Æthelred : The Unready / Levi Roach.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Roach, Levi, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethelred II, King of England, 968?-1016.

Ethelred.

Great Britain--History--Ethelred II, 979-1016.

Great Britain.

Great Britain--Kings and rulers--Biography.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (401 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2016]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

An imaginative reassessment of Æthelred ";the Unready,"; one of medieval England's most maligned kings and a major Anglo-Saxon figure The Anglo-Saxon king Æthelred ";the Unready"; (978-1016) has long been considered to be inscrutable, irrational, and poorly advised. Infamous for his domestic and international failures, Æthelred was unable to fend off successive Viking raids, leading to the notorious St. Brice's Day Massacre in 1002, during which Danes in England were slaughtered on his orders. Though Æthelred's posthumous standing is dominated by his unsuccessful military leadership, his seemingly blind trust in disloyal associates, and his harsh treatment of political opponents, Roach suggests that Æthelred has been wrongly maligned. Drawing on extensive research, Roach argues that Æthelred was driven by pious concerns about sin, society, and the anticipated apocalypse. His strategies, in this light, were to honor God and find redemption. Chronologically charting Æthelred's life, Roach presents a more accessible character than previously available, illuminating his place in England and Europe at the turn of the first millennium.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

PLATES, MAPS AND FIGURES

A NOTE ON NAME FORMS AND REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABBREVIATIONS AND SHORT TITLES

INTRODUCTION. AN UNREADY AND ILL- COUNSELLED KING?

CHAPTER 1. BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

CHAPTER 2. 'WOE TO THEE, OH LAND, WHEN THY KING IS A CHILD'

CHAPTER 3. THE PRODIGAL SON 984-93

CHAPTER 4. REPENTANCE AND REFORM 993-1002

CHAPTER 5. APOCALYPSE AND INVASION 1002-9

CHAPTER 6. A KINGDOM LOST AND WON 1009-16

CONCLUSION. AN AGE OF ILL COUNSEL?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

INDEX OF CHARTERS

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 29. Feb 2020)

ISBN:

0-300-22520-2

OCLC:

957590663