Æthelred I, King of Wessex

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 were passed to his younger brother Alfred.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Poor Fellow-Soldier
==Biography==
On 31 December 870, 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.Echoes of Valhalla – Episode 3: Thor's Hammer
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.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers – The Dust Settles 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 AshdownAssassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 12
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.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 13 Soon, both Æthelred and Alfred moved south and took charge of Bedwyn.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 15 However, the Viking army soon attacked their position as Æthelred ordered his men to stay, despite their retreat.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 16
===Injury and death===
During the Battle of Meretun,Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Database: Aelfred Æthelred was severely wounded when Guthrum threw a spear into his stomach. 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 and took the mantle of the Order's new Grand Maegester. By this time also, news had reached the Danes that Æthelred had died, which added to Guthrum's reputation.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga – Chapter 17
==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, a historically-documented event, while the 2020 novel Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga places it during the immediately preceding and fictitious Battle of Bedwyn. The reason for this discrepancy has not yet been explained.
==Appearances==
*Echoes of History 
*Assassin's Creed: Valhalla 
*Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga 
*Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers 
==References==
Category:840s births
Category:871 deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:Anglo-Saxons
Category:Monarchs of Wessex
Category:Monarchs of Kent
Category:House of Wessex
Category:Order of the Ancients
Category:Grand Maegesters of the Order of the Ancients
Category:Order of the Ancients leaders