King Æthelred the Unready

Æthelred the Unready, born around 968, was King of the English from March 978 to December 1013 and again from February 1014 until his death. He was the son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. Æthelred ascended to the throne following the assassination of his half-brother, King Edward the Martyr. His early reign saw the resumption of Viking attacks after a period of peace.

During Æthelred's reign, Viking raids escalated from minor incursions in the 980s to major assaults in the 990s. In response, Æthelred and his advisers often paid tribute to the Vikings to prevent further attacks. In 1002, he ordered the St Brice's Day massacre of Danes, which is seen by historians as a sign of his increasing paranoia. This period also saw the rise of Eadric Streona as a powerful adviser.

Æthelred's reign faced increasing Viking aggression, culminating in the conquest of England by King Swein Forkbeard in December 1013. Æthelred fled to Normandy but returned to the throne in February 1014 after Swein's death. His return was short-lived as civil war broke out in 1015, further weakening his position.

Æthelred was only nine to twelve years old when he became king, and during his minority, the country was governed by his father's leading advisers, including his mother. When he came of age in the mid-980s, he rejected these advisers and adopted new ones, who persuaded him to grant them property at the expense of the church. By the early 990s, he regretted these actions, viewing Viking raids as divine punishment for his persecution of the church.

The 990s and early 1000s formed the most successful period of his reign, when his advisers were of high calibre and there were major cultural achievements in Latin and Old English literature. The epithet "Unready" is a pun on Æthelred's name in Old English, Æthel (noble) and ræd (counsel). After the Norman Conquest, historians saw him as a bad king until the late twentieth century, when a new generation reassessed his record.

Æthelred probably married his first wife in the mid-980s as their oldest four sons (Æthelstan, Ecgberht, Edmund, Eadred) attest a charter dated 993. The fifth son, Eadwig, first attests in 997 and the sixth, Edgar, in 1001. His first wife is not recorded until after the Norman Conquest, and the information about her is limited and contradictory.

Æthelred died on 23 April 1016 and was buried in the choir of Old St Paul's Cathedral, London. After his death, his son Edmund was chosen by the Londoners as king, while Cnut was elected at Southampton.