II The Unready Aethelred (b. 968, d. April 23, 1016)
Aethelred (son of Edgar and Aelfthryth)15 was born 968 in Wessex, England, and died April 23, 1016 in London, England. He married Aelfgifu on 985, daughter of Thored Gunnarsson.
Notes for Aethelred: Crowned King March 978. Served until 1016.
"the king ordered the whole nation from Wessex and Mercia to be called out . . .yet it availed no whit more than it had often done before; for in spite of it all, the Danish army went about as it pleased and the English levy caused the people of the country every sort of harm, so that they profited neither from the native army nor the foreign army." Anglo saxon chronicle, 1006
Aethelred was unlucky in his problems and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle judges his reign in the light of its disastrous end. Mounting the throne after the murder of his elder brother Edward, his kingdom was eventually dismembered by his son Edmund Ironside and Cnut the Dane. If Aethelred was not of the calibre of his forebears, neither was he a complete disaster and he reigned longer than any of his predecessors. His derogatory nickname, current from the twelfth cnetury, is merely a pun on his name, meaning "noble counsel". The early years (973-83) were dominated by his mother and the legacy of Edward's death. His early personal rule (983-93) was oppressive, especially after the death of Dunstan (988) and Bishop Aethelwold.Maturity unfortunately coincided with Viking assaults (from 988) of a ferocity unmatched since Alfred's day. He could do little but negotiate temporary respites and massive tribute which encouraged further attacks. He tried to combat the Vikings by diplomacy, notably by marrying Emma, daugther of the duke of Normandy (1002) and he raised a fleet and large armies. He even led an expedition to Strathclyde (1000) to disrupt Viking settlements round the Irish Sea. But his energetic measures were not always well organized. Sweyn, the Danish King's son, began conquering territory (1003) and his blitzkrieg in southern and midland England destroyed the morale of king and country and so disillusioned the nobility that Aethelred could no longer trust them. Sweyn was chosen king (1013) and Aethelred fled. After he returned (1014), promising better rule, he failed to reassert himself independent ruler in the Danelaw. The collapse of Aethelred's kingdom was not sudden - its strength and resources and Aethelred's efforts ensured that. Yet if the kingship and kingdom were sounder than the king, they also had structural weaknesses which the Vikings exploited.
More About Aethelred: Burial: Unknown, St. Pauls, London. Record Change: March 04, 2000
More About Aethelred and Aelfgifu: Marriage: 985
Children of Aethelred and Aelfgifu are:
+Edmund, b. 989, Wessex, England, d. November 30, 1016, London, England.
II The Unready Aethelred (b. 968, d. April 23, 1016)
Notes for Aethelred: