Get ready for England’s 1,100th birthday – unless squabbling historians ruin it

Plans are afoot to mark the 1,100th birthday of England next year – but a question remains over whether it is the correct date. Celebrations are slated for July 2027 – 11 centuries since Anglo-Saxon monarch Æthelstan was named “King of the English” in 927AD. On 12 July of that year, Æthelstan is understood to have been accepted as the first monarch to receive that title, after defeating the Vikings in York and bringing Northumbria within his control. He received acknowledgement from kings in Wales and Scotland. Professor David Woodman, of the University of Cambridge – author of The First King of England – is among those pressing for the date to be specially commemorated. He is working with other historians towards putting a memorial for the king – a statue, plaque or portrait – in a location such as Westminster; Eamont Bridge in Cumbria, where Æthelstan’s authority in 927 was recognised by other rulers; or Malmesbury in Wiltshire, where he was buried. In Parliament this week, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the minister for ceremonials, Stephanie Peacock, would be “very delighted” to work on a fitting commemoration. Peacock agreed: “It is right that we commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of the birth of our great country.” However, the commemoration may be a little premature. The memorial tomb of Æthelstan in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire (Photo: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group via Getty) Professor Ryan Lavelle, author of Border Land: Frontiers of Early England, and professor of early medieval history at the University of Winchester, told The i Paper that 927 was an important date, “but there are points in subsequent years up to the Norman Conquest where England got divided” and “complete unity is debatable”.He added: “What was called the ‘Kingdom of the English’ was taken back by the Vikings.”In 1017, the Danish king Cnut – also known as Canute – was crowned king of England after a successful invasion, and the death of English monarch Edmund Ironside, within weeks of the pair having negotiated a peace deal. The cause of Edmund’s death remains a mystery. Later, the kingship passed back to a Saxon monarch, Edward the Confessor, before the Normans invaded with William the Conqueror. Dr Marc Morris, historian and author of The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the beginnings of England, said: “In my opinion, there is no single key date when England was formed. Its beginnings occurred in the two generations before Æthelstan, and it continued to develop in the decades after Æthelstan’s death.” He said the important point that these celebrations must get across is that “England was formed in the 10th century, not in 1066 as many people seem to believe” and “by the end of the 10th century people were referring to the newly forged state as ‘Engla-Lande’ for the first time”. Dr Katharine Sykes, of the University of Birmingham, said 927 was a significant date and the first point at which English kingdoms were united under one king but not creating one continuous kingdom. She added: “Calling it a birthday is a bit of an overstatement.”