King Aethelred II the Unready
King Aethelred II (Æthelred or ‘Noble Council’) ('the Unready') was the younger son of Edgar the Peaceful and Aelfthryth, and king of England from 978-1013 and again from 1014-1016. Persistent Viking attacks, poor council and a lack of military ability plagued Aethelred II's reign. He lost the support of those around him, and the morale of the country. He was ultimately acceded by the Viking, Sweyn Forkbeard, who happened to die 3 months later. To which, Aethelred II was recalled to conditionally rule for 2 more years, until his death.
| Born | 968 |
| Parents | Edgar the Peaceful & Aelfthryth |
| Married | Aelfgifu of York & Emma of Normandy |
| Children | 16, inc Edmund II Ironside and Edward the Confessor |
| Died | 23 April 1016, buried at Old St Pauls Cathedral, London (burned down in the Great Fire of London, 1666) (48) |
| Reign | 978-1013 (35) & 1014-1016 (2) |
| Crowned | 4 May 979, Kingston upon Thames (10) |
| Predecessor | Edward the Martyr (half-brother) |
| Successor | Sweyn Forkbeard & Edmund II Ironside (son) |
| House | Wessex |
Life Events of King Aethelred II
968
Aethelred is born to Edgar the Peaceful and Aelfthryth.
978
King Edward is murdered on 18 March. Aethelred accedes to the throne.
979
After the murder of this half-brother, Edward, Aethelred II is crowned king of England on 4 May, at Kingston upon Thames.
980
Vikings raid Southampton.
982
Vikings raid London.
983
A close adviser of Aethelred II, Aelfhere dies, limiting the king's choices of council. Dunstan offers his support, and continues to council the king until his death in 988.
991
King Aethelred is heavily defeated by Olaf Tryggvason, at the Battle of Maldon, Essex. During the battle, Aethelred's senior Ealdorman, Byrtnoth, allows the Vikings to cross a causeway to the battlefield. This sportsmanship would lead to his downfall. The Vikings soon outflanked the Anglo-Saxon army, and they were defeated, with Byrtnoth himself being killed. Aethelred II offers Olaf £10,000 of Danegeld to leave, which he took, but the Vikings did not leave England. The king was starting to lose support.
992
Aethelred II gathered a large fleet on the Thames in London, ready to engage approaching Viking longboats. However, one of his ealdorman betrayed the king, and warned the Vikings in advance, allowing them to avoid the trap. This is the beginning of many betrayals to the king, by senior advisers.
993
Vikings ravage Northumbria, and with low morale, the English commanders flee.
994
Olaf Tryggvason and Sweyn Forkbeard (Haraldsson, Harold Bluetooth's son) attack the English coast from East Anglia to Hampshire. Aethelred II is unable to confront them, and decides to pay them off again. He gives them £16,000 to leave Southampton, and asks Olaf to submit to baptism, just like Alfred did with Guthrum.
997
Viking raids continue, this time they attack villages in Devon. King Aethelred II creates the Wantage Code, which was for the Danish five boroughs. It endorsed local law on the lands, including penalties for breach of peace, regulations and removal of condemned thieves. Today's common law originated from this code.
998
The Viking raids spread from Devon right across southern England. Aethelred II struggles to do anything about it, often arriving too late to engage the Vikings.
999
The Vikings meet some local resistance in Kent, but without outside support, the Kentish people cannot hold back the raids.
1001
Aethelred II marries Emma of Normandy, which strengthens his alliance with the Duke of Normandy. A tie which would have major implications later on in 1066!
1001
The Hampshire levies are defeated by Vikings, as once again, Aethelred does not arrive in time to help. Senior leaders begin to defect, including Aethelred II's own brother-in-law, Pallig, who is later murdered when he returns.
1002
Aethelred II pays another large sum of £24,000, in hope that the Vikings will go away.
1002
On 13 November, a desperate king, Aethelred II orders the St Brice's Day Massacre, where every Dane in England is to be killed. The massacre seems to have been limited to the Danelaw border towns, including Oxford. One high-profile casualty, however, is Sweyn Forkbeard's sister, Gunhilde.
1003
Sweyn Forkbeard attacks Exeter, and continues east to Wiltshire, Hampshire and East Anglia, sacking villages on route.
1005
Aethelred II's conduct begins to really deteriorate, as many of his key members of council are now retired or dead. Famine hits England.
1009
Aethelred II gathers a large fleet at Sandwich, to engage another Viking invasion. But feuding breaks out among his men, when Brihtric brings unknown charges against Wulfnoth Cild, father of Godwin. Wulfnoth flees with 20 ships, and is pursued by Brihtric's 80 ships. A storm hits the fleet, and Brihtric's ships are drive ashore, which are then burnt by Wulfnoth. As a result, the Vikings invade Kent unopposed.
1010
Ulfcytel Snillingr of East Anglia, Aethelred II's son-in-law, and his army are attacked by Danes at the Battle of Ringmere, south of Thetford, Suffolk. The East Anglians fled, while the men of Cambridgeshire stood firm, but were ultimately slaughtered.
1012
The Vikings attack Canterbury, and take Archbishop Aelfheah prisoner. No ransom is paid by Aethelred II, and so during a drunken feast, Aelfheah is murdered by the Danes.
1013
Sweyn Forkbeard settles on the Humber, and secures submission of Northumbria and the Danelaw. He marches to Wessex. English resistance collapses, and morale hits rock bottom. Faith in the Aethelred II's leadership disappears, who locks himself away in London. His wife, Emma is sent to Normandy. At Christmas, Sweyn Forkbeard is recognised king of England. Aethelred II has no choice but to flee to the Isle of Wight, and then on to Normandy.
1014
After only 3 months as king, Sweyn Forkbeard dies unexpectedly on 2 November, falling from his horse at Gainsborough. He is buried at York, but later exhumed and reburied in Denmark.
1014
Aethelred II is reluctantly invited back to England, but only on conditional rule. This is the first constitutional settlement in English history.
1015
Cnut, Sweyn Forkbeard's son, returns to attack England. Earl Eadric, with support from Aethelred II, murders two leading Anglo-Danes, Sigeferth and Morcar. Mercia begin to support Aethelred's son Edmund, while the king is ill in Cosham, Portsmouth.
1016
King Aethelred II dies on 23 April in London. His son, Edmund marches south to London to confront Cnut, and to succeed his father. Aethelred II is the longest reigning king of England to this point, but also one of the most unfortunate.
Interesting Facts About King Aethelred II
Epithet
King Aethelred II's epithet is 'the Unready'. This is a corruption of unraed, which means 'ill council'. Ironically, this goes directly against the meaning of his name, which is 'noble council'.Administration
For all of Aethelred II's failures, the king was an able administrator. He created the Wantage Code, which endorsed local law on the Danish lands of England. He introduced shire-reeves (sheriffs) to represent each shire. He also improved the coinage, which indicates sound economic conditions.Jury
Aethelred is credited for creating England's first jury. In the Wantage Code, it states that 12 thegns and a reeve are to assemble, under oath, and publish the names of anyone doing wrong in their districts, in accordance with the law and their own good consciences.Prophesy
There have been a number of explanations as to why Aethelred II's reign was so poor. One of the stranger ones was by William of Malmesbury. He reported that Aethelred II defecated in the baptismal font as a child, and as a result, St Dunstan prophesized the English monarchy would be overthrown during his reign! The story is almost certainly made up, however.
Battles Fought by King Aethelred II
Battle of Maldon
In 991, the Vikings defeat the English, with Byrtnoth being outflanked and killed because he sportingly allowed the Danes to cross a causeway freely.Battle of Ringmere
In 1010, the Vikings defeat the English, as the men of Cambridge stand firm while the East Angles flee.
FAQs About the King
Why did King Aethelred II rule twice?
King Aethelred II's first reign was poor, he lost support of his council and the morale of England. With strong Danish invasions for 20 years, English resistance eventually collapsed and Sweyn Forkbeard became king. Sweyn happened to die 3 months later, allowing Aethelred II to return as king once more.Why was King Aethelred II called the Unready?
King Aethelred II's epithet 'the Unready' is actually a corruption of the word unraed, which means 'ill council'. It has nothing to do with being unready for kingship.
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The Anglo-Saxon Kings of England
