Scroll through the pages of this magnificent early tenth century manuscript, given by King Æthelstan to St Cuthbert’s community as he made his way north to Scotland in 934. Housed today in the Parker Library, Cambridge, it contains the earliest manuscript portrait of any English monarch.
With its image of an allegorical game known as the Alea evangelii (‘Gospel Dice’), this twelfth-century manuscript preserved in the library of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, provides some indication of the advances in learning and culture that were taking place in Æthelstan’s court.
Unearthed in 2007, this major hoard (known as the Vale of York hoard) contains over 600 objects from places as far apart as modern Afghanistan and Ireland. It is thought to have been deposited in Æthelstan’s reign, perhaps in the immediate aftermath of Æthelstan’s formation of the English kingdom in 927.
A map of Britain during the reign of King Æthelstan, created by Professor Simon Keynes. The original can be found on this website, once you have an account.
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