Ethelred I

Anglo-Saxon king of Wessex 865–71, son of Ethelwulf and elder brother of Alfred the Great. Together with his brother Alfred he resisted a large-scale invasion of East Anglia in 865 by the Danes, defending Mercia and forcing them to abandon Nottingham in 868. The Danes established a stronghold in Reading in 870 and Ethelred drove them out then defeated them at Ashdown in 871. He died of wounds sustained in this battle in April 871. Despite some defeats shortly after, Ethelred had paved the way for Wessex to unite England in opposition to the Danes.