King Ethelred the Unready
Ethelred II had no answer for the Viking Invasions.
© Joseph Allen McCullough
Jan 29, 2007
Of all the kings in English history, Ethelred II (one of England's first monarchs since it became a unified state) has perhaps the worst reputation. By the end of his reign, he'd managed to lose almost all of England to Viking Invaders.
King Ethelred II (Old English: Æþelred Unræd) (aka Ethelred the Unready) became king at the age of just 10 and had to fight off numerous Viking attacks.
He was one of the earliest kings of England as England only became a unified state only 100 years or so before he became king.
But he was by no means one of the earliest monarchs in what is now England - previously England had been several independent Anglo-Saxon nations each one with its own monarch and Royal Family that lasted for centuries.
King Alfred declared himself the first King of All England in 886 after liberating London from the Danes in 886. The separate kingdoms unified together under his reign.
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King Ethelred II, King of England from 18th March 978 - 23rd April 1016
Children -
Aethelstan Aetheling
Edmund Ironside
Ecgberht Aetheling
Eadred Aethling
Eadgyth
Alfgifu
Eadwig Aetheling
Eadgar Aetheling the Elder
Edward the Confessor
Aelfred Aetheling
Goda
Father - Edgar
Mother - Ælfthryth
To fully appreciate the story of Ethelred II, it is important to go back to the reign of his father, King Edgar. Edgar was the great-grandson of King Alfred the Great, and it was during Edgar's reign that, for the first time since before Alfred, all of England was united under one king. The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England was at its height, seemingly free from dangers, internal or external. And thus, King Edgar was given the nickname "the Peaceful." It was a much better nickname than would be given to his son.
Ethelred was born around the year 968, the younger of two sons of Edgar. Unfortunately, for England, the two sons came from different mothers, and from the moment of Edgar's death in 975, a power struggle ensued. The struggle ended with the murder of Ethelred's half-brother, Edward. In 978 Ethelred was crowned king of England at age 10.
It should come as no surprise that someone who was granted so much authority at such a young age might suffer from a lack of wisdom in how to wield that power. In fact, Ethelred's reign was characterized by his inability to control or maintain the loyalty of his subjects.
Still, while the unity of England was slowly unwinding from within, the country faced a new threat from outside the island. In the early years of Ethelred's reign, the Vikings returned. At first, they made small raids along the coast, but as the years passed their boldness grew. Their raids became bigger, more brutal, and struck deeper into the heart of England. Try as he might, Ethelred could organize no effective military resistance to the invaders. So instead, Ethelred took to paying them to go away. These payments were given the polite word of Danegeld, but in reality were nothing more or less than extortion.
As the years drew closer to the end of the first millennium, these payments became larger and larger and had less and less of an effect. In the year 1002, Ethelred, now living in constant fear of the Danes, ordered the massacre of Danes living in England. In one of the blackest days in English history, the Anglo-Saxons turned on their Danish neighbours, many of whom had lived in England for generations, and slaughtered them without mercy.
The effect of the massacre was only to cause a greater rift within England, and give justification for further attacks from Denmark. Soon King Swein of Denmark brought a huge fleet to England. Although again and again, Ethelred paid the Danegeld, it was all for naught. In 1013, the Danes had overrun so much of England that Ethelred fled to Normandy.
King Swein became the defacto ruler of England, however, just one year later, in 1014 he died.
England became divided. Most excepted Swein's son Cnut as king, but in London and parts of the south, the nobles invited Ethelred to return. Ethelred did return (after first sending his son to make sure it was safe). Upon his return, he organized and led his only successful military venture. Catching Cnut by surprised, he forced the Danish to flee to their ships and put to sea. It was a short-lived victory, and later that year, Ethelred once again paid the Danegeld.
In 1016, Ethelred died. By then he was really only king of London and pieces of the south. His throne passed to his son Edmund "Ironsides", who lead a brief and determined struggle against the Danes before his murder left Cnut the undisputed ruler of all England.
Ethelred II is mostly commonly known these days as Ethelred "The Unready". This is a modification of "Ethelred Unread" a pun that was probably used during the king's lifetime. Ethelred in the old Anglo-Saxon language meant "noble council"; Unread meant "without council". Perhaps the original meaning of without council is a bit fairer than the later unready, but it matters little. The truth is that under the reign of Ethelred, England went from a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom, to a confused political wreck, a fief of the Danish Empire. The problems and disunity that were created during this time would not be fully healed until after William the Conqueror came and destroyed the entire noble class of the country.
http://britishhistory.suite101.com/articles.cfm
Ethelred II had no answer for the Viking Invasions.
© Joseph Allen McCullough
Jan 29, 2007
Of all the kings in English history, Ethelred II (one of England's first monarchs since it became a unified state) has perhaps the worst reputation. By the end of his reign, he'd managed to lose almost all of England to Viking Invaders.
King Ethelred II (Old English: Æþelred Unræd) (aka Ethelred the Unready) became king at the age of just 10 and had to fight off numerous Viking attacks.
He was one of the earliest kings of England as England only became a unified state only 100 years or so before he became king.
But he was by no means one of the earliest monarchs in what is now England - previously England had been several independent Anglo-Saxon nations each one with its own monarch and Royal Family that lasted for centuries.
King Alfred declared himself the first King of All England in 886 after liberating London from the Danes in 886. The separate kingdoms unified together under his reign.
-----------------------------------------------------
King Ethelred II, King of England from 18th March 978 - 23rd April 1016
Children -
Aethelstan Aetheling
Edmund Ironside
Ecgberht Aetheling
Eadred Aethling
Eadgyth
Alfgifu
Eadwig Aetheling
Eadgar Aetheling the Elder
Edward the Confessor
Aelfred Aetheling
Goda
Father - Edgar
Mother - Ælfthryth
To fully appreciate the story of Ethelred II, it is important to go back to the reign of his father, King Edgar. Edgar was the great-grandson of King Alfred the Great, and it was during Edgar's reign that, for the first time since before Alfred, all of England was united under one king. The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England was at its height, seemingly free from dangers, internal or external. And thus, King Edgar was given the nickname "the Peaceful." It was a much better nickname than would be given to his son.
Ethelred was born around the year 968, the younger of two sons of Edgar. Unfortunately, for England, the two sons came from different mothers, and from the moment of Edgar's death in 975, a power struggle ensued. The struggle ended with the murder of Ethelred's half-brother, Edward. In 978 Ethelred was crowned king of England at age 10.
It should come as no surprise that someone who was granted so much authority at such a young age might suffer from a lack of wisdom in how to wield that power. In fact, Ethelred's reign was characterized by his inability to control or maintain the loyalty of his subjects.
Still, while the unity of England was slowly unwinding from within, the country faced a new threat from outside the island. In the early years of Ethelred's reign, the Vikings returned. At first, they made small raids along the coast, but as the years passed their boldness grew. Their raids became bigger, more brutal, and struck deeper into the heart of England. Try as he might, Ethelred could organize no effective military resistance to the invaders. So instead, Ethelred took to paying them to go away. These payments were given the polite word of Danegeld, but in reality were nothing more or less than extortion.
As the years drew closer to the end of the first millennium, these payments became larger and larger and had less and less of an effect. In the year 1002, Ethelred, now living in constant fear of the Danes, ordered the massacre of Danes living in England. In one of the blackest days in English history, the Anglo-Saxons turned on their Danish neighbours, many of whom had lived in England for generations, and slaughtered them without mercy.
The effect of the massacre was only to cause a greater rift within England, and give justification for further attacks from Denmark. Soon King Swein of Denmark brought a huge fleet to England. Although again and again, Ethelred paid the Danegeld, it was all for naught. In 1013, the Danes had overrun so much of England that Ethelred fled to Normandy.
King Swein became the defacto ruler of England, however, just one year later, in 1014 he died.
England became divided. Most excepted Swein's son Cnut as king, but in London and parts of the south, the nobles invited Ethelred to return. Ethelred did return (after first sending his son to make sure it was safe). Upon his return, he organized and led his only successful military venture. Catching Cnut by surprised, he forced the Danish to flee to their ships and put to sea. It was a short-lived victory, and later that year, Ethelred once again paid the Danegeld.
In 1016, Ethelred died. By then he was really only king of London and pieces of the south. His throne passed to his son Edmund "Ironsides", who lead a brief and determined struggle against the Danes before his murder left Cnut the undisputed ruler of all England.
Ethelred II is mostly commonly known these days as Ethelred "The Unready". This is a modification of "Ethelred Unread" a pun that was probably used during the king's lifetime. Ethelred in the old Anglo-Saxon language meant "noble council"; Unread meant "without council". Perhaps the original meaning of without council is a bit fairer than the later unready, but it matters little. The truth is that under the reign of Ethelred, England went from a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom, to a confused political wreck, a fief of the Danish Empire. The problems and disunity that were created during this time would not be fully healed until after William the Conqueror came and destroyed the entire noble class of the country.
http://britishhistory.suite101.com/articles.cfm
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