50th Generation (Continued)
Family of Edgar the Peaceful King of England (408) & Aelfthryth\Elfrida of Devon

423. AEthelred II the Unready King of England, 31G Grandfather, M. Born abt 0968 in Wessex, England. AEthelred II the Unready King of died in London, England on 23 Apr 1016, he was 48. Buried in 1016 in St Paul's, London, Middlesex, England.

Edgar's sudden death at the age of 33 led to a succession dispute b etween rival factions supporting his sons Edward and Ethelred. The elder son Edward (reigned 975-978) was murdered in 978 at Corfe Castle, Dorset, by hi s seven year old half-brother's supporters. For the rest of Ethelred's reign (reigned 978-1016), his brother became a posthumous rallying point for polit ical unrest; a hostile Church transformed Edward into a royal martyr. Known a s the Un-raed or 'Unready' (meaning no counsel, or that he was unwise), Ethel red failed to win or retain the allegiance of many of his subjects. In 1002, he ordered the massacre of all Danes in England to eliminate potential treach ery. Not being an able soldier, Ethelred defended the country against increa singly rapacious Viking raids from the 980s onwards by diplomatic alliance wi th the duke of Normandy in 991 (he later married the duke's daughter Emma) an d by buying off renewed attacks by the Danes with money levied through a tax called the Danegeld. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1006 was dismissive: 'in sp ite of it all, the Danish army went about as it pleased'. By 1012, 48,000 pou nds of silver was being paid in Danegeld to Danes camped in London. Eventual ly, in 1013, Ethelred fled to Normandy when king Sweyn of Denmark dispossesse d him. Ethelred returned to rule after Sweyn's death in 1014. Ethelred's son E dmund set himself up as an independent ruler in the Danelaw. After Ethelred's death in 1015, Edmund cleared southern England of Danish marauders in a seri es of fiercely fought and highly mobile fighting, but he lost the battle of A shingdon of 1016 (his Mercian allies deserted him) against Sweyn's son Canute , and died in the same year. Before his death, Edmund made an agreement with Canute
giving Canute territorial concessions, including Wessex.

In 1002 when AEthelred II the Unready King of was 34, he first married Emma of Normandy (187) , 34G Grandmother, F, daughter of Richard I the Fearless Duke of Normandy (165), M (28 Aug 0933-20 Nov 0996) & Gunnor de Crepon, F (0936-1031), in Normandy, France. Born abt 0982 in Nomandy, France. Emma of died in Winchester, Hampshie, England on 6 Mar 1051/52, she was 69.

They had the following children:
i. Edward the Confessor King of, Half 31G Uncle, M. Born abt 1002 in Islip, Oxfordshire, England. Edward the Confessor King of died in Palace of Westminster, London on 5 Jan 1065/66, he was 63. Buried in Westminster Abbey.

REFN: 4092 In 1042 Edward 'the Confessor' (reigned 1042-66), Ethelred's surviv ing son, became King. With few rivals (Canute's line was extinct and Edward's only male relatives were two nephews in exile), Edward was undisputed King ; the threat of usurpation by the King of Norway rallied the English and Dane s in allegiance to Edward. Brought up in exile in Normandy, Edward lacked mil itary ability or reputation. His Norman sympathies caused tensions with one o f Canute's most powerful earls, Godwin of Wessex, whose daughter, Edith, Edwa rd married in 1045 (the marriage was childless). These tensions resulted in the crisis of 1050-52, when Godwin assembled an army to defy Edward. With rei nforcements from the earls of Mercia and Northumberland, Edward banished Godw in from the country and sent Queen Edith from court. Edward used the opportun ity to appoint Normans to places at court, and as sheriffs at local level. Wi lliam duke of Normandy may have been designated heir. However, the hostile re action to this increased Norman influence brought Godwin back. Edward subsequ ently formed a closer alliance with Godwin's son Harold, who led the army as the King's deputy (he defeated a Welsh incursion in 1055) and whom Edward m ay have named as heir on his deathbed. Warding off political threats, England during the last 15 years of Edward's reign was relatively peaceful. Prosperit y was rising as agricultural techniques improved and the population rose to a round one million. Taxation was comparatively light, as Edward was not an e xtravagant king and lived off the revenues of his own lands (approximately £5 ,500 a year) - nor did he have to pay for expensive military campaigns. Deepl y religious, Edward was responsible for building Westminster Abbey (in the No rman style) and he was buried there after his death in 1066. In 1161, 95 yea rs after his death, Edward was canonized by Alexander III who conferred on hi m the title of 'Confessor'. Edward's feast day is observed on October 13, the day in 1162 his relics were enshrined.

In 1045 when Edward the Confessor King of was 43, he married Edith/Eadgyth, 4C30R, F, daughter of Godwin Earl of Wessex and Kent, M (abt 0987-15 Apr 1053) & Gytha, F (-aft 1069). Born abt 1020.

REFN: 4093

REFN16095
213 ii. Godgifu\Goda of, F (~1004-1055)

REFN16053

In 0985 when AEthelred II the Unready King of was 17, he second married Elfflaed\Elfreda of Wessex, 31G Grandmother, F, daughter of Thored Ealdermann Gunnarsson, M (abt 0940-). Born abt 0963. Elfflaed\Elfreda of died in Winchester, England in Feb 1001/02, she was 38.

They had the following children:
434 i. AElfgifu, F
435 ii. Edmund II "Ironside" King Of, M (~0988-1016)

REFN16052

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