Editing Æthelstan (section)

== Primary sources ==
[[Chronicle]] sources for the life of Æthelstan are limited, and the first biography, by Sarah Foot, was only published in 2011.{{Sfn|Cooper|2013|p=189}} The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' in Æthelstan's reign is principally devoted to military events, and it is largely silent apart from recording his most important victories. An important source is the twelfth-century chronicle of William of Malmesbury, but historians are cautious about accepting his testimony, much of which cannot be verified from other sources. David Dumville goes so far as to dismiss William's account entirely, regarding him as a "treacherous witness" whose account is unfortunately influential.{{Sfn|Dumville|1992|pp=146, 167–168}} However, Sarah Foot is inclined to accept Michael Wood's argument that William's chronicle draws on a lost life of Æthelstan. She cautions, however, that we have no means of discovering how far William "improved" on the original.{{Sfn|Foot|2011|pp=251–258, discussing an unpublished essay by Michael Wood}}

In Dumville's view, Æthelstan has been regarded by historians as a shadowy figure because of an ostensible lack of source material, but he argues that the lack is more apparent than real.{{Sfn|Dumville|1992|pp=142–143}} Charters, law codes, and coins throw considerable light on Æthelstan's government.{{Sfn|Miller|2014|p=18}} The scribe known to historians as "Æthelstan A", who was responsible for drafting all charters between 928 and 935, provides very detailed information, including signatories, dates, and locations, illuminating Æthelstan's progress around his realm. "Æthelstan A" may have been Bishop [[Ælfwine of Lichfield]], who was close to the king.{{Sfn|Foot|2011|pp=71–73, 82–89, 98}} By contrast with this extensive source of information, no charters survive from 910 to 924, a gap which historians struggle to explain, and which makes it difficult to assess the degree of continuity in personnel and the operation of government between the reigns of Edward and Æthelstan.{{Sfn|Keynes|1999|pp=465–467}} Historians are also paying increasing attention to less conventional sources, such as contemporary poetry in his praise and manuscripts associated with his name.{{Sfn|Foot|2011|p=247}}