King Æthelred II the Unready

Æthelred II, also known as Æthelred the Unready, was King of the English from 978 until 1013 and then again from 1014 until his death in 1016. His epithet, ‘the Unready’, derives from the Old English word ‘unræd’ meaning ‘poorly advised’, which is a play on his name that means ‘well advised’. He ascended to the throne following the assassination of his older half-brother, King Edward the Martyr, at approximately 12 years of age.

The predominant feature of Æthelred’s rule was the renewed conflict with the Danes, which intensified in the late 980s. The situation escalated with the Battle of Maldon in 991, leading Æthelred to pay tribute, or Danegeld, to the Danish king. In 1002, he ordered the St. Brice’s Day massacre, attempting to eliminate Danish settlers. After Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark invaded England in 1013, Æthelred fled to Normandy but reclaimed the throne after Sweyn’s death in 1014. His reign, lasting 37 years, was the longest of any Anglo-Saxon English king until it was surpassed by Henry III in the 13th century. He was succeeded briefly by his son, Edmund Ironside, before Sweyn’s son Cnut took over.