1,932 words
You’ve probably heard at some point or another of the Anglo-Saxon king Æthelred the Unready. His name means nobly advised, or well-advised. His moniker, the Unready — Unræed in Old English — means unadvised, or poorly advised. Æthelred presided over England’s defeats by the Danish, first against Sweyn (Sven) Forkbeard and after that to Sweyn’s son Canute (Knut) the Great. While he did regain his throne, it is doubtful whether the old Anglo-Saxon Kingdom and the Wessex/Cerdicing dynasty ever recovered. The tragedy at Hastings was midwifed by Æthelred’s poor counsel. (more…)