Ethelred the Unready
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| Ethelred II, the Unready | ||
|---|---|---|
| King of England | ||
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| Reign | March 18, 978 – April 23, 1016 | |
| Born | 968 | |
| Wessex, England | ||
| Died | April 23, 1016 | |
| London, England | ||
| Buried | Old Saint Paul's Cathedral | |
| Predecessor | Edward the Martyr (978) Sweyn (1014) |
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| Successor | Sweyn (1013) Edmund Ironside (1016) |
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| Consort | Ælfgifu Emma |
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| Father | Edgar | |
| Mother | Ælfthryth | |
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 (959-977) and Aelfthryth. The majority of his reign (991–1016) was marked by a defensive war against Viking invaders.
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[edit] 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, Ethelred succeeded to the throne at about age ten.
[edit] Conflict with the Danes
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 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.
[edit] Death
In 1013, Ethelred fled to Normandy, seeking protection by his brother-in-law, Richard II of Normandy, when England was over run 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.
[edit] Nickname
Although many in later generations have found his nickname "The Unready" appropriate considering the Viking onslaught he faced, his contemporaries did not consider the moniker to indicate he was ill-prepared. Rather, the nickname derives from the Anglo-Saxon unræd meaning "without counsel", "poorly counselled" or "indecisive". This could also be interpreted as a pun on his name, Æþelræd, which may be understood to mean "noble counsel" in Old English.
[edit] Marriages and issue
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.
[edit] 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.[citation needed]
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.[1]
[edit] In 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 popular PC game Sid Meier's Civilization, a player receives a score in the form of a comparison to historical figures such as Julius Caesar or Abraham Lincoln. In Civilization IV, a comparison to Ethelred the Unready was the second lowest score a player can get, just above Dan Quayle.
In the PC game Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the bronze wizard card number 51 (found in a chest a the bottom of the grand stairway) features a man named Ethelred the Eveready, a reference to Ethelred the Unready. The wizard card states: Medieval, dates unknown. Famous for taking offence at nothing and cursing innocent bystanders. Died in gaol.
[edit] References
- ^ Grande Jury handbook of the Florida Supreme Court.
- 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
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Edward the Martyr |
King of England 978–1013 |
Succeeded by Sweyn |
| Preceded by Sweyn |
King of England 1014–1016 |
Succeeded by Edmund II |
Pre-conquest
Alfred the Great • Edward the Elder • Athelstan the Glorious • Edmund the Magnificent • Edred • Edwy the Fair • Edgar the Peacable • Edward the Martyr • Ethelred the Unready • Sweyn Forkbeard*† • Edmund Ironside • Canute the Great*† • Harold Harefoot • Harthacanute (Canute the Hardy)* • Edward the Confessor • Harold Godwinson • Edgar the Outlaw
Post-conquest
William I the Conqueror • William II Rufus • Henry I Beauclerc • Stephen • Matilda • Henry II • Richard I the Lionheart • John Lackland • Henry III • Edward I Longshanks • Edward II • Edward III • Richard II • Henry IV Bolingbroke • Henry V • Henry VI • Edward IV • Edward V • Richard III • Henry VII • Henry VIII‡ • Edward VI‡ • Lady Jane Grey‡ • Mary I‡ • Elizabeth I‡ • James I‡§ • Charles I‡§ • Interregnum • Charles II‡§ • James II‡§ • William III‡§¶ & Mary II‡§ • William III‡§¶ • Anne‡§
* also Monarch of Denmark • † also Monarch of Norway • ‡ also Monarch of Ireland • § also Monarch of Scotland • ¶ also Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, Overijssel and Drenthe
