England's Unlikely Commander: The Military Career of Æthelred the Unready

England's Unlikely Commander: The Military Career of Æthelred the Unready

In the realm of popular history, it's common to hear the claim that Æthelred the Unready, King of the English, was a military failure in an age where kings had to be warriors. Due to the unflattering nickname (unraed actually means "poorly-advised") and the Danish Conquest of England, it might seem that these critics have won the argument before it's even started. That isn't the case, though, as Bender's research has found. This book seeks to redress King Æthelred's military reputation, arguing that he was militarily prepared and often successful against his many enemies, including the Vikings. Tracking the king's movement and activity over his 38-year reign, this book argues that Æthelred the Unready was anything but a battle-avoider. Brandon M. Bender is a writer from Kansas City whose work covers a wide range of topics. He made his publication debut at 19, contributing a series of articles on religion to The Kansas City Star (2013-14). Since then, he has won several local and regional awards for his work on medieval history (The Kansas Association of Historians, 2018), American history (Hare & Bell, 2018), short fiction (League for Innovation, 2016; Kansas Voices, 2019), and poetry (Mind's Eye, 2018). Bender's publications can also be found in 365 Days, Scholar Space, and others. Bender works full-time supervising a team of proofreaders in the corporate world and has also worked as a content editor for the Blue Monday Review literary magazine. Follow him on his website at brandonmichaelbender.com.