Who was the first King of England? Most people guess wrong.

On October 27, 939, Æthelstan died at Gloucester. Grandson of Alfred the Great, he took York in 927 and became the first ruler to govern all the English as a single kingdom. Ten years later he defended that union at the Battle of Brunanburh against an alliance of Scots, Vikings and Britons.

He also issued laws, a unified coinage and charters that styled him 'King of the English.' Many of the institutions that shaped medieval England began to take form under his rule.

A nation that still exists today traces its political birth to one king most people have never heard of.

Which forgotten ruler do you think deserves more fame?

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