The Battle of Brunanburh

E505622

The Battle of Brunanburh is a famous Old English poem celebrating King Æthelstan’s decisive 10th-century victory that helped secure the unification of England.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Old English poem ⓘ
heroic poem ⓘ
praise poem ⓘ
approximateDateOfComposition after 937 ⓘ
associatedWithYearEntry 937 ⓘ
author unknown ⓘ
cataloguedAs ASC Brunanburh poem ⓘ
celebrates Æthelstan’s victory at Brunanburh ⓘ
commissionedBy royal court of Æthelstan (hypothesized) ⓘ
countryOfOrigin Kingdom of England ⓘ
dateOfComposition 10th century ⓘ
depicts defeat of Norse and Scottish coalition ⓘ
firstLineBeginsWith "Her Æþelstan cyning" (in some versions) ⓘ
focusesOn unification of England ⓘ
victory of King Æthelstan ⓘ
genre battle poetry ⓘ
royal panegyric ⓘ
historicalContext 10th-century England ⓘ
influenced later English national historiography ⓘ
language Old English ⓘ
length approximately 73 lines (depending on version) ⓘ
literarySignificance key text for early English national identity ⓘ
major example of Old English battle poetry ⓘ
literaryTradition Anglo-Saxon poetry ⓘ
mainCharacter Edmund I of England ⓘ
King Æthelstan ⓘ
linked to: Athelstan
mentions Constantine II of Scotland ⓘ
Olaf Guthfrithson ⓘ
metricalForm Old English alliterative long line ⓘ
originalScript Insular minuscule ⓘ
placeOfOrigin Wessex ⓘ
linked to: Kingdom of Wessex
portraysAs English as unified people ⓘ
Æthelstan as victorious Christian king ⓘ
preservedIn Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ⓘ
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle manuscript A ⓘ
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle manuscript B ⓘ
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle manuscript C ⓘ
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle manuscript D ⓘ
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle manuscript E ⓘ
relatedWork Beowulf ⓘ
The Battle of Maldon (poem) ⓘ
studiedIn Old English literature courses ⓘ
subject Battle of Brunanburh (historical event) ⓘ
theme Christian victory ⓘ
heroic warfare ⓘ
kingship ⓘ
unity of England ⓘ
writtenIn alliterative verse ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Anglo-Saxon literature → notableWork → The Battle of Brunanburh ⓘ
Athelstan → battleParticipatedIn → Battle of Brunanburh ⓘ
linked to: The Battle of Brunanburh
Constantine II of Scotland → notableEvent → Battle of Brunanburh ⓘ
linked to: The Battle of Brunanburh
Viking invasions of England → significantEvent → Battle of Brunanburh ⓘ
linked to: The Battle of Brunanburh
The Battle of Brunanburh (poem) → subject → Battle of Brunanburh (historical event) ⓘ
subject linked to: The Battle of Brunanburh
linked to: The Battle of Brunanburh
Oda of Canterbury → participatedIn → Battle of Brunanburh ⓘ
subject linked to: Archbishop Oda of Canterbury
linked to: The Battle of Brunanburh