The powerful & innovative King Aethelstan reigned only briefly (924-939) yet his achievements during those eventful fifteen years changed the course of English history He won spectacular military victories (most notably at Brunanburh) forged unprecedented political connections across Europe & succeeded in creating the first unified kingdom of the English To claim for him the title of first English monarch is no exaggeration In this nuanced portrait of Aethelstan Sarah Foot offers the first full account of the king ever written She traces his life through the various spheres in which he lived & worked beginning with the intimate context of his family then extending outward to his unusual multiethnic royal court the Church & his kingdom the wars he conducted & finally his death & legacy Foot describes a sophisticated man who was not only a great military leader but also a worthy king He governed brilliantly developed creative ways to project his image as a ruler & devised strategic marriage treaties & gift exchanges to cement alliances with the leading royal & ducal houses of Europe Aethelstan's legacy seen in the new light of this masterful biography is inextricably connected to the very forging of England & early English identity