WESSEX Æthelred

Abt 0966 - 1016  (50 years)

• Name	WESSEX Æthelred
  Birth	Abt 0966	Wessex, England
  Gender	Male
  Death	23 Apr 1016	London, England
  Notes	Æthelred was the son of King Edgar and his second wife Ælfthryth. His exact birth date is uncertain but may have been about 966.[1] Nickname Æthelred is commonly known as "the Unready". This is a modern rendering of the Old English "unræd", meaning badly advised, and is a pun on his name Æthelred, which means "noble advice".[1] Reign of his Half-brother Edward King Edgar died in July 975, leaving both his sons under age. Probably with the support of his mother, Æthelred's claim to the throne was put forward but his older half-brother Edward became king. Æthelred was granted estates appropriate for a king's son, including lands that had previously been given to Abingdon Abbey.[1] Death of Edward and Æthelred's Accession to the Throne Preceded by Edward the Martyr King of England 18 March 978 – 1013 Succeeded by Sweyn "Forkbeard" On 18 March 978 King Edward was killed at Corfe, Dorset, where he had gone to visit Ælfthryth. Æthelred then became king. He was crowned at Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, on 4 May 979.[1][2] Subsequently Edward became venerated as a saint and martyr.[2] and Æthelred became a promoter of Edward's cult. In 1001 he made a grant to Shaftesbury Abbey, saying the gift was to God and his brother St Edward, who had been responsible for many miracles.[3] Viking Raids Æthelred's reign was to be overshadowed by Viking attacks and incursions, which started in 981, and which dominate the narrative in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.[4] From 991 to 1005 the main Viking forces probably had their main base in England.[1] Following the Battle of Maldon (11 August 991), in which Ealdorman Byrthnoth died, it was decided to pay large sums of money in an attempt to buy peace, with the first payment being £10000. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles hint, for the immediately following years, at treachery by Ealdorman Ælfric and cowardice by other leaders who ran away from battle. Following an attack on London in 994, a further large payment was agreed to buy off the Vikings. One of the Viking leaders, Olaf Tryggvason, was escorted to Andover, Hampshire and baptised, and undertook not to attack England again.[1][4] Raids resumed in 997.[1][4] In 1000 the Viking ships went to Normandy, and Æthelred is said to have sent a fleet to try and capture Duke Richard II of Normandy: this attempt failed,[1] but there followed a rapprochement with Duke Richard, with a papal envoy drawing up the terms of a treaty.[5] The death of Æthelred's first wife facilitated this: Richard's sister Emma was betrothed to Æthelred in about 1000 and they married in 1002.[1] The respite was brief: from 1001 there were further Viking attacks. In 1002, a payment of £24000 was made to the Vikings.[1][4] On 13 November (St Brice's Day) 1002, Æthelred ordered the killing of all Danish men in English territory: one manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles says that this was because of intelligence about a plot to kill Æthelred and seize the kingdom. The Vikings were now led by Sweyn "Forkbeard" of Denmark. In 1005, following a major famine, the Vikings returned briefly to Denmark.[1][4] Change of Regime 1006 witnessed major changes among Æthelred's advisers. Leading figures were dispossessed of their lands, blinded or killed, and Eadric Streona came to the fore, being appointed Ealdorman of Mercia the next year.[1][4] More Viking Attacks Attacks restarted in the second half of 1006, and in 1007 a payment of £36000 was made in another effort to buy peace. Æthelred sought to strengthen his fleet, but a quarrel between Eadric Streona's brother Brihtric and Wulfnoth (father of Godwin) led to many ships being destroyed in 1009, severely weakening the realm's defences.[1][4] One manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles says that, in that year, Eadric Streona hindered action against the Vikings, "as always was the case." The Chronicles paint a picture of large areas of England being overrun.[4] In 1011 Canterbury was besieged, and Archbishop Ælfheah was captured: he was killed the next year. £48000 was paid to the Vikings, who then dispersed.[1][4] Loss of England; Second Reign Preceded by Sweyn "Forkbeard" King of England 1014 – 23 April 1016 Succeeded by Edmund II "Ironside" In the summer of 1013 Sweyn Forkbeard returned to England, and was recognised as king. Æthelred and his family fled to Normandy. Sweyn died on 3 February 1014. The Danes chose his son Knut to succeed him, but the Anglo-Saxons recalled Æthelred. There followed a period of internal struggle between Eadric Streona and Æthelred's son Edmund Ironside, during which Knut launched an invasion. Eadric joined Knut, and Æthelred and Edmund Ironside had difficulty mounting strong resistance.[1][4] Laws Three important law codes were issued during Æthelred's reign. The first, possibly dating from 997, focused on the maintenance of peace and justice, the treatment of thieves, and regulation of the coinage. The second, in 1008, was concerned partly with ecclesiastical affairs like tithes, the observance of religious festivals and the conduct of priests, and partly with secular concerns, including the protection of widows, the defence of the realm, and resistance to the king. The third, in 1014, mainly dealt with church affairs.[6] Internal Troubles Æthelred, like other Anglo-Saxon monarchs, could have trouble enforcing his will and legal judgements. A particularly well-documented example is mentioned in some detail in a charter of 996, by which lands in Kent that had previously belonged to someone called Wulfbald were granted by Æthelred to his mother. Wulfbald had seized goods from his stepmother, and lands from a relative. He successfully defied orders to restore the lands. A royal council awarded all his possessions to Æthelred, who was given the right to decide whether Wulfbald should live or die. Despite this Wulfbald remained in occupation of the lands until his death, and, even after that, his widow and son killed a royal thegn and 15 others at one of the estates involved.[7][8][9] Marriages and Children Æthelred married at least twice. His first wife was Ælfgifu. There are no contemporary sources for her family origins, and 12th-century sources disagree about who her father was, but the likelihood is that she was daughter of Thored.[1][10] They had the following children: Athelstan[1][10] Ecgberht[1][10] Edmund Ironside[1][10] Eadred[1][10] Eadwig[1][10] Eadgar,[1] Eadgyth[1][10] Ælfgifu[1][10] possibly Wulfhild[1][10] (see her profile for discussion) a daughter who married the Athelstan killed in battle against the Danes in 1010 and described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles as Æthelred's son-in-law[4] In 1002 Æthelred married Emma, sister of Duke Richard II of Normandy.[1][10] The wedding took place on 5 April at Winchester.[11] Their known children were: Edward the Confessor[1][10] Goda/Godgifu[1][10] Alfred[1][10] A daughter who became Abbess of Wherwell, and was described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles as sister of Edward the Confessor,[10] may have been the child of either marriage. Charles Cawley speculates, without strong supporting evidence, that Æthelred's first marriage may have been a semi-official relationship, and that there could have been another wife whom Æthelred married before Emma and who may have been the mother of some of his children: Eadgar, Ælfgifu, Wulfhild, the daughter who married the Athelstan killed in 1010.[10] The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for Æthelred mentions just two wives, Ælfgifu and Emma.[1] Death and Burial Æthelred died in London on 23 April 1016, and Edmund Ironside was chosen by the Anglo-Saxons as his successor.[1][4] Goscelin of St Bertin, writing in the second half of the 11th century, says that his body was taken to Wilton Abbey. If so, it was subsequently moved back to London: his tomb was recorded in Old St Paul's, London, in later medieval times. The tomb was destroyed during the 1666 Great Fire of London.[1] Sources ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry by Simon Keynes for 'Æthelred II [Ethelred; known as Ethelred the Unready]', print and online 2004, revised online 2009 ↑ 2.0 2.1 Michael Swanton (translator and editor). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, revised edition, Phoenix Press, 2000, pp. 122-123 ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry for 'Edward [St Edward; called Edward the Martyr]' by Cyril Hart, print and online 2004, revised online 2007 ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 Michael Swanton (translator and editor), The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, pp. 124-149 ↑ Frank Stenton. Anglo-Saxon England, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, 1971, pp. 375-376 ↑ Dorothy Whitelock (ed.). English Historical Documents, Volume I, c.500-1042, 2nd edition, Eyre Methuen, 1979, pp. 439-446 ↑ Nicholas J Hyam and Martin J Ryan. The Anglo-Saxon World, Yale University Press, 2015, p. 341 ↑ Dorothy Whitelock (ed.). English Historical Documents, Volume I, c.500-1042, 2nd edition, pp. 575-579 ↑ A J Robertson. Anglo-Saxon Charters, 2nd edition, reissued by Cambridge University Press, 2009, pp. 128-129 ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 Charles Cawley. ÆTHELRED, son of EDGAR "the Peaceable", entry in "Medieval Lands" database (accessed 14 April 2021) ↑ Alison Weir. Britain's Royal Families, new Pimlico edition, Vintage Books, 2008, pp. 22-24 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry by Simon Keynes for 'Æthelred II [Ethelred; known as Ethelred the Unready]', print and online 2004, revised online 2009 Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Vol. 18, pp. 27-33, entry for 'ETHELRED or ÆTHELRED II, the Unready (968?–1016)', Wikisource Stenton, Frank. Anglo-Saxon England, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, 1971, especially pp. 373-389 Cawley, Charles. "Medieval Lands": A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families © by Charles Cawley, hosted by Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG). See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands. Entry for ÆTHELRED, son of EDGAR "the Peaceable" Wikipedia: Æthelred the Unready Ashley, Mike. A Brief History of British Kings and Queens. (pp. 35-38). Philadelphia, PA: Running Press Book Publishers, 2008 Keynes, Simon. (2012). The burial of Aethelred the Unready at St. Paul's in David Roffe, ed., The English and their Legacy, 900-1200: Essays in Honour of Ann Williams, Boydell Press, pp.129-148, [www.elib.com web], accessed 05 Mar 2014
  Person ID	I59209	Freeman-Smith
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

  
  

  Father	WESSEX Edgar,   b. 07 Aug 0943, Wessex, England d. 08 Jul 0975, Winchester, England (Age 31 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	DEVON Ælfthryth,   b. 0947, Devon, England d. Abt 1000, Wherwell Abbey, Hampshire, England (Age ~ 52 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	0964
  Family ID	F26329	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	NORTHUMBRIA Ælfgifu,   b. 0970, Wessex, England d. Bef 1001, England (Age ~ 30 years)
  Marriage	0985
  Children	1. WESSEX Edmund,   b. Bef 0990, Wessex, England d. 30 Nov 1016, England (Age > 26 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F26327	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026