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'Ethelred II' (c.
968 –
April 23,
1016), also known as 'Ethelred the Unready' (
Old English ''Æþelred Unræd''), was
King of England (
978–
1013, and
1014–
1016). He was the son of
Edgar, King of all England (959–75) and
Aelfthryth. The majority of his reign (
991–1016) was marked by a defensive war against
Viking invaders.
Æþelred Unræd
It is not true that contemporaries considered him ill-prepared. Rather, his nickname "the unready" derives from the
Anglo-Saxon ''Unræd'', which means "without counsel", "poorly counselled" or "indecisive". This can be seen as a pun on his name, ''Æþelræd'', which may be understood to mean "noble counsel" in
Old English. So he was 'Noble counsel, No counsel'.
Early life
According to
William of Malmesbury, Ethelred defecated in the
baptismal font as a child, which led St.
Dunstan to prophesy that the English monarchy would be overthrown during his reign. This story is, however, almost certainly a complete fabrication (a similar story is told of
Byzantine Emperor Constantine Copronymus, another medieval monarch who was unpopular among certain of his subjects).
Following the death of his father
King Edgar and subsequent murder of his half-brother
Edward the Martyr by servants of Ethelred's mother, Ethelred succeeded to the throne at about age ten.
Conflict with the Danes
Aedelraed II Unraed
England had experienced a long period of peace after the reconquest of the
Danelaw in the first half of the
10th century. However, in 991 Ethelred was faced with a
Viking fleet of 94 ships, a fleet larger than any since
Guthrum the Old's "
Summer Army" a century earlier. This fleet was led by
Olaf Trygvasson, a
Norwegian with ambitions to reclaim the
Danelaw for his country. After initial military setbacks including the defeat of his ealdorman
Byrhtnoth at the
Battle of Maldon, Ethelred was able to come to terms with Olaf, who returned to
Norway to gain his kingdom with mixed success. While this arrangement won him some respite, England faced further depredations from Viking raids. Ethelred fought these off, but in many cases followed the practice of earlier kings including
Alfred the Great in buying them off by payment of what was to become known as
Danegeld.
Ethelred ordered the
massacre of the
Danes living in England on
St Brice's Day (
November 13)
1002 (as described in the chronicles of
John of Wallingford), in response to which
Sweyn Haraldsson started a series of determined campaigns to conquer England. In this he succeeded in
1013, forcing Ethelred into exile, but after his victory Sweyn lived for only another five weeks. In 1014,
Canute the Great was proclaimed King of England by the fleet of
Denmark but was forced out of England that year. Canute returned in 1015 and agreed to a division of England with
Edmund Ironside, Ethelred's heir.
Death
In 1013, Ethelred fled to
Normandy, seeking protection by his brother-in-law,
Richard II of Normandy, when England was overrun by Sweyn Haraldsson of Denmark and his forces. He returned in February, 1014, following the death of Haraldsson. Ethelred died on
April 23,
1016, in
London, where he was buried at
St Paul's. He was succeeded by his son,
Edmund II of England, who shared the kingship of England with
Cnut.
Marriages and issue
A charter of Aethelred's in 1003 to his follower, Aethelred.
Ethelred married first
Ælflæd, daughter of
Thored, the
ealdorman of
Northumbria, by whom he had four sons:
Æthelstan Ætheling (died 1011),
Edmund Ironside,
Ecgberht Ætheling and
Eadred Ætheling. They also had
Eadgyth or Edith of England, who married
Eadric of Mercia,
ealdorman of
Mercia and
Alfgifu or Elgiva, who married
Uchtred the Bold,
ealdorman of
Northumbria. Helen Panter also claims a daughter Wulfhild.
In 997 he remarried, to
Ælfgifu, daughter of
Ælfhelm, Ealdorman of York, who gave him two sons:
Eadwig Ætheling (killed 1017) and
Eadgar Ætheling the Elder.
His third and final marriage, in 1002, was to
Emma of Normandy, whose grandnephew,
William I of England, would later use this relationship as the basis of his claim on the throne. They had two sons, Eadweard (later King of England and known now as
Edward the Confessor) and
Ælfred Ætheling. By this marriage, he also had
Goda of England, who married
Drogo of Mantes,
Count of Vexin.
There may be other daughters by his three marriages.
Legacy
Despite the steady stream of Viking attacks, Ethelred's reign was far from the disaster described by chroniclers writing well after the event. The quality of the coinage, a good indicator of the prevailing economic conditions, significantly improved during his reign due to his numerous coinage reform laws.
His formation of an investigative body charged with the duty of accusing no innocent person and sheltering no guilty one is credited as being the historical root of the
grand jury.
[ Grande Jury handbook of the Florida Supreme Court.]
Popular Culture
Ethelred was the subject of a stageplay by Ronald Ribman titled ''The Ceremony of Innocence''. It was first performed in 1968, and depicted interactions between Ethelred and his court, family and advisors, and also with the Danish king.
In the game
Civilization IV, Ethelred the Unready is one of the leadership rankings you can achieve (though, true to his nickname, it denotes a very low achievement).
See also
★
House of Wessex family tree
References
★ Ann Williams: ''Æthelred the Unready: The Ill-Counselled King''. London: Hambledon Press, 2003. ISBN 1-85285-382-4
★ Clemoes, Peter. ''The Anglo-Saxons: Studies Presented to Bruce Dickins'', 1959
In Literature
★ Helen Hollick.
The Hollow Crown. (August 2004) William Heinemann, Random House. ISBN 0-434-00491-X; Arrow paperback ISBN 0-09-927234-2. This is a historical novel about Queen Emma of Normandy, including her first marriage to Ethelred.
External links
★
Genealogy for Ethelred the Unready
★
Documentary - The Making of England: Aethelred the Unready
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