Aethelred "the Monk"
(865 - 915)
Aethelred was born as fourth of five sons of Aethelwulf and his wife Osburh in the year 840. When his father died in 858, his two older brothers Aethelbald and Aethelbehrt ruled Wessex for short periods of time each until Aethelbehrt died in 865 and Aethelred became King of Wessex at age 25.
Aethelred was married to Judith of Welf as of 867 and had three children with her:
Edmund (* 871; + 888)
Edgar (* 872)
Alfred (* 875)
He had another son called Aethelstan (* 874 ?) with a woman named Aethelthryth, whom he legitimized in his late years. He died on 29th November 915 at age 75 probably due to old age in Winchester.
Early years and the Viking threat
In 865, the year Aethelred ascended to the throne, the Great Heathen Army made landfall in Britain. Despite the efforts of an Alliance of Saxon kings, the Viking leaders Halfdan "Whiteshirt" and Ivar "the Boneless", allegedly both sons of the legendary Ragnar Lodbrok, could subdue Northumbria and East Anglia by 868.
Additionally an invasion force from Jylland appeared on the shores of Wessex in 869 in order to establish another Viking realm, but within the next two years an Anglo-Saxon alliance could repel the invaders after an exhausting campaign.
In the year 871, the most pressing threats had passed. Nevertheless the Viking Era was not over. The Kingdom of Mercia had to face its northern neighbors in several wars over the next decades and the shores of all Saxon kingdoms fell victim to several short but brutal raids by forces from Scandinavia. The most haunted region in Wessex became the southeast, with the counties of Kent, Sussex and Middlesex being raided at least ten times each until 915.
Consolidation and first expansion
During the next 15 years, Aethelred focused on consolidating his realm. Archaeological evidence shows, that throughout the late 9th century numerous settlements were fortified as a reaction to the Viking threat from the north and the sea. Additionally Wessex began during the 880s to establish ports along the southern coast. Although this led to better trade connections with the mainland, there are no signs, that the Kingdom raised an own fleet to protect this trade, that probably fell victim to Viking pirates on a regular basis.
During the same time, Aethelred began to look to the southwest. In a first war versus King Dumnarth II of Cornwall in 877/878 he could gain the county of Devon after the battle of Tintagel. During the next years, the expanding Viking Kingdom of Brittany seized the remnants of Cornwall. After a successful rebellion by local nobles under the leadership of Mats of Guerande, Aethelred decided to intervene and occupy Cornwall in 884.
The North and conflict with Mercia
During these years, the situation in the north had considerably changed. The invasion of 865 was led by an army of Vikings, that became the new ruling elite in their respective realms. The main difference between nobility and population was, that the folk belonged to the Christian faith, while the invaders brought their Norse religion with them. Especially Ivar "the Boneless" realized, that this could cause frictions within his realm and converted to Christianity soon. This led to conflicts with his own brother Halfdan, who sticked to the old faith. By the end of the 880s he had conquered more territories and established the Kingdom of Skotland, while Halfdan`s realm was reduced to Jorvik and East Anglia.
This development allowed Mercia to consolidate and gain the county of Lancaster from Halfdan. During the next nearly three decades a new antagonism between Mercia and Wessex evolved. The main cause was, that Aethelred, after having conquered Cornwall, had to face north for further expansion. Additionally King Borghred of Mercia had died in 884 and his son Wiglaf, who was also Aethelred`s nephew, made a claim to the Kingdom of Wessex.
During four wars (887-889; 894-895; 901-902; 912-913) Aethelred could repel the attempts of Wiglaf to invade Wessex as well as expand northward by occupying Bedford and Northampton. The battle of Cambridge 913, where the Mercian army was completely destroyed (although the amount of 30.000 dead as mentioned in the Winchester chronicle is most probably exaggerated), is seen as turning point, that did cement the supremacy of Wessex over his rival.
In the meantime Aethelred also had to fight the Kingdom of Skotland, that still held East Anglia. King Ivar "the Boneless" had died in 894, so Aethelred had to deal with his successor Gudfrid "the Cruel". In a first war from 900-902 Aethelred did benefit from the fact, that Gudfrid was distracted by a rebellion in the north, that led to the foundation of the Duchy of Moray. In 902 Aethelred gained the county of Suffolk and released Queen Agathe of Skotland, who got captured the year before.
The final war versus Skotland began in 905 and proved to be the hardest conflict during Aethelred`s reign. Gudfrid was well prepared for the attack and it was only due to the help of Saxon mercenaries from the mainland, that Wessex could win the battle of Appleby in 906. Despite this success, the war went on for another two years, before Gudfrid agreed to cede the county of Norfolk.
Fig. 1: The British Isles in 915
Late years and the Kingdom of England
913, when his last war versus Mercia was over, Aethelred was 73 years old. Despite, or maybe due to this great age, he decided to perform the last and probably most important event of his life. In the previous years he had already held the titles of a Duke of Hwicce and Essex. Now, with a considerably larger realm, he decided to make the logical next step. On 22nd November 913 he was crowned King of England in Winchester Cathedral. During the remaining two years of his reign, King Aethelred more or less retired from political life.
Aftermath
Without any doubt Aethelred is a pivotal figure in English history. He preserved his realm during the Viking era, eliminated rivals, enlarged his realm and transformed it into a larger and more stable Kingdom.
Due to this importance his epithet "the Monk" caused a lot of confusion among historians. This nickname is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon chronicle for the year 891 and it is believed, that it is indeed contemporary. Two theories for its origin have evolved over time.
One theory is, that it shall describe a distinctly spiritual character. Although there is mentioned, that he had an experience of enlightenment in the 880s, neither his rather hedonist lifestyle prior to this event nor his political actions afterward, that can be described as reckless even by the standards of his time, justify such an interpretation. The second theory is, that it is a hint towards an educated character. This version has more supporters, although this results out of the fact, that there is no evidence that proves or disproves it. A legend, according to which Aethelred has tried to construct a primitive flying machine, has been debunked as invention of the late 18th century.