Æthelred the Unready

Æthelred the Unready, or Æthelred II, (c. 968–23 April 1016) was King of the English (978–1013 and 1014–1016). He was the son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth and was only about ten years old (no more than thirteen) when his half-brother Edward was murdered. Although Æthelred was not personally suspected of participation, the murder was committed at Corfe Castle by his attendants, making it more difficult for the new king to rally the nation against the military raids by Danes, especially as the legend of St Edward the Martyr grew.