General Notes

[baeldaeg.FTW]

Aethelred I becomes King of Wessex in 866, at the same time the Danes conquer East Anglia. He is killed in the Battle of Merton while fighting the Danes, and is succeeded by his brother, Alfred 'The Great'.
---------
Anglo-Saxon king of Wessex, and son of King Æthelwulf, who ruled England during a time of great pressure from the invading Danes. He was an affable man, a devoutly religious man and the older brother of Alfred the Great, his second-in-command in the resistance against the invaders. Together, they defeated the Danish kings Bagseg and Halfdan at the battle of Ashdown in 870.
Source: www.britannia.com

Created by:
Pat Adams
2111 Albemarle Terrace
Brooklyn, NY  11226-3905
(718) 469-4032

King of the West Saxons in England.

   King of the West Saxons (866?- 871) in England, son of Æ thelwulf and brother of Alfred.  He succeeded his brother Æ thelbert as king and as overking of Kent and possibly of Ea st Anglia.  He appears also to have had some sort of hegemo ny over Meria, where his brother-in-law, Buhred, reigned .  Æthelred spent most of his short reign in gathering toge ther his forces to oppose the Danes, who had taken York (86 7) and ravaged much of England.  Ever increasing conflict l ed to the "year of battles," 871.  Alfred, known as "secund arius," was an important factor in the fighting.  A littl e after Easter, Æthelred died, leaving the kingdom to his b rother.

King of the West Saxons in England.

   King of the West Saxons (866?- 871) in England, son of Æ thelwulf and brother of Alfred.  He succeeded his brother Æ thelbert as king and as overking of Kent and possibly of Ea st Anglia.  He appears also to have had some sort of hegemo ny over Meria, where his brother-in-law, Buhred, reigned .  Æthelred spent most of his short reign in gathering toge ther his forces to oppose the Danes, who had taken York (86 7) and ravaged much of England.  Ever increasing conflict l ed to the "year of battles," 871.  Alfred, known as "secund arius," was an important factor in the fighting.  A littl e after Easter, Æthelred died, leaving the kingdom to his b rother.

Source: Weis, Frederick Lewis, Ancestral Roots, Seventh Edition,Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, [1992], 1B-15.

NOTE: The vikings launched a full scale invasion of England. He died after his
victory as Ashdown leaving his brother to fight on.
Some say buried at Sherborne Abbey. He was reputed as a Saint after his death.

1st person~researcher verified: Jim Young, P.O. Box 101, Ellsworth, OH, 44416, email: Tyrrian@US5.com
NOTE: The vikings launched a full scale invasion of England. He died after his
victory as Ashdown leaving his brother to fight on.
Some say buried at Sherborne Abbey. He was reputed as a Saint after his death.

SOUR: @S54@

1st person~researcher verified: Jim Young, P.O. Box 101, Ellsworth, OH, 44416, email: Tyrrian@US5.com

!King of the West Saxons (866-71). [Funk & Wagnalls]

FOSTER, MINOR, NEWLIN, WAITE LINES

!865 - succeeds his brother Ethelbert I as king of England [Timetables of History]

!King of the West Saxons and Kentishmen. [The Story of England]

!At the time of his reign the Northmen were settled on the coast of Ireland and the coast of Gaul; they were masters of the sea; and from west and east alike they closed upon Britain.  While one host from Ireland fell on the Scot kingdom north of the Firth of Forth, another from Scandinavia landed in 866 on the coast of East Anglia under Hubba and marched the next year upon York.  Mercia was saved from the Norsemen by King Ethelred when he marched to Nottingham in 868, but it was only a brief respite.  The Norsemen soon resumed their attacks. Ethelred was killed fighting the Norsemen who invaded the tongue of land between the Kennet and the Thames. [WBH - England]

!After the death of Ethelbald, if he were childless, the succession of Wessex was left to Ethelred, 3rd son, and to Alfred.  In little more than 2 years after the decease of his father, King Ethelbald dies.  Alfred is now 12 years old.  The two younger brothers assert no claim to the separate sovereignty, and Ethelbert of Kent is king also of the other dominions.  There is no doubt that Alfred lived with his reigning brother, as documents exist bearing both their signatures.  He, as well as Ethelred, had given up the patrimonial inheritance to him who was to maintain the dignity of the family and the safety of the kingdom. Some say he died "worn down with numberless labours" after fighting numerous battles with the invading Danes; some say it was from a fatal
wound in the battle of Merton.  Died leaving two infant sons, but since Alfred ruled jointly with him, he succeeded Ethelred. [Knight's Popular History of England, Vol. 1, p. 101, 116]

!Son of Aethelwulf; reigned 865-71. [Chronicle of the Royal Family, chart]

Son of Aethelwulf and Osburh; king of Wessex 868-72; father of Aethelhelm. [Ancestral Roots, p. 5]

Son of Ethelwulf, King of Wessex, and Osburh. [WFT Vol 1 Ped 986]