.
Grandfather
Father
Aunt
Q2.
The ceremony of putting a crown on the head of a king or queen is called a...
wedding
christening
Q3.
In 928 CE, the kings submitted to the overlordship of King Athelstan.
Q4.
In 927 CE, King Athelstan marched into and captured the last Viking stronghold of...
Q5.
The rulers of Scotland and Northumbria only submitted to Athelstan when he defeated them in 937 at the Battle of...
Scotland
Wessex
Tettenhall
Q6.
Some historians refer to Athelstan as the first ‘King of ...’
Additional material
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