| ÆThelred: The Unready Contributor(s): Roach, Levi (Author) |
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ISBN: 0300229720 ISBN-13: 9780300229721 Publisher: Yale University Press OUR PRICE: $21.78 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2017 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Royalty - History | Europe - Medieval |
| Physical Information: 1.1" H x 5.8" W x 8.9" (1.20 lbs) 392 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: An imaginative reassessment of thelred "the Unready," one of medieval England's most maligned kings and a major Anglo-Saxon figure The Anglo-Saxon king thelred "the Unready" (978-1016) has long been considered to be inscrutable, irrational, and poorly advised. Infamous for his domestic and international failures, thelred 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 thelred'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 thelred has been wrongly maligned. Drawing on extensive research, Roach argues that thelred 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 thelred'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. |