Æthelstan of East Anglia

The Kingdom of East Anglia, formerly independent, had come under Mercian overlordship in the late 8th century.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 824, the East Anglians appealed to Mercia's rival Wessex for "peace and protection."

Ludeca's death, whatever the cause, brought Mercian dominance in East Anglia to an end.

[3] Æthelstan is not directly attested in any written sources, and his reign in East Anglia is evidenced only by his coins, which he begins to issue very shortly after Ludeca's death.

On a number of these coins, Æthelstan is attested EDELSTAN on one face, and REX ANG on the reverse, allowing him to be confidently identified as an East Anglian king.