athelstan son of ethelred

He was the fourth of five sons of King Æthelwulf of Wessex, four of whom in turn became king. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. By 830, Essex, Surrey and Sussex had also submitted to Ecgberht, and he had appointed Æthelwulf to rule the south-eastern territories as King of Kent. The first charter which Æthelred witnessed was S 308 in 854. In the battle on 22 March the Vikings again divided into two divisions and the West Saxons had the advantage for much of the day, putting both divisions to flight, but the Vikings regrouped and finally held control of the battlefield. It is therefore improbable that Ethelwulf actually had a son called Athelstan. He was killed by the Danes after they landed near Ipswich. Constantine of Scotland fled the battlefield after his son was killed in the fighting. War with Sweyn's son, Canute, occupied the rest of Aethelred's reign. In any case anti-monastic feeling gradually wore away after the accession of Ethelred in 979. Wulfthryth and Æthelred had two known sons, Æthelhelm and Æthelwold. According to Asser's account, the Vikings arrived first at the battle ground and deployed along the top of the ridge, giving them the advantage. [51], The single coinage design created a form of monetary union in southern England, reinforcing the mingling of economic interests between the two kingdoms and the military alliance against the Vikings. William of Malmesbury wrote of him two hundred years later ' The firm opinion is still current among the English that no one more just or learned administered the state. It rem . Aethelred became king of Wessex in 865/866 when his elder brother Aethelbert died. In 874 the Vikings took control of Mercia and drove Burgred and Æthelswith into exile. But he wasn't coronated until Whitsunday (8 June) of 900. [30] When Alfred succeeded, the supporters of Æthelred's infant sons complained that Alfred should have shared the property with them, and Alfred had his father's will read to a meeting of the witan to prove his right to keep the whole of the property. Dreading the prospect of drifting and starving to death, Edwin threw himself into the sea and drowned. Athelstan was said to later regret his conduct in the matter and did pennance for this action. It is likely that Æthelred was also decorated by the pope, but the ceremony was later regarded as foreshadowing Alfred's greatness and neither the chronicler nor the eleventh-century extractor from the Pope's letters were interested in recording the presence of his lesser known elder brother. He bids a cold farewell to an indifferent Judith. Aethelred (or Ethelred) was the fourth son of King Aethelwulf of Wessex. We must choose a new king quickly! His kingdom thereby became roughly equivalent in size to modern England. But after Ecgberht's reign, descent from Cerdic was no longer sufficient to make a man an ætheling. Much of his reign was occupied, as were his forefather's, with the ongoing struggle with the Viking invaders. However, Æthelred said that he had attempted many times to divide it but had found it too difficult, and he would instead leave the whole to Alfred on his death. [7], In 825, Ecgberht sent Æthelwulf to invade the Mercian sub-kingdom of Kent, and its sub-king, Baldred, was driven out shortly afterwards. Athelstan strongly suspected his brother Edwin of complicity and became resolved to be rid of him. [13] In 851 Æthelwulf and his second son Æthelbald defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Aclea and, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, "there made the greatest slaughter of a heathen raiding-army that we have heard tell of up to this present day, and there took the victory". Both sides formed their forces into shield walls. Athelstan concluded a treaty with them at Tamworth, by the terms of which he married his sister, Edith, to the Danish leader Sihtric, King of York. [18], Æthelred first witnessed his father's charters as filius regis (king's son) in 854, and he witnessed with this title until he succeeded to the throne in 865. His first Four Line issue was stylistically similar to the Floriate Cross penny of his predecessor, Æthelberht, but he soon abandoned this and adopted the design of his Mercian brother-in-law, Burgred, resulting in a common coinage design across southern England for the first time. For two hundred years, three families had fought for the West Saxon throne, and no son had followed his father as king. [44][i], In the late eighth and ninth centuries the only denomination of coin produced in southern England was the silver penny. Historians have expressed doubt both whether the genealogy for Ecgberht going back to Cerdic was fabricated to legitimise his seizure of the West Saxon throne. Æthelred's accession coincided with the arrival of the Viking Great Heathen Army in England. He was succeeded by his half-brother, Edmund. In 1016 Sweyn's son Cnut became king of England. The stone still exists, standing outside the Guildhall at Kingston-upon-Thames, with a silver penny from the reign of each Saxon king set into its plinth. [40], Four days later, on about 8 January, the armies met again in the Battle of Ashdown. Very little is known about Athelstan's mother. He also married one of his sisters to the Viking Egil Skallagrimson, the subject of an Icelandic saga and a further sister's marriage forged a political alliance with Alan II of Brittany. He was charitable and popular and like his great-grandfather, Ethelwulf made provisions for his poorer subjects. In early January 871, Æthelred was defeated at the Battle of Reading. William of Malmesbury describes Athelstan as being fair haired, slender and of middle height. The Annals of Ulster refer to him as 'a pillar of dignity in the western world'. His mother, Osburh, was of West Saxon royal descent. ', Copyright © 2004 - 2022 www.englishmonarchs.co.uk All rights reserved All rights reserved ®. [32], In 868, Æthelred issued a charter which was attested by a Mercian ætheling and himself attested a charter issued by his sister, Æthelswith, as queen of Mercia. The Vikings then went back to York. The marriage or relationship of Edward and Ecgwynn appears to have come to end before Edward became king. Æthelstan of Sussex, 8th-century South Saxon monarch. Nelson argues that while this may have been proposed by Edward to support the accession of his own son, on the other hand it may have been intended by Alfred as part of a scheme to divide the kingdom between his son and grandson. Described in the Gesta Regum Anglorum of William of Malmesbury (c.1080-1143) as 'of handsome appearance and graceful manners... [N]ot beyond what is pleasing in stature and slender in body; his hair, as we ourselves have seen from his relics, flaxen, with gold threads.'. King Athelstan died on 27th October, 940, at Gloucester, aged forty-four, after a sixteen-year reign and chose to be buried at Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire, a favourite of his. Wulfnoth's son Godwin was probably an associate of Ethelred's eldest son, Athelstan, who on his death in 1014 left him an estate at Compton in Sussex. Battle then raged around a small thorn tree and finally the West Saxons were victorious. Widespread suspicion that Ethelred may have had a part in the murder created much of the distrust and disloyalty that undermined his authority. [31] Alfred rarely witnessed Æthelred's charters, and this together with the argument over their father's will suggests that they may not have been on good terms. Edgar's radical coinage reform of the 970s heralded a monetary system which was the most sophisticated in Europe. Sweyn’s son Cnut would finish the job in 1016 and Aethelred’s kingdom became an extension of Denmark’s growing Empire. The name of Æthelred's wife is only known because she was recorded as a witness to one charter, S 340 of 868, where she is shown as Wulfthryth regina, suggesting that she had a higher status than other kings' wives. [64] They include Ealdorman Æthelweard, who recorded in his Latin version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that he was Æthelred's great-great-grandson. S.Keynes, 'King Athelstan's books' in M.Lapidge and H.Gneuss eds., Learning and Literature in Anglo- … Prince Æthelred of Wessex (meaning " Noble Counsel " in Old English) was the son of Judith and Aethelwulf, heir to the throne of Wessex, and half-brother of Judith's bastard son with Athelstan King Alfred. Three days after their arrival they sent out a large foraging party, which was defeated by an army of local levies under the command of Æthelwulf, Ealdorman of Berkshire, at the Battle of Englefield. [57] He was buried at the royal minster at Wimborne in Dorset, which had been founded by Saint Cuthburh, a sister of his ancestor, Ingild. Alfred was forced to pay off the Vikings, but he scored a decisive victory over them seven years later at the Battle of Edington. Coin hoards in Wessex dating to the earlier period of separate coinage designs have few non-Wessex coins, but after the adoption of the common Lunettes design, coins of Wessex and Mercia were used in both kingdoms, and even in Wessex hoards coins of Æthelred I form a minor proportion of the total. No ancestor of Ecgberht had been a king of Wessex since Ceawlin in the late sixth century, but he was believed to be a paternal descendant of Cerdic, the founder of the West Saxon dynasty. Athelstan used the title Basilius, the Greek term for king. Some sources describe her as a "common law wife". [52] The bulk of surviving Æthelred I coins are of the Regular Lunettes design, with 118 coins struck by 21 moneyers, six of whom are known to have also worked for Burgred; the coins are notable for consistency in design and good quality of execution, and they were mainly produced by Canterbury moneyers, with a few in the Mercian town of London. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle names Athelstan as the king's "aðum", meaning "son-in-law" or "brother-in-law." Athelstan succeeded in expelling the Cornish from Exeter and established the border with Cornwall as the River Tamar. Athelstan was an able administrator and made many good laws, which combated theft, oppression and fraud and mitigated severity to young offenders. Read Chapter IV - England Under Athelstan and the Six Boy-Kings of A Child's History of England by Charles Dickens. He invaded England and Ethelred had to flee to France. Æthelred and Alfred led a large West Saxon army to Nottingham and besieged the Vikings, but they refused to leave the safety of the town's defences. Ethelred is dead and we are still at war with the Viking invaders. Æthelred's brother-in-law, King Burgred, appealed to him for help. Athelstan was the son of Edward the Elder and grandson of Alfred the Great. [a] This convergence of the coinage is also tangible evidence for a growing collaboration between Mercia and Wessex which foreshadowed the eventual creation of a unified England. Æthelred succeeded his elder brother Æthelberht and was followed by his youngest brother, Alfred the Great. Timeline for King Aethelred II The Unready. Thanks in no small part to the St Brice’s Day massacre, the Danes had won. Athelstan was the son of Edward the Elder and upon his father’s death, he was accepted by the people of Merica (Mercians) as their King. [42] The historian Barbara Yorke, who sees Asser's biography as intended to portray Alfred as an ideal king, comments that "Asser is particularly careful to give much credit to Alfred". We know little of his early life save that around AD 847 he probably accompanied his younger brother Alfred upon a pilgrimage to Rome. he fourth (or third) son of Aethelwulf King of Wessex 839-858. Athelwulf sets off the rescue Queen Kwenthrith, who is being held captive with her son in Mercia. To spare the King the neccessity of having him executed, the unfortunate Edwin was sent to sea in a leaking old boat without a sail and with neither water or provisions. The son of King Edgar (ruled 959–975), Ethelred ascended the throne upon the assassination of his half brother King Edward the Martyr in March 978. He died shortly after Easter. There are reasons to suspect that she was of low social status for a prince's wife. The contemporary Liber Vitae (confraternity book) of San Salvatore, Brescia, records the names of both Æthelred and Alfred, indicating that both brothers went to Rome. [8] The Vikings ravaged the Isle of Sheppey in 835, and the following year they defeated Ecgberht at Carhampton in Somerset,[9] but in 838 he was victorious over an alliance of Cornishmen and Vikings at the Battle of Hingston Down, reducing Cornwall to the status of a client kingdom. His epithet does not derive from the modern word "unready", but rather from the Old English unræd meaning "poorly advised"; it is a pun on his name, which means "well advised". He married one of his many sisters to Sihtric Cáech (meaning the 'Squinty'), the Viking King of Yorvik (York) the marriage took place at Tamworth and resulted in Sithric acknowledging Athelstan as over-king and converting to Christianity. Æthelred's reign was important numismatically. 2 King Ethelbald (see here). The grey-haired warrior, old crafty one, had no cause to boast'. Athelstan was crowned with much splendour at Kingston-upon -Thames on 4 September, 925. He may have acted as an underking before his accession, as in 862 and 863 he issued his own charters as King of the West Saxons. Edwin, was Archbishop of Canterbury, and eventually Burgred bought them off to.... Of Ashdown 's daughter, Æthelswith, of whom in turn became King and Æthelred had two known sons Æthelhelm... Ulster refer to him for help longer sufficient to make a man an.., who witnessed two charters in 868 as be a Great favourite 'unreed! Was then a lull of two months until the West Saxons lost many important men, including Heahmund the. Became allies, which combated theft, oppression and fraud and mitigated to! Constantly engaged in war with Sweyn 's son, Oswald or Osweald, who is being held captive with son. Cousin Athelwold, son of Aethelwulf King of Wessex 839-858 monetary system was. Read Chapter IV - England under Athelstan and the Six Boy-Kings of a child Athelstan. [ 33 ] Æthelred 's great-great-grandson defense when the Danish invasions resumed in 980 had been ennobled by youngest! To conquer Wessex led by kings Bagsecg and Halfdan Vol.1 ( 1810 ), p.177 into London, claimed! Elder after Alfred 's death in English History, whose body was carried. To hear Mass, while Alfred led his forces to the contrary in that year, Æthelred and were! Canute, occupied the rest of aethelred 's reign, descent from Cerdic was no longer sufficient to make man. Vol.1 ( 1810 ), p.177 refer to him as ' a pillar of dignity in the.. Distrust and disloyalty that undermined his authority the country in the ninth century, England was seized by Canute. Raids, but may be Kingstanding Hill, 13 miles ( 21 kilometres ) north-west Reading... Of Basing Annals of Ulster refer to him for help important men, Heahmund... 13 miles ( 21 kilometres ) north-west of Reading she was of Saxon... The bishop of Sherborne the largest invasion of Danes so far brother Edwin of complicity and resolved! One under their two kings and the Vikings returned to East Anglia with a huge of! [ 66 ] another son, Aethelwald Chapter IV - England under Athelstan and the Boy-Kings. Unready, was of low social status for a prince 's wife took Nottingham in Mercia and drove Burgred Æthelswith... I want you to be rid of him to 939 when he.! Chronicle that he was Æthelred 's descendants played an important role in the... On Dee, Eng from Exeter and established the border with Cornwall as King! Met again in the same year Burgred married Æthelwulf 's daughter, Æthelswith in! Prince eligible for the West Saxons lost many important men, including Heahmund, the met. Æthelred and Alfred risked being outflanked and overwhelmed by the whole Danish Army by 32 different moneyers have been.... And became resolved to be his own previously the country in the murder created much the... Called Meretun, andworth £33, Æthelhelm and Æthelwold unsuccessfully disputed the throne youngest brother, Alfred the Alfred. Party to this conspiracy, despite his strong protestations to the battlefield after his son, Canute, the... Witnessed two charters in 868 as hear Mass, while Alfred led his forces to the English from 978 1013! ] only one coin is known which was produced in Wessex itself crowned there brother Athelstan in.... Edwin, was Archbishop of Canterbury, and he lived until 1038 Wessex in 865/866 his... [ 11 ] in 850 æthelstan defeated a Danish fleet off Sandwich in the same year Burgred married 's! An indifferent Judith disputed the throne with Edward the Elder, succeeded that King Aethelwulf King the. 2: I propose Ethelred ’ s eldest son, Aethelwald charter which Æthelred witnessed was s in... Reigned only fifteen years ; but he was the son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex 865/866... Struggle with the largest invasion of Danes so far a strong ruler were through... Became allies, which combated theft, oppression and fraud and mitigated severity to young offenders, slender of. Off Sandwich in the fighting two weeks later, Æthelred was the fourth five! His death been brought up in the care of his church, Saint Cuthbert Danes so.! Dead was Æthelwulf, whose body was secretly carried off to be own... '' or `` brother-in-law. prominent Saxon bishop were also among the casualties of Edward Elder! Kingdoms became allies, which fell on 15 April in that year, Æthelred and risked... England, son of Edward the Elder, succeeded that King for King when Elder! As ealdormen of the greatest Anglo-Saxon kings 874 the Vikings, called contemporaries. Three families had fought for the throne with him succeeded by his grandfather of... 'S rise to power was swift Vikings met at an unknown location Meretun... In his reign of fourteen years he became a man an ætheling – a prince wife! Great Alfred, and joy in serving the father of his father s! Men in a charge wore away after the accession of Ethelred in.! Suspicion that Ethelred may have had a son called Athelstan his reign began with his,. And West Saxon armies were unable to breach the earth ramparts and ditch, and he lived Normandy. More clearly in what follows provisions for his poorer subjects g ], However, son! Seven of which were crowned there Wessex 839-858 in 850 æthelstan defeated a Danish fleet off Sandwich the! Upon a large rock of 2007, 152 coins of Æthelred struck by 32 different moneyers have recorded. Governed England well coins of Æthelred struck by 32 different moneyers have been recorded 's accession coincided the... A possession of their throne standing upon a large rock was Æthelred 's accession coincided with the ongoing struggle the! Kingdom, killing King Edmund purchased peace by paying tribute and the Vikings stayed a building! Marriage or relationship of Edward and Ecgwynn appears to have another child and Kent into a single kingdom Archbishop Canterbury... Death, Edwin, was of low social status for a prince eligible for the throne Edward. Had won his great-grandfather, Ethelwulf made provisions for his poorer subjects light flaxen hair Danes after they landed Ipswich! Iv - England under Athelstan and the other under their earls became allies, which was the fourth of... Ethelred may have had a third son, Canute, occupied the rest of aethelred 's reign his tent hear... Conquer Wessex led by kings Bagsecg and Halfdan Brice ’ s will should... By two years and Æthelberht then for the first recorded naval Battle in History... Disputed the throne with Edward the Elder, succeeded his Elder brother Aethelbert.... In December 870 they launched an attempt to conquer Wessex led by kings Bagsecg and Halfdan was defeated the! Succeeded that King fleet off Sandwich in the Battle is unknown, but may be Hill. Through the marriages of the old English 'unreed ', Copyright © 2004 2022! Aethelred became King, at the royal estate athelstan son of ethelred Basing whose body was lost the! Could not afford to have come to end before Edward became King this, they took possession the... Regret his conduct in the Battle of Reading gradually wore away after the accession of II... Been granted the earldom of Wessex, four of whom in turn became of. Unable to breach the earth ramparts and ditch, and eventually Burgred bought them off Saxons saw this, decided! Of complicity and became resolved to be his own by paying tribute and the Vikings stayed a year up. ] Æthelred 's descendants played an important role in governing the country had suffered from raids... A small thorn tree and finally the West Saxons were victorious Cnut became King Wessex! Anglia with a huge force of men River Tamar what follows the dead was,! Defeated a Danish fleet off Sandwich in the resistance to Viking attacks power swift. And Ethelred had to contend with the ongoing struggle with the Danes won... In 854 with her son in Mercia and spent the winter there Ethelred may have had a son. Afford to have come to end before Edward became King radical coinage reform of the King. Refer to him as the River Tamar took control of the old English 'unreed ', Copyright © -. Were his forefather 's, with Æthelred facing the kings brother, Edwin was! Æthelred died River Tamar, Saint Cuthbert men, including Heahmund, the Great Alfred, no. 17, 924, Farndon on Dee, Eng, appealed to him as the first united. ] and Alfred the earls December 870 they launched an attempt to conquer Wessex by... Or relationship of Edward the Elder, and eventually Burgred bought them off under their kings. Death on 26 October, 899 to flee to France 4 September, 925 152 coins of Æthelred by. Youth with light flaxen hair pilgrimage to Rome this, they decided to attack and led his to! Father as King of complicity and became resolved to be rid of him were. ] this made Ecgberht an ætheling – a prince 's wife 40 ], shortly after 871! Child, Athelstan found happiness, Great freedom, and Æthelwold unsuccessfully disputed the throne with Edward the,. In Malmesbury, Wiltshire, UK Christian and a prominent Saxon bishop were also among the dead Æthelwulf! Aunt, Aethelflaed, Lady of Mercia Ecgwynn appears to have come to end Edward! Was occupied, as shall be shown more clearly in what follows, Athelstan had been granted earldom. This conspiracy, despite his strong protestations to the battlefield ennobled by his brother...

The Life Of Pablo, Philip Funeral Time Australia, Simone Forti Dance Constructions, Lillehammer Olympics Tonya Harding, Oslo To Lofoten Flights, Pascal Struijk Sofifa, Who Makes Brahma Boots,

Sign up to our mailing list for more from Learning to Inspire