Æthelred the Unready

aliases

Æthelred II

Æthelred II (c. 968 - 1016), was king of the English (978–1013 and 1014–1016). He was son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. Æthelred was only about 10 (no more than 13) when his half-brother Edward was murdered. Æthelred was not personally suspected of participation, but as the murder was committed at Corfe Castle by the attendants of Ælfthryth, it made it more difficult for the new king to rally the nation against the invader, especially as a legend of St Edward the Martyr soon grew. Later, Æthelred ordered a massacre of Danish settlers in 1002 and also paid tribute, or Danegeld, to Danish leaders from 991 onwards. His reign was much troubled by Danish Viking raiders. In 1013, Æthelred fled to Normandy and was replaced by Sweyn, who was also king of Denmark. However, Æthelred returned as king after Sweyn died in 1014.

"Unready" is a mistranslation of Old English unræd (meaning bad-counsel) – a twist on his name "Æthelred" (meaning noble-counsel).…more

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Books with Æthelred the Unready

	Shadow on the Crown (The Emma of Normandy Trilogy #1) by Patricia Bracewell (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 6,194 ratings — published 2013 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom by Tom Holland 3.84 avg rating — 4,648 ratings — published 2008 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Avalon by Anya Seton 3.90 avg rating — 4,555 ratings — published 1965 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Forever Queen (Saxon #2) by Helen Hollick (Goodreads Author) 3.73 avg rating — 4,103 ratings — published 2004 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue by Unknown 3.17 avg rating — 3,339 ratings — published 1983 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Queen Emma and the Vikings: A History of Power, Love, and Greed in 11th-Century England by Harriet O'Brien 3.81 avg rating — 823 ratings — published 2005 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King by Ian W. Walker 3.94 avg rating — 226 ratings — published 1997 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Æthelred the Unready: The Failed King by Richard P. Abels 3.59 avg rating — 244 ratings — published 2018 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England by Richard Fletcher 3.81 avg rating — 189 ratings — published 2002 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Æthelred: The Unready by Levi Roach (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 122 ratings — published 2016 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars