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Who was the first king of England? The answer is … complicated.
There are a number of candidates for England’s first royal coronation, but one man stands out as the origin of today's monarchy. This is the complex history that led to Aethelstan.
A portrait of Aethelstan, who was King of England from 924 until 939 A.D. Although Aethelstan is generally agreed to be England's first true king, a number of other figures—and factors—make that designation complicated and historically rich.
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