 Aethelred II , II, son of Edgar King Of England , King Of England and Aelfthryth Elfrida Of Devon Queen Of England , Queen Of England.Born ± 968 at Wessex,England, died Apr 23, 1016 at London,Middlesex,England, approximately 48 years, buried at St. Paul's,London,Middlesex,England Coronation N: 4089 Edgar's sudden death at the age of 33 led to a succession dispute b etween rival factions supporting his sons Edward and Ethelred. The elder son Edward (reigned 975-978) was murdered in 978 at Corfe Castle, Dorset, by hi s seven year old half-brother's supporters. For the rest of Ethelred's reign (reigned 978-1016), his brother became a posthumous rallying point for polit ical unrest; a hostile Church transformed Edward into a royal martyr. Known a s the Un-raed or 'Unready' (meaning no counsel, or that he was unwise), Ethel red failed to win or retain the allegiance of many of his subjects. In 1002, he ordered the massacre of all Danes in England to eliminate potential treach ery. Not being an able soldier, Ethelred defended the country against increa singly rapacious Viking raids from the 980s onwards by diplomatic alliance wi th the duke of Normandy in 991 (he later married the duke's daughter Emma) an d by buying off renewed attacks by the Danes with money levied through a tax called the Danegeld. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1006 was dismissive: 'in sp ite of it all, the Danish army went about as it pleased'. By 1012, 48,000 pou nds of silver was being paid in Danegeld to Danes camped in London. Eventual ly, in 1013, Ethelred fled to Normandy when king Sweyn of Denmark dispossesse d him. Ethelred returned to rule after Sweyn's death in 1014. Ethelred's son E dmund set himself up as an independent ruler in the Danelaw. After Ethelred's death in 1015, Edmund cleared southern England of Danish marauders in a seri es of fiercely fought and highly mobile fighting, but he lost the battle of A shingdon of 1016 (his Mercian allies deserted him) against Sweyn's son Canute , and died in the same year. Before his death, Edmund made an agreement with Canute giving Canute territorial concessions, including Wessex. Edmund was bu ried at Glastonbury. Married 985 at Wessex,England (16 or 17 years married) to:  Elfflaed Elfreda Queen Of England , Queen Of EnglandBorn ± 963 at Wessex,England, died Feb 1001-1002 at Winchester,England, approximately 39 years N: 5200 Of England Aka Aelfgifu Of Wessex. Aka Algifu Of Deira. Aka Aelfgifu Of Coventry. Children: 1. Athelstan (Aethelstan)Born ± 986, died 1015/1016, approximately 29 years B19r-7P Of England Of Wessex, England Killed In Battle, England 2. Egbert, Prince Of EnglandBorn ± 988, died ± 1005 at England, approximately 17 years Of Wessex, England 3. Edmund King Of England II , IIBorn 989 at Wessex,England, died Nov 30, 1016 at England, 26 or 27 years, cause of death: Murdered at instigation of brother in law Edric of England., buried at Glastonbury,Somersetshire,England Coronation N: 5201 4. Edwig, Prince OfBorn ± 991, died 1017 at England, approximately 26 years B19r-B7 Of England Of Wessex, England 9. AethelredaBorn ± 1014 at Dunbar,East Lothian,Scotland 9G9V-V8 9g9v-V8 Of England Of Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland | |||
| 2nd marriage Aethelred II , II, son of Edgar King Of England , King Of England and Aelfthryth Elfrida Of Devon Queen Of England , Queen Of England.Married 1002 (13 or 14 years married) to: Emma Queen Of England , Queen Of England, daughter of Richard I and Gunnor De Crepon.Born ± 982 at Nomandy,France, died 1052 at Winchester,Hampshie,England, approximately 70 years, buried at Winchester, 1st marriage to: Aethelred II , II, 2nd married/ related to: Canute England Denmark King Of , King Of N: 4090 Had An Antagonistic Relationship With Her Son Edward The Confessor. Sister Of The Duke Of Normandy. Of Normandy, France Children: 1. Godgifu Goda Of EnglandBorn ± 1004 at Wessex,England, died 1055 at ,,,England, approximately 51 years N: 6088 Held Lands In Gloucestershire In The Reign Of Her Brother Edward The Confessor. 2. Alfred Prince Of EnglandBorn ± 1002 at ,,Wessex,England, died ± 1036 at ,,,England, approximately 34 years 4. Edward The Confessor King Of England , King Of EnglandBorn between 1002-1005 and Acceded 1042-1066. Edward 'the Confessor' In 1042 Edward 'the Confessor' (reigned 1042-66), Ethelred's surviving son, became King. With few rivals (Canute's line was extinct and Edward's only male relatives were two nephews in exile), Edward was undisputed King; the threat of usurpation by the King of Norway rallied the English and Danes in allegiance to Edward. Brought up in exile in Normandy, Edward lacked military ability or reputation. His Norman sympathies caused tensions with one of Canute's most powerful earls, Godwin of Wessex, whose daughter, Edith, Edward married in 1045 (the marriage was childless). These tensions resulted in the crisis of 1050-52, when Godwin assembled an army to defy Edward. With reinforcements from the earls of Mercia and Northumberland, Edward banished Godwin from the country and sent Queen Edith from court. Edward used the opportunity to appoint Normans to places at court, and as sheriffs at local level. William duke of Normandy may have been designated heir. However, the hostile reaction to this increased Norman influence brought Godwin back. Edward subsequently formed a closer alliance with Godwin's son Harold, who led the army as the King's deputy (he defeated a Welsh incursion in 1055) and whom Edward may have named as heir on his deathbed. Warding off political threats, England during the last 15 years of Edward's reign was relatively peaceful. Prosperity was rising as agricultural techniques improved and the population rose to around one million. Taxation was comparatively light, as Edward was not an extravagant king and lived off the revenues of his own lands (approximately £5,500 a year) - nor did he have to pay for expensive military campaigns. Deeply religious, Edward was responsible for building Westminster Abbey (in the Norman style) and he was buried there after his death in 1066. | |||