Campaigners, including prominent historians and MPs, are calling for a new bank holiday to honour England's forgotten first king, Aethelstan. This year marks 1,100 years since his coronation in 927 AD, an event that created a unified England, yet his name remains largely absent from public memory and school curricula.
The Case for Commemorating a Founding Monarch
The push for recognition centres on Aethelstan's monumental achievements. In 927 AD, he unified several warring Anglo-Saxon kingdoms into a single entity for the first time, officially creating England at Eamont Bridge in Cumbria. Beyond military conquest, he established England's first centralised government, took the title Rex Anglorum (King of the English), and forged deep diplomatic and cultural ties with mainland Europe.
Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, voiced strong support on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'I certainly think the 1,100th anniversary of the birth of England absolutely deserves a bank holiday,' he stated. Davey emphasised the need to reclaim a sense of patriotism rooted in this foundational English history, having previously campaigned to keep Anglo-Saxon studies in the A-level curriculum.
A Legacy of Unity, Administration, and Warfare
Aethelstan, grandson of Alfred the Great, was a formidable ruler who built on his grandfather's legacy. Within three years of his reign, he conquered the Viking kingdom of York. He revived the church, secured submissions from Welsh and Scottish kings, and cemented his rule by crushing a major coalition of Vikings, Scots, and Strathclyde Welsh at the pivotal Battle of Brunanburh in 937 AD.
Conservative MP Alex Burghart, backing the campaign, described Aethelstan as being 'right at the top' of English monarchs. 'Aethelstan is this combination of an amazing administrator and a great warrior,' Burghart said, highlighting his role in creating a united kingdom of English speakers and setting trends like being the first English monarch to wear a crown.
Government Response and Historical Oversight
Despite the campaign, the government has currently ruled out the proposal. The Department for Business and Trade confirmed it has no intention of introducing a bank holiday in 2027 for the occasion. A spokesperson, Kate Dinn, acknowledged many important historical moments but stated it was not possible to commemorate them all, jokingly hoping Aethelstan 'will not return like a ghost of Christmas past'.
This stance highlights a persistent gap in national remembrance. Historians argue that by starting mainstream English history with the Norman Conquest of 1066, the profound contributions of Anglo-Saxon kings like Aethelstan are unjustly sidelined. His reign established an outward-looking, culturally varied kingdom whose administrative and political foundations lasted for centuries.
