Æthelred I, King of Wessex: Difference between revisions
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===Injury and death=== | ===Injury and death=== | ||
During the [[Battle of Bedwyn]],{{cite|18 Jan 2023. Conflicting info}} Æthelred was hit by a [[spear]] to the stomach by Guthrum. Due to his injury, Æthelred's soldiers took him away from the battle as the Saxons retreated. In April, a month after his injury, Æthelred succumbed to his injury and Alfred was soon crowned as King<ref name="Chapter 16"/> and the new Grand Maegester of the Order.<ref name="ThePoorFellowSoldier"> By this time also, news had reached the Danes that Æthelred had died, which added to Guthrum's reputation<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga'' – Chapter 17</ref> | During the [[Battle of Bedwyn]],{{cite|18 Jan 2023. Conflicting info}} Æthelred was hit by a [[spear]] to the stomach by Guthrum. Due to his injury, Æthelred's soldiers took him away from the battle as the Saxons retreated. In April, a month after his injury, Æthelred succumbed to his injury and Alfred was soon crowned as King<ref name="Chapter 16"/> and the new Grand Maegester of the Order.<ref name="ThePoorFellowSoldier"/> By this time also, news had reached the Danes that Æthelred had died, which added to Guthrum's reputation<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga'' – Chapter 17</ref> | ||
==Behind the scenes== | ==Behind the scenes== | ||
Revision as of 17:02, 18 January 2023
Æthelred I; (Old English: Æthel-ræd; 845/848 – 871) was King of Wessex from 865 until his death. The son of King Æthelwulf, Æthelred also inherited position of the Grand Maegester of the Order of the Ancients.
From his ascension to kingship until his death in 871, Æthelred spent much of his reign repelling the Viking invasions from Scandinavia, mostly notably the Great Heathen Army. After his death in 871, the throne and the position of Grand Maegester was passed to his brother Alfred.[1]
Biography
On 31 December 870,[2] the first Viking attack on the southern kingdom began. With Æthelred leading the charge, the invaders are repelled. The victory for Wessex however, would be short lived.[3]
On 4 January 871, Æthelred commanded the forces of Wessex during the battle of Reading alongside his younger brother Alfred. Defeated after suffering heavy casualties however, Æthelred and Alfred fled together.[4] They soon sent a message to King Burgred of Mercia about their losses to both Guthrum and Halfdan and plan to gain an advantage at Ashdown[5]
Four days later, at the Battle of Ashdown, Æthelred's coat of arms was present, tricking the attacking Vikings into pushing ahead. However, it was a trick by Alfred, who loosed an arrow that killed the Viking leader Sten Stensson. Æthelred later arrived himself with more Saxon reinforcements forcing the Vikings to flee, leading to a West Saxon victory.[4][6] Soon, both Æthelred and Alfred moved south and took charge of Bedwyn.[7] However, the Viking army soon attacked their position as Æthelred ordered his men to stay, despite their retreat.[8]
Injury and death
During the Battle of Bedwyn, [citation needed] Æthelred was hit by a spear to the stomach by Guthrum. Due to his injury, Æthelred's soldiers took him away from the battle as the Saxons retreated. In April, a month after his injury, Æthelred succumbed to his injury and Alfred was soon crowned as King[8] and the new Grand Maegester of the Order.[1] By this time also, news had reached the Danes that Æthelred had died, which added to Guthrum's reputation[9]
Behind the scenes
The battle in which Æthelred sustained his fatal wound varies between Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and its cross-media publications. Alfred's in-game database entry states that the wound was from the battle of Merton, while the 2020 novel Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga places it during the immediately preceding battle of Bedwyn. The reason for this discrepancy has not yet been explained.
Appearances
- Echoes of History (first mentioned)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers (first appearance)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Poor Fellow-Soldier
- ↑
Battle of Englefield on Wikipedia
- ↑ Echoes of Valhalla – Episode 3: Thor's Hammer
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers – The Dust Settles
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 12
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 13
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 15
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 16
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 17
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