ETHELRED II THE UNREADY
King of England (978-1016)
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Saxon king of England from 968 to 1013 and from 1014 to 1016.

Following the death of his father king Edgar (959-) on July 8th, 975, a faction led by his mother, Queen Elfrida, sought the throne for the infant Ethelred but her step-son Edward had the greater support, including that of St Dunstan (arhcbishop of Canterbury), and was confirmed as king by the witan. Undaunted, Elfrida had the young king (aged only sixteen) murdered at her seat at Corfe Castle in Dorset while he was hunting on the Isle of Purbeck on March 18th, 978, to make way for the infant Ethelred, himself only ten years of age.

According to the 12th century historian, William of Malmesbury (c.1080-c.1143), the child Ethelred defecated in the baptismal font causing St Dunstan to prophesy that the English monarchy would be overthrown during his reign as king.

Ethelred succeeded the murdered Edward but his was not a happy lot as his reign became a period of fierce conflict with the Danes who over-ran the country many times, fulfilling the prophesy attributed to St Dunstan at Ethered's christening.

His name in Old English was '��elred ', meaning 'well-advised '. he was surnamed 'the Unready ' not from a lack of preparedness but from the Old English 'unr�d ' meaning 'without counsel ' - a pun on his name.

Ethelred was married twice, first to Elgiva and, in 1002 to Emma of Normandy. He had at least sixteen children and his sons, Edmund Ironside and Edward the Confessor both became kings of England.

William, Duke of Normandy was Emma's great-nephew and used this relationship as his claim to the English throne, justifying his invasion of England in 1066.

A long series of Danish raids in 1001 (see the time-line below) and the treachery of his generals forced the king to raise a Danegeld of £24,000 to pay off the Danish fleet in 1002. Sveyn Haraldsson of Denmark had participated in a Norwegian-led raid against England in 994-5, but Ethelred's ordering of the massacre of the Danes living in England on November 23rd, 1002 (the 'St Brice's Day Massacre") prompted the Danish monarch to make a series of determined campaigns to conquer England (1003-5, 1006-7, 1009-1012 and 1013).

By Chritmas Day, 1013, Ethelred and his sons Edward and Alfred had fled to Normandy with his wife Emma to seek the protection of her brother Duke Richard II and Sweyn was the undisputed king of England. Sweyn only reigned for five weeks, dying on February 2nd, 1014.

Ethelred returned to England in 1014.

He died on April 23rd, 1016 in London and was buried in Old St Pauls Cathedral. He was succeeded to the throne by his son, Edmund II.

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975.Jul.08Death of Edgar, King of England at Winchester.
Edward the Martyr becomes King of England supported by St Dunstan and confirmed by the Witan but opposed by his step-mother, Queen Elfrida
BAAAGEEM BAAAGDIT BAAAGEEQ BAAAGEER BAAAGEES BAAAGDDN BAAAGEIE
978.Mar.18Murder of King Edward the Martyr at Corfe Castle (village) on the Isle of Purbeck by his step-mother, Queen Elfrida to make way for her own son Ethelred
BAAAGBYS BAAAGEEM BAAAGBSJ BAAAGCAN BAAAGEER BAAAGEES BAAAGEGA
980Southampton plundered by raiders - most of the population killed or imprisoned (ASC)
BAAAGGAL
981Coast of Devon and Wales plundered by raiders (ASC)
BAAAGCEI BAAAGBKA
circa 981Birth of the future king Edmund II (Ironside) (1016) to Ethelred II
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986\'this year came first the murrain of cattle in England\' - (The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle)
BAAAGBRO
988Goda, theign of Devonshire, killed \'and a great many with him\' (ASC)
BAAAGCEI
988.May.19Death of Dunstan (c.909-), Archbishop of Canterbury (961-) - succeeded by Ethelgar (ASC)
Ethelgar only lived 15 months
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989Siric invested archbishop (ASC)
He travelled to Rome to recieve his pallium
999The Danes sail up the river Medway to Rochester, ravaging Kent (ASC)
The failure of the English navy may have been due to treachery
BAAAGBFI BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1000At the time, it was widely believed that the world would end, if not in 1000AD, then in 1033
1001Danes attack Exmouth but are repelled (ASC)
BAAAGCEI BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1001Army raised in Devon and Somerset routed by the Danes and many slaughtered (ASC)
BAAAGCEI BAAAGCEE BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1001Danes raid through Devon
BAAAGCEI BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1001Danes rove about and plunder the Isle of Wight
BAAAGCEM BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1001Danes raid into Hampshire and win battle against the English at Alton before proceeding to Devon (ASC)
BAAAGCEG BAAAGCEI BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ
1001Danes joined in Devon by the Saxon traitor Paley (ASC)
BAAAGCEI BAAAGBRO BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1002A Danegeld of �24,000 was raised to pay off the Danish fleet (ASC)
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1002Ealdorman Leofsy banished from Wessex by Ethelred II for the murder of the high steward Eafy (ASC)
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1002Death of Archbishop Eadulf (ASC)
1002Ethelred II the Unready marries his seond wife, Emma of Normandy
1002.Nov.13The Massacre of St Brices Day: King Ethelred II orders the murder of all Danes in England (ASC)
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1003Exeter sacked by the Danes (ASC)
BAAAGBAV BAAAGDZD BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1003Danish raiders enter Wiltshire (ASC)
Wessex force gathered from Witls. and Hants. to meet the Danes retreat through treachery of Ealdorman Elfric
BAAAGCDL BAAAGCEG BAAAGCBS BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1003Sweyn and the Danes plunder and burn Wilton (ASC)
BAAAGCEO BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1003Danes under Sweyn plunder Sarum before returning to the sea and the Danish fleet (ASC)
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circa 1003Birth of Edward (later King Edward the Confessor) to King Ethelred the Unready at Islip, Oxfordshire
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1004Ulfketyls victory over the Danes at Thetford saved Norfolk from invasion (ASC)
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1004Danes led by Sweyn plunder and burn Norwich (ASC)
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1004Danes under Sweyn burn Thetford (ASC)
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1005Danish fleet return to Denmark (ASC)
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1005Death of Archbishop Elfric - succeeded by Bishop Elfeah (Alphege or Alphage - bihop of Winchester) (ASC)
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1005Great famine in England - worse than any in living memory (ASC)
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1012Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury murdered
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1013Ethelred the Unready, Edward (later king Edward the Confessor) and his brother Alfred taken to Normandy by Emma to shelter from the Danish invasion under the protection of her brother Richard II
BAAAGBIW BAAAGBKX BAAAGDDN
1013.Dec.25Sweyn Haraldsson Forkbeard (king of Denmark, 985-1014) became king of England (-02.Feb.1014) after the flight of Ethelred the Unready
1015Edmund Ironside defeated the Danes at Brentford
BAAAGEEO BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN
1015Danish fleet under Canute over-winters in Poole Harbour and lays waste to the surroundings
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1015Edmund Ironside defies his father by marrying the widow of a Danish earl in Mercia
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1016.Apr.23Death of Ethelred II, Saxon the Unready, King of England. He was succeeded by his son, Edmund II Ironside
London voted for Edmund II to succeed to the throne, Southampton for Canute I
BAAAGEEO BAAAGGAL
1029Canonisation of St Dunstan (909-988), Archbishop of Canterbury (961-988)
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ENGLAND
  MONARCHS

QUEEN ELFRIDA
St DUNSTAN

ETHELRED I
 

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  Ethelred the Unready
 

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DORSET
Isle of Purbeck
Corfe Castle
Seat of Ethelred and his mother where she had her step-son King Edward the Martyr murdered in 978.

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