Æthelred 'the Unready' becomes King

Historical Context Note

Alice Hicklin (University of Cambridge)

Ed. by Richard William Dance, University of Cambridge
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.01: English Writing and Culture: Old English, 500-1066.
Vol. editors: Richard William Dance (University of Cambridge), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast)

Domains

Changes of government, elections and reigns

Dates

Date of occurrence 978-1016

Places

England (Location)

Resources

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Æthelred rose to power in the wake of his half-brother’s Edward’s murder at Corfe. The younger son of King Edgar, aged no more than twelve years old, Æthelred was anointed king ‘with much rejoicing’ at Kingston, Surrey, on 4 May 979, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

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46 words

Citation: Hicklin, Alice. "Æthelred 'the Unready' becomes King". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 June 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1942, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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