Athelstan or Aethelstan c.895-939
Anglo-Saxon king

The grandson of Alfred the Great, he was the son of Edward, the Elder, whom he succeeded as King of Wessex and Mercia (924). A warrior king, he extended his rule over parts of Cornwall and Wales, and kept Norse-held Northumbria under control. In 937 he defeated a confederation of Scots, Welsh and Vikings from Ireland in a major battle at Brunanburh. He fostered Haakon (the future Haakon I, Haraldsson), the son of King Harald Halfdanarson of Norway. One of his sisters married the Emperor Otto I, the Great, another married Hugh the White, Duke of the Franks, father of Hugo Capet, King of France. These marriages showed Athelstan's European standing, and he was presented with the Emperor Constantine's sword and Charlemagne's lance by the Duke of the Franks. At home, Athelstan improved the laws, built monasteries, and promoted commerce. He died unmarried and was succeeded by his half-brother, Edmund I.