Aethelstan of Kent
 Notater:
Ęthelstan (died c. 852), the eldest son of King Ęthelwulf of Wessex, was the King of Kent from 839 under the authority of his father. The late D, E and F versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describe Ęthelstan as Ęthelwulf's brother, but the A, B and C versions, and Ęthelweard's Chronicon, state that he was Ęthelwulf's son. Some historians have argued that it is more probable that he was a brother, including Eric John in 1966 and Ann Williams in 1978. However, in 1991 Ann Williams described him as Ęthelwulf's son, and this is now generally accepted by historians, including Frank Stenton, Barbara Yorke, and D. P. Kirby.
When Ęthelwulf became King of the West Saxons in 839 on the death of his father, Egbert, he appointed Ęthelstan to rule over Kent, Essex, Surrey and Sussex. He is styled king in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Ęthelweard's chronicle calls him "King of the Dwellers in Kent, of the East Saxons, of the South Saxons and of Surrey". He attested a number of his father's charters as king in the 840s.
In 851, Ęthelstan and Ealdorman Ealhhere defeated a Viking fleet and army at Sandwich, Kent, described by Frank Stenton as "the first naval battle in recorded English history". Ealhhere's death in battle against Vikings is recorded c. 853. Ęthelstan is not mentioned after 851 and presumably died before Ęthelwulf went to Rome in 855 as he was not included in arrangements for government of the kingdom during his father's absence
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