[4][5] The Vikings went on to attack Wessex, leaving Ceolwulf free to renew Mercian claims of hegemony in Wales. His rule was confined to the western half, as eastern Mercia was then part of the Viking-ruled Danelaw.Æthelred's ancestry is unknown. In 1006 King Æthelred … When Æthelred attained the throne, England had been a united kingdom for a mere forty years, and allegiances to kin were still far stronger than any oaths made to a distant king. [44], After Æthelred's death in 911, Æthelflæd ruled as "Lady of the Mercians", but she did not inherit the Mercian territories of London and Oxford, which were taken by Edward. Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians (or Ealdorman Æthelred of Mercia; died 911) became ruler of English Mercia shortly after the death of its last king, Ceolwulf II in 879. Just re: Æthelred. Neither Edgar (959-975) nor his son Æ thelred (978-1016) came to the throne free from controversy. The Last Kingdom's long haired, sword-wielding warrior has allegiances on both sides, fighting in King Alfred’s Saxon army despite having an adopted Danish brother. Cnut’s army had not completed its preparations and, in April 1014, he decided to withdraw from England without a fight leaving his Lindsey allies to suffer Æthelred’s revenge. Keynes points out that according to Asser, the Welsh king Anarawd submitted to Alfred on the same terms as Æthelred—"Namely that in every respect he would be obedient to the royal will". Æthelred was the lord of Mercia and the husband of Æthelflæd. Æthelwold of Wessex was a main character in both The Saxon Stories novel series and The Last Kingdom television series. Egbert briefly conquered Mercia, but it recovered its independence in 830, and thereafter the two kingdoms became allies, which was to be an important factor in English resistance to the Vikings. All rights reserved to Colby Griffin and Steve Kozuch of The Screen Chronicles. 42–43, Keynes, "Edward, King of the Anglo-Saxons", pp. Music by Dan Bonnett (C) 2019. Both of them succeeded their elder brothers, who reigned only briefly. [42] In Michael Livingston's view, he campaigned with Edward in Northumbria in 909, and may have died as a result of wounds sustained at the Battle of Tettenhall in 910. Later in the year, a larger Viking force marched from Essex through Mercia to the Welsh border, followed by Æthelred with a joint force of Mercians and West Saxons. Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians (or Ealdorman Æthelred of Mercia; died 911) became ruler of English Mercia shortly after the death of its last king, Ceolwulf II in 879. The same year, Burgred married Æthelwulf's daughter. The Last Kingdom is set in ninth-century England when Alfred the Great ruled Wessex and eventually became King of the Anglo-Saxons. However, it's not accurate to Uhtred's. [5] Cyril Hart and Maggie Bailey believe that it occurred by 902. [45], Gloucester seems to have been the main seat of Æthelred's and Æthelflæd's power,[46] and before 900 they founded a new minster there, dedicated to St Peter. [21] Some versions of the Chronicle state that Alfred besieged London in 883, and Simon Keynes argues that Alfred probably took London at that time and that the "occupation" in 886 may have been a restoration of London's defences following Viking attacks close to the city in 885. The murder of Æthelred’s half-brother King Edward by men who had sworn loyalty to him is a sign of unrest that didn’t end with the new king’s coronation. The alliance was cemented by the marriage of Æthelred to Alfred's daughter Æthelflæd. Æthelred then launched an expedition against Cnut and his allies, the men of the Kingdom of Lindsey. Also check out our guest's social media and other projects in the links below. Alhhelm was responsible for the lands bordering the northern Danelaw. The East Anglians were forced to buy peace, and the following year the Vikings invaded Northumbria, where they established an obscure Northumbrian man called Egbert as puppet king in 867. Maybe they are right. [7] He may have been related to King Alfred's Mercian father-in-law, Æthelred Mucel, and brother-in-law, Æthelwulf, who appears to have been a member of Æthelred's court from the mid 880s. He may have been related to King Alfred's Mercian father-in-law, Æthelred Mucel, and brother-in-law, Æthelwulf, who appears to have been a member of Æthelred's court from the mid 880s. Prince Æthelred of Wessex(meaning Noble Counsel in Old English) was the son of Judith and Aethelwulf heir to the throne of Wessex and half-brother of Judith's bastard son (with Athelstan) KingAlfred. At almost the same time as Alfred's victory over the Vikings in 878 at the Battle of Edington, Ceolwulf defeated and killed Rhodri Mawr, king of the north Welsh territory of Gwynedd. His rule was confined to the western half, as eastern Mercia was then part of the Viking-ruled Danelaw. According to a transcript dating from 1304 in York's archives, in 925 Æthelstan gave a grant of privileges to St Oswald's Priory in Gloucester "according to a pact of paternal piety which formerly he pledged with Æthelred, ealdorman of the people of the Mercians". The Screen Chronicles Interview Toby Regbo. After the defeat of one Viking leader, Hastein, Alfred became godfather to one of Hastein's two sons and Æthelred to the other. He married Æthelflæd (c872-918) 886 JL in England, United Kingdom. Let us know your favorite works and/or moments from Toby Regbo in the comments below! [41] Martin Ryan also makes no mention of a decline in Æthelred's health, describing him as joining Edward in encouraging thegns to purchase land in Viking territories. Ceolwulf was described by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as "a foolish king's thegn" who was a puppet of the Vikings, but the historian Ann Williams regards this view as partial and distorted: he was accepted as a true king by the Mercians and by King Alfred. Bailey cites "Mercian Register"[b] entries from 902 showing Æthelflæd acting alone or in conjunction with Edward in military operations. Don't forget to check out our other cast chats with members from The Last Kingdom and our Season 4 recaps and please like and subscribe! Æthelflæd was born into this world of war and looming invasion probably a year before Alfred came to the throne of Wessex in AD 871. Æthelred became a monk at Bardney, a monastery which he had founded with his wife, and was buried there. Charles-Edwards suggests that in 881–882 he tried to maintain his dominance in south-east Wales, but Alfred offered his protection to Glywysing and Gwent, and in 882–883 Æthelred accepted that West Saxon power made continued independence impossible. The couple's only child, a daughter called Ælfwynn, then ruled briefly until deposed by her uncle, King Edward. He ended his days on St. George’s day; having held his kingdom … (C) 2020 Copyright. In t s s the Vikings partitioned Mercia, taking Aethelred appears to be both the perfect match for Aethelflaed and a good ally for Alfred as he strives to extend his influence outside Wessex. [23], After the restoration of London, Alfred received the submission of "all the English people who were not under subjection to the Danes",[25] and the alliance between Wessex and Mercia was cemented by the marriage of Æthelred to Alfred's oldest daughter, Æthelflæd. Even Cornwell admits in his historical notes the real Æthelred was a great hero and he has done him a great disservice for the drama of his story to create a rivalry between him and Uhtred. Saxon 1 - The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell Author:Bernard Cornwell , Date: April 11, 2014 ,Views: 106 ... Englishmen talk of the battle of Æsc’s Hill, they speak of God giving the West Saxons the victory because King Æthelred and his brother Alfred were praying when the Danes appeared. [32] Keynes sees Æthelfrith as an ealdorman of West Saxon origin, probably appointed by Alfred to look after his interests in south-east Mercia. See more ideas about the last kingdom, kingdom, uhtred of bebbanburg. One of the burhs was Worcester, where Æthelred worked with its bishop and used the standing Roman walls in the town's defences. [50] West Saxon sources refer to him as an ealdorman, emphasising Mercian subordination to the West Saxon monarchy, whereas Mercian ones describe him as Lord of the Mercians, and Celtic ones sometimes as King of Mercia. [8] In the view of Ian Walker: "He was a royal ealdorman whose power base lay in the south-west of Mercia in the former kingdom of the Hwicce around Gloucester. ent kingdom under Æthelred and Æthelflæd but they agree that Æthelflæd was a great ruler who played an important part in the conquest of the Danelaw. Make sure to watch Toby Regbo on The Last Kingdom streaming on Netflix now! He was probably the leader of an unsuccessful Mercian invasion of Wales in 881, and soon afterwards he acknowledged the lordship of King Alfred the Great of Wessex. His rule was confined to the western half, as eastern Mercia was then part of the Viking-ruled Danelaw. Soon afterwards, the English captured Hastein's wife and children, but they were returned to him because the sons were godsons of the English leaders. Toby Regbo portrays lord of Mercia, Æthelred on The Last Kingdom, as well as young Dumbledore in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians (or Ealdorman Æthelred of Mercia; died 911) became ruler of English Mercia shortly after the death of its last king, Ceolwulf II in 879. A: He’s an ambitious boy-man who hasn’t really developed an emotional maturity. "[11] However, Alex Woolf suggests that he was probably the son of King Burgred of Mercia and Æthelswith, sister of Alfred the Great, although that would mean that Æthelred's marriage was uncanonical, as Rome then forbade marriage between first cousins.[12]. Mercia was the dominant kingdom in southern England in the eighth century, and maintained its position until it suffered a decisive defeat by King Egbert of Wessex at the Battle of Ellendun in 825. The bones were translated to the new Gloucester minster, which was renamed St Oswald's Priory in his honour. His passing was noted in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in an entry that was probably written within a decade of his death:. [4], In 877 the Vikings divided Mercia, taking the eastern part for themselves and leaving Ceolwulf with the west. In 909 a West Saxon and Mercian army raided Viking territory and seized the bones of the Northumbrian king and martyr, St Oswald, from Bardney in Lincolnshire. In 901 they gave land to Much Wenlock Abbey, and donated a gold chalice weighing thirty mancuses in honour of its former abbess, Saint Mildburgh. This was described by Welsh annals as "revenge by God for Rhodri". [54], King Edward's influence over Mercia is unclear, and he may have had less power than his father. [51] Coinage issued in English Mercia in Ceolred's time named him as king, but in Æthelred's time it named the West Saxon king,[52] yet Æthelred issued some charters in his own name, implying royal authority. Also, he doesn’t understand women and the fact that they can be powerful. [19] According to Frank Stenton, Alfred recovered London by force from the Vikings and handed it to Æthelred because it had previously been a Mercian town, and he respected the traditions of other kingdoms. [13] According to Alfred's Welsh biographer Asser, Æthelred's "might and tyrannical behaviour" forced these kingdoms to submit to the protection of King Alfred's lordship. On the show, King Alfred is, of course, based on Alfred the great, therefore the show's era is accurate to his character. They were not usually given the title of regina (queen), an omission which Alfred the Great justified on the ground of the misconduct of a queen at the beginning of the ninth century. The first episode focuses on the Danish characters, while they do act cruel to the Anglo-Saxons they are also fun-loving and one of them, Earl Ragner, shows much affection to Uhtred. Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians (or Ealdorman Æthelred of Mercia; died 911) became ruler of English Mercia shortly after the death of its last king, Ceolwulf II in 879. Date of birth: ca. 5–6, Heighway, "Gloucester and the new minster of St Oswald", pp. 20–21, 29, Keynes, "King Alfred and the Mercians", p. 22, Keynes, "King Alfred and the Mercians", pp. She ... and Ceolwulf became the last King of Mercia with their support. 21–24, Keynes, "King Alfred and the Mercians", pp. [28], In 892, two Viking armies attacked eastern England, and Æthelred took part in the defence. Æthelflæd's uncle, Æthelwulf, controlled western and possibly central Mercia, while the south and east were ruled by Æthelfrith, the father of Æthelstan Half-King. [1] The Mercians traditionally held overlordship over Wales, and in 853 King Burgred of Mercia obtained the assistance of King Æthelwulf of Wessex in an invasion of Wales in order to reassert their hegemony. 1. Æthelred I, sometimes rendered as Ethelred, was born in Circa 847 in Wessex, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom located in the south of Great Britain. Place of birth: Unknown. [5][29] In 893, Æthelred brought troops from London to join Alfred's son Edward against a Viking army at Thorney in Buckinghamshire, but the Vikings were too strong for a direct attack so they were allowed to leave English territory. 43–44, Ryan, "Conquest, Reform and the Making of England", pp. [57] To the Welsh and Irish looking east, Mercian rulers still kept all their old regality until Æthelflæd's death in 918, and Nick Higham argues that: "Celtic visions of Æthelred and Æthelflæd as king and queen certainly offer a different, and equally valid, contemporary take on the complex politics of this transition to a new English state."[58]. Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians (or Ealdorman Æthelred of Mercia; died 911) became ruler of English Mercia shortly after the death of its last king, Ceolwulf II in 879. The Last Kingdom: Meet the New Season 4 Characters. When Æthelred died in London on 23 April 1016 [see below], he held little more than London and the surrounding area. After King Æthelred was mortally wounded in battle, the Witan chooses Alfred … For other uses, see, 9th and 10th-century ruler of Mercia in England. Æthelred's last two years as king were spent in a struggle with Sweyn's son Cnut. [43], According to William of Malmesbury, King Edward's eldest son, the future King Æthelstan, was sent to be brought up at the court of Æthelred and Æthelflæd after Edward remarried in about 900. After Æthelred's death, Æthelflæd ruled as Lady of the Mercians until her own death in 918. [5] Alfred P. Smyth suggests that the Chronicle's account reflects bias in Alfred's favour, and that Æthelred took charge because he had a greater role in London's recovery than the West Saxon chronicler was willing to admit. This is supported by one independent piece of evidence. At some time in the decade 899 to 909, Æthelred's health may have declined, and Æthelflæd may have become the effective ruler of Mercia. Æthelred II, also known as Ethelred II, or Æthelred ‘the Unready’, is a teenager when he succeeds his brother as King of England in 978. He’s quite scared of the idea of not being able to control his marriage because if he can’t con He then handed control to Æthelred. His rule was confined to the western half, as eastern Mercia was then part of the Viking-ruled Danelaw. The area had been under the rule of that dynasty since 519 AD. Æthelflæd died in 918, and their daughter Ælfwynn briefly ruled Mercia until deposed by Edward the Elder, who took the territory under his direct control. For much of the time, Alfred had been in the west country defending Devonshire, and in the view of Richard Abels: "King Alfred had little to do directly with the great victories enjoyed by the English in 893–896. Æthelred succeeded to the throne on Æthelberht's death in 865, and he married Wulfthrythat an unknown date. [16], After the Battle of Edington in 878, Alfred established a network of fortified settlements, called burhs, in Wessex to protect his people and territory against Viking attacks, and when Æthelred accepted Alfred's lordship the burhs were extended into Mercia. Æthelred, Lord of Mercia was born 9999 in England, United Kingdom (Mercia) and died 911 inEngland, United Kingdom (Mercia) of unspecified causes. For others named Æthelred, see Æthelred of Wessexor Æthelred Mucel. Æthelred II, Anglo-Saxon king of England, died on 23 April, 1016. He spent the next three years fighting them alongside Alfred's son, the future King Edward the Elder. [55], Pauline Stafford comments that "Alfred's dominance in the 890s over Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians, was as debatable at the time as it still is. In 886, Alfred took possession of London, which had suffered greatly from several Viking occupations; as it had traditionally been a Mercian town, he handed control to Æthelred. During the first episode, Uhtred's father and his army are slaughtered by the Danes soon after they arrive by sea. He marries twice, and among his many children there are two who will succeed him as King of England. Æthelred moved quickly to restore the area; in 889 he and Alfred granted property there to the Bishop of Worcester, and in 899 they made another grant to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Æthelreds ancestry is unknown. Both Æthelred and Æthelflæd were buried there. Q: Talk us through the character of Aethelred? Our first look at Uhtred’s new rival, grown-up daughter, her love interest, and Aethelred’s new mistress in The Last Kingdom … Toby Regbo | Portraying Æthelred on The Last Kingdom - YouTube [22], Anglo-Saxon London, called Lundenwic, was located a mile west of Roman Londinium, but Lundenwic was undefended, and the restoration was carried out inside the walls of the old Roman city, especially an area close to the River Thames now called Queenhithe, but which was then known as Æthelred's Hythe after its Mercian ruler. His son, Edward, and his ealdormen, in particular his son-in-law, Æthelred, had won the glory. Keynes regards the designation "K. [King] Æthelred II" in the Handbook of British Chronology as a "delightfully provocative" extension of the "received wisdom" that Mercia retained a real measure of independence in Æthelred's time. His own father considered him an unsuitable heir because of his debauchery and youthful lack of concern for the kingdom's business. [4], Æthelred's descent is unknown, and he does not appear to have been closely related to his immediate predecessors, although his name suggests possible descent from earlier Mercian kings. King Eadwig succeeded his uncle in 955, while his brother Edgar was declared king in Mercia and the … In 886 Alfred took possession of London, and according to Asser he "restored" the city and "made it habitable again". 296–298, Stafford, "'The Annals of Æthelflæd', p. 112, Keynes, "Edward, King of the Anglo-Saxons", pp. She is first recorded as Æthelred's wife in a charter of 887, but Keynes thinks that the marriage may have taken place two or three years earlier,[26] and the historian Maggie Bailey dates it to between 882 and 887, with the most likely political context being the occupation of London in 886. Over the next two generations Worcester was transformed from an ecclesiastical settlement to a town with a diverse population of craftsmen. Æthelred's wife, Osthryth, was a daughter of King Oswiu, one of the dominant 7th-century Northumbrian kings. 968. The Last Kingdom airs on Netflix and the popular historical drama has been renewed for a fifth season. 24–25, Keynes, "King Alfred and the Mercians", p. 27, Charles-Edwards, "Alliances, Godfathers", p. 57, Keynes, "King Alfred and the Mercians", p. 21, n. 90, Keynes, "Edward, King of the Anglo-Saxons", pp. The defeat forced Æthelred to abandon his ambitions in north Wales, but he continued to exercise overlordship over the south-eastern Welsh kingdoms of Glywysing and Gwent. In 892 the Vikings renewed their attacks, and the following year Æthelred led an army of Mercians, West Saxons and Welsh to victory over a Viking army at the Battle of Buttington. In the view of Ann Williams, "though he accepted West Saxon overlordship, Æthelred behaved rather as a king of Mercia than an ealdorman",[50] and Charles Insley states that Mercia remained an independent kingdom until 920. [59][60][c] However, Keynes also says: This article is about the Lord of the Mercians. No original charter of Edward survives, and S 221, The "Mercian Register" (also known as the "Annals of Æthelflæd") is the name given by historians to entries from 902 to 924 in several versions of the, Keynes, "King Alfred and the Mercians", p. 19, Keynes, "King Alfred and the Mercians", pp. Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians became ruler of English Mercia shortly after the death of its last king, Ceolwulf II in 879. [a] In 903 they negotiated a settlement over a former monastic estate which the bishops of Worcester had been trying to recover since the 840s, and Bishop Wærferth wrote "we never could get anywhere until Æthelred became lord of the Mercians". He himself then sent my mother and myself away under the care of a bishop of Wessex, the kingdom of King Æthelred, the last of two sons of Æthelwulf and grandson of the mighty Egbert, who once held a great deal of respect from those in Northumbria as well. [5] They had a daughter, Ælfwynn, and according to the twelfth century chronicler, William of Malmesbury, she was their only child. Perhaps born in the 860s, he was too young to succeed his father in 871. [27][53] The late tenth-century chronicler Æthelweard, in his annal for 893, called Æthelred "King of the Mercians", but recorded his death in 911 as that of the "Lord of the Mercians". 103, 108, Ryan, "Conquest, Reform and the Making of England", p. 298, Lyon, "The Coinage of Edward the Elder", p. 67, Keynes, "Edward, King of the Anglo-Saxons", p. 43, Keynes, "Edward, King of the Anglo-Saxons", pp. [39] In 1998 Keynes suggested that Æthelred may have been incapacitated by illness at the end of his life,[40] but in a summary of his career in 2014 Keynes does not mention this, stating that Æthelred and Æthelflæd cooperated with King Edward in campaigns against the Vikings. [33], Evidence from charters show that Æthelred and Æthelflæd supported religious communities. The first episode portrays the Anglo-Saxons as unprepared for war with the Danes and too dependent on their priests. The following year, the Vikings conquered East Anglia. [36], Some historians believe that at an unknown time in the decade 899 to 909, Æthelred's health collapsed and Æthelflæd became the effective ruler of Mercia. "[31], In the last years of the ninth century, three sub-ealdormen ruled Mercia under Æthelred. The name of Æthelred's wife is only known because she was recorded as a witness to one charter, S 340 of 868, where she is shown … Last time I gave a brief overview of the events leading up to the reign of Æthelred the 'Unready', son of King Edgar. 296–299, Livingston, "The Roads to Brunanburh", pp. [6] After Ceolwulf's disappearance in 879, Mercia began to fall under the hegemony of Wessex. Played by Toby Regbo. [5][30] The Viking army finally dispersed in 896. By 883, he had been replaced by Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians, who became ruler of Mercia with … 52–54, Keynes, "King Alfred and the Mercians", p. 37, n. 159, Ryan, "Conquest, Reform and the Making of England", pp. [8][9] Æthelred may have been the man of the same name who attested two Mercian charters in the late 860s,[10] but he is not listed in the two surviving charters of Ceolwulf. Æthelred's descent is unknown, and he does not appear to have been closely related to his immediate predecessors, although his name suggests possible descent from earlier Mercian kings.