Æthelred

Æthelred PDF Author: Levi Roach
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300225202
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 401

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Book Description
divAn imaginative reassessment of Æthelred "the Unready," one of medieval England’s most maligned kings and a major Anglo-Saxon figure The Anglo-Saxon king Æthelred "the Unready" (978–1016) has

Æthelred

Æthelred PDF Author: Levi Roach
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300225202
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 401

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Book Description
divAn imaginative reassessment of Æthelred "the Unready," one of medieval England’s most maligned kings and a major Anglo-Saxon figure The Anglo-Saxon king Æthelred "the Unready" (978–1016) has

Athelred the Unready

Athelred the Unready PDF Author: Ann Williams
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 9781852853822
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Æthelred became king of England in 978, following the murder of his brother Edward the Martyr (possibly at the instigation of their mother) at Corfe. On his own death in April 1016, his son Edmund Ironside succeeded him and fought the invading Danes bravely, but died in November of the same year after being defeated at the battle of Assandun, leading to the House of Wessex being replaced by a Danish king, Cnut. Æthelred, in constrast to his predecessor and successor, reigned (except for a few months in 1013-14), largely unchallenged for thirty-eight years, despite presiding over a period which saw many Danish invasions and much internal strife. If not a great king, he was certainly a survivor whose posthumous reputation and nickname (meaning 'Noble Council the No Council') do him little justice. In Æthelred the Unready Ann Williams, a leading scholar on his reign, discounts the later rumours and misinterpretations that have dogged his reputation to construct a record of his reign from contemporary sources.

Aethelred the Unready (Penguin Monarchs)

Aethelred the Unready (Penguin Monarchs) PDF Author: Richard Abels
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 014197950X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
A major new title in the Penguin Monarchs series In his fascinating new book in the Penguin Monarchs series, Richard Abels examines the long and troubled reign of Aethelred II the 'Unraed', the 'Ill-Advised'. It is characteristic of Aethelred's reign that its greatest surviving work of literature, the poem The Battle of Maldon, should be a record of heroic defeat. Perhaps no ruler could have stemmed the encroachment of wave upon wave of Viking raiders, but Aethelred will always be associated with that failure. Richard Abels is Professor Emeritus at the United States Naval Academy. He is the author of Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England and Lordship and Military Obligation in Anglo-Saxon England. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

England's Unlikely Commander

England's Unlikely Commander PDF Author: Brandon M. Bender
Publisher: Rounded Globe
ISBN: 9780578559544
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
In the realm of popular history, it's common to hear the claim that Æthelred the Unready, King of the English, was a military failure in an age where kings had to be warriors. Due to the unflattering nickname (unraed actually means "poorly-advised") and the Danish Conquest of England, it might seem that these critics have won the argument before it's even started.That isn't the case, though, as Bender's research has found. This book seeks to redress King Æthelred's military reputation, arguing that he was militarily prepared and often successful against his many enemies, including the Vikings. Tracking the king's movement and activity over his 38-year reign, this book argues that Æthelred the Unready was anything but a battle-avoider.

The Diplomas of King Æthelred 'The Unready' (978-1016)

The Diplomas of King Æthelred 'The Unready' (978-1016) PDF Author: S. Keynes
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521023085
Category : Anglo-Saxons
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
The reign of Æthelred 'the Unready' (978-1016) is known to us mainly from a series of annals in the Anglo-Saxon Chrolicle, written at or after its close and accordingly conveying an impression of gathering doom as Viking armies ravaged the country and eventually, under the leadership of Swein Forkbeard and Cnut, brought about its conquest. Dr Keynes is here concerned to establish what light the royal diplomas issued in King Æthelred's name throw on this unhappy and notorious period. He first considers the general issues that bear directly on the value of royal diplomas as historical evidence for all periods of Anglo-Saxon history, discussing the circumstances under which these documents have been preserved, the techniques available for their criticism, and the arrangements that existed for their production. He then demonstrates how a detailed analysis of Æthelred's diplomas can transform our understanding of this troubled reign. On a practical level they provide invaluable evidence on the operation of royal government, and on a personal level they afford a remarkable insight into the relations between the king and his councillors, suggesting a picture of political manoeuvring and court intrigue which compensates for the chronicler's emphasis on the struggle against the marauding Vikings. By placing the familiar account of incessant warfare in the context of these domestic affairs it becomes possible for the first time to see the reign in its true perspective.--

Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs)

Athelstan (Penguin Monarchs) PDF Author: Tom Holland
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241187826
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
The formation of England occurred against the odds: an island divided into rival kingdoms, under savage assault from Viking hordes. But, after King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex and his son Edward expanded it, his grandson Athelstan inherited the rule of both Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and was hailed as Rex totius Britanniae: 'King of the whole of Britain'. Tom Holland recounts this extraordinary story with relish and drama, transporting us back to a time of omens, raven harbingers and blood-red battlefields. As well as giving form to the figure of Athelstan - devout, shrewd, all too aware of the precarious nature of his power, especially in the north - he introduces the great figures of the age, including Alfred and his daughter Aethelflaed, 'Lady of the Mercians', who brought Athelstan up at the Mercian court. Making sense of the family rivalries and fractious conflicts of the Anglo-Saxon rulers, Holland shows us how a royal dynasty rescued their kingdom from near-oblivion and fashioned a nation that endures to this day.

Aethelred II

Aethelred II PDF Author: Ryan Lavelle
Publisher: English Monarchs
ISBN: 9780752446783
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This is a biography of Anglo-Saxon England's notoriously weak king, Aethelred II the 'Unready'.

Anglo-Saxon History

Anglo-Saxon History PDF Author: David A.E. Pelteret
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000525910
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 387

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Book Description
First published in 2000, Basic Readings in Anglo-Saxon England (BRASE) is a series of volumes that collect classic, exemplary, or ground-breaking essays in the fields of Anglo-Saxon studies generally written in the 1960s or later, or commissioned by a volume editor to fulfill the purpose of the given volume. This, the sixth volume in the series, is the first devoted to history and the first edited by a scholar outside the field of literary study. David Pelteret has collected fifteen previously published essays: the first nine of his essays present a conspectus of Anglo-Saxon history; the other seven are spread among seven "Special Approaches": Anthropology, Archaeology, Art History, Economic and Comparative History, Geography and Geology, Place-Names, and Topography and Archaeology.

1066 and All That

1066 and All That PDF Author: W C Sellar
Publisher: Hassell Street Press
ISBN: 9781014250230
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Alfred the Great and Ethelred the Unready. Two Anglo-Saxon Kings and their Actions against the Viking Threat

Alfred the Great and Ethelred the Unready. Two Anglo-Saxon Kings and their Actions against the Viking Threat PDF Author: Anna Poppen
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3656463476
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
Bachelor Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Pedagogy, Literature Studies, grade: 2,0, University of Göttingen, language: English, abstract: In the long list of English rulers there is only one king who achieved to be honored with the epithet the Great. Alfred the Great is known today as one of the most successful kings of England and has become a national hero. The role of the national failure, however, has been ascribed to King Ethelred II, who is known as Ethelred the Unready. Both kings ruled in Anglo-Saxon times, their reigns are only about one hundred years apart and both had to face the same enemy: the Vikings from Scandinavia. Although it seems as if the two kings ruled under the same prerequisites, their reigns had very different outcomes and they have opposing reputations today. King Alfred, who ruled the kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899, is today remembered and glorified as a great Christian king, who defeated the Vikings, who continuously invaded and plundered England in the second half of the ninth century. Apart from great military and political achievements, Alfred also stands for educational reform and is credited for having laid the foundations for what was to become the Anglo-Saxon kingdom. King Ethelred ruled this kingdom from 978 to 1016. Today, he is seen as a weak and powerless king, who did not manage to fight off the Vikings who were attacking the Anglo-Saxon kingdom during his reign, especially at the beginning of the eleventh century. He is accused of having lost control over his kingdom and having handed it over to the Vikings without developing a coherent strategy of defense. In order to find out how and why King Alfred and King Ethelred acquired such different reputations and whether they are justified, one has to have a close look at their reigns and especially at the actions they took to keep the Viking invaders from plundering and conquering their kingdom. Despite these problems, which will be a central theme in this work, the following text aims at presenting detailed accounts of King Alfred the Great and King Ethelred the Unready’s struggles against the Viking invaders in order to allow for a direct comparison of their actions. Certainly, this work can make no claims of providing a comprehensive and complete picture of the kings’ personalities and their reigns. It is rather meant to present an overview, which can be used as a basis for an evaluation and reassessment of Alfred and Ethelred’s legacies.