7th January 2026 7th January 2026 By Victor Rouă In

Why Was Æthelred The Unready Recorded In History As Such?

Æthelred the Unready (also known as Æthelred II the Unready) was a renowned King of the Anglo-Saxons or the English from the House of Wessex during the Early Middle Ages. He was born in circa 968 and reigned twice over Anglo-Saxon England, his first reign taking place between 978 to 1013 and then once more between 1014 until his death in 1016. Not that many things are known about his early life. He acceded to the throne after his predecessor and older half-brother King Edward the Martyr was assassinated in 978. His coronation took place at Kingston-upon-Thames in April, 978 (then aged just 10). His reign was marked by resumed Viking raids after a period of peace. Subsequently, these raids which occurred throughout the 980s escalated into much bigger attacks a decade later. Given the fact that the Anglo-Saxons (or the English) were seldom victorious in the face of the invading Norsemen during his reign, King Æthelred the Unready had to pay consistent tribute (otherwise known as the Danegeld) to the Scandinavian warriors in order for them to go away (a practice which was also in place in other early medieval kingdoms attacked by the Norse, such as Francia). Nonetheless, this proved a strategic error as the came back on more than one occasion.

The Anglo-Saxon King Æthelred the Unready, as depicted in a royal genealogy dating back to the late 13th century by an anonymous author. Image source: Wikimedia Commons

King Æthelred the Unready is well-known in early medieval English history also because of his involvement in the St Brice’s Day massacre of the Danes who lived in Anglo-Saxon England (in 1002), a very sad day and dark page in the history of early medieval England as some of these Danish settlers were peaceful and loyal subjects (this measure took place because of King Æthelred’s fear of treachery and it is still debated among historians whether or not it involved all Danes living in early medieval England at that time; what is certain though, is that the royal edict targeted Danish mercenaries, warriors, and relatively new settlers). Even though the Anglo-Saxons were frequently raided by the Scandinavians (including the Danes), such an unparalleled cruel and paranoic measure of the Anglo-Saxon king remains quite controversial. Furthermore, this also angered the Danish monarch Swein Forkbeard (whose sister, Gunnhild, was slain in Anglo-Saxon England during the St Brice’s Day massacre). He then gathered a large army and proceeded to conquering England, becoming thus the successor of Æthelred the Unready. Nonetheless, whether Gunnhild existed or not is still debated by historians (her existence being perceived rather as a legendary justification to the subsequent Danish invasion and conquest of Anglo-Saxon England under Swein Forkbeard during the early 11th century). A notable chronicler who mentions Gunnhild (alternatively known as Gunhilde) was William of Malmesbury during the 12th century.

Because of his constant tributes paid to the invading Norse (which who gradually impoverished the treasury of his kingdom) as well as his involvement in the St Brice’s Day massacre (both on the grounds of being ill-advised by his circle of councillors), this Anglo-Saxon monarch became known as the unready (in part due to the fact that he acceded to throne through a tragic conjuncture of fate, as previously described in the first paragraph). Thank you very much for your time, attention, and readership! All the best!

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