{"product_id":"the-first-king-of-england-david-woodman-9798228759817","title":"The First King of England: ÆThelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe First King of England\u003c\/i\u003e is a foundational biography of  thelstan (d. 939), the early medieval king whose territorial conquests and shrewd statesmanship united the peoples, languages, and cultures that would come to be known as the \"kingdom of the English.\" Set against the backdrop of warring powers in early medieval Europe, \u003ci\u003eThe First King of England\u003c\/i\u003e sheds new light on  thelstan's early life, his spectacular military victories and the innovative way he governed his kingdom, his fostering of the church, the deft political alliances he forged with Europe's royal houses, and his death and enduring legacy. It begins with the reigns of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder,  thelstan's grandfather and father, describing how they consolidated and expanded the \"kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons.\" But it was  thelstan who would declare himself the first king of all England when, in 927, he conquered the viking kingdom at York, required the submission of a Scottish king, and secured an annual tribute from the Welsh kings. \u003ci\u003eThe First King of England\u003c\/i\u003e is the most comprehensive, up-to-date biography of  thelstan available, bringing a magisterial richness of detail to the life of a consequential British monarch whose strategic and political sophistication was unprecedented for his time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David Woodman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798228759817\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e HighBridge Audio\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/25\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e MP3 CD","brand":"David Woodman","offers":[{"title":"MP3 CD","offer_id":48460292555007,"sku":"9798228759817","price":45.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_67750e14-86c4-4de2-a50f-60d528a5f164.jpg?v=1777413792","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-first-king-of-england-david-woodman-9798228759817","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}