Aethelred II AD 978-1016 Silver Penny Second Hand Type Thetford

Aethelred II AD 978-1016 Silver Penny Second Hand Type

Diademed bust right with sceptre/Hand of providence between alpha and omega issuing from clouds

Spulring / Thetford

S1146; 21mm, 1.42g

This coin comes with a previous collectors handwritten label.

This coin is part of the Warwick Collection, a fine selection of English Medieval silver coins.

 

Æthelred II ‘The Unready’ – 978-1013/1014-1016: The eldest son of Eadgar, Æthelred became king at the mere age of 12 following the brutal murder of his half-brother Edward. Young and easy to manipulate, he came to depend on his councillors for their prudent advice – an aspect in which they badly let him down. Though his reign is noted for its economic reforms and a high standard for the English coinage, it was marred by Scandinavian raids, periods of acute social instability and famine. Initially adopting a policy of paying the invaders to go away, Æthelred abruptly U-turned in 1002 and massacred many ethnic Danes resident in England. This policy backfired spectacularly, actually causing more Scandinavians to take up arms against him. Displaced from the throne in 1013 by Swein Forkbeard, he briefly returned to rule for a second time in 1014 after the latter’s untimely death – only to die himself shortly afterwards.