Aethelred
the
Unready
-
The
Last
King
of
the
Anglo-Saxons Aethelred
the
Unready
was
the
last
Anglo-Saxon
king
of
England,
ruling
from
978
to
1016
AD.
Though
his
reign
was
marked
by
political
instability
and
military
defeat,
Aethelred
still
remains
an
interesting
figure
in
English
history. Born
in
966
AD,
Aethelred
was
just
ten
years
old
when
his
half-brother
King
Edward
the
Martyr
was
assassinated,
leading
to
his
own
ascension
to
the
throne.
However,
his
reign
was
marked
by
constant
invasions
from
Viking
raiders,
whom
he
unsuccessfully
tried
to
pay
off
with
large
sums
of
money.
Aethelred's
lack
of
military
prowess
and
poor
leadership
skills
only
made
matters
worse,
leading
to
the
loss
of
huge
swathes
of
English
territory
to
the
Vikings. Despite
his
failings,
Aethelred
was
still
a
devout
Christian
and
appointed
many
bishops
and
archbishops
during
his
reign.
He
also
commissioned
the
building
of
many
churches
across
England,
cementing
Christianity's
place
as
the
dominant
religion. However,
Aethelred's
reign
was
cut
short
by
the
arrival
of
the
Viking
king
Sweyn
Forkbeard
in
1013
AD.
Sweyn
defeated
Aethelred's
army
and
took
the
throne,
sending
Aethelred
into
exile
in
Normandy.
However,
Sweyn's
sudden
death
in
1014
gave
Aethelred
a
chance
to
reclaim
his
throne,
which
he
did
with
the
help
of
his
son
Edmund
Ironside. Sadly,
this
reunion
was
short-lived,
as
Aethelred
himself
died
the
following
year.
His
reign
may
have
been
flawed,
but
his
legacy
lives
on,
not
only
in
the
a{研习更多 优秀名字常识请关注 :好名网，Www.imhAOmIng.cOm』rchitecture
he
helped
to
create,
but
also
in
the
many
English
monarchs
that
followed
him.