How did King Aethelwulf die?
He died of natural causes in 858 CE and his kingdom was divided between Aethelbald and Aethelberht. Click to see full answer. People also ask, how did Aethelwulf die? A very strong and abled warrior-king, Aethelwulf was at the forefront of driving the Vikings from the lands of Wessex. He later died from an allergic reaction to a bee sting.
Who was Aethelwulf?
He was called Aethelwulf – the Noble Wolf – and today’s story is all about him. Lengthy and eventful, Aethelwulf’s reign is a topic of much debate among historians today.
What happened to Aethelwulf in 851?
The Danish Vikings were raiding along the Thames and in 851 AD, Aethelwulf would have to prove his worth. Ever since 793 AD, less than 50 years before Aethelwulf’s reign, when Vikings raided the Lindisfarne monastery and ushered Europe into a new, Viking era, the English shores were becoming increasingly threatened.
What happened in Aethelwulf's battle with the Vikings?
Aethelwulf gathers a large army in Wessex and moves to intercept the advancing Vikings in Repton. Aethelwulf decides to move his forces toward the Viking's ships, but the Vikings then ambush them in a tight valley. In panic and frustration, Aethelwulf orders a charge.
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How did Aethelwulf die Vikings?
However, the real slap in the face is the way Aethelwulf dies in Vikings season 5. The king perishes of a fatal allergic reaction when a bee stings him — a truly unceremonious end in a show full of memorable death scenes.Dec 30, 2020
Did King Aethelwulf die from a bee?
However, after years of near-death encounters on the battlefield, his death as a result of a bee sting is one that took a vast proportion of the fandom by surprise.Dec 18, 2020
Is King Aethelwulf a real person?
Aethelwulf, also spelled Ethelwulf, (died 858), Anglo-Saxon king in England, the father of King Alfred the Great. As ruler of the West Saxons from 839 to 856, he allied his kingdom of Wessex with Mercia and thereby withstood invasions by Danish Vikings.
Why did Aethelwulf send Magnus away?
King Ecbert will try to make a deal with Ragnar using Magnus. Ragnar stated that he never had sex with Kwenthrith. Later Aethelwulf banishes Magnus from Wessex in order to save him from a certain death.
Who killed Athelstan?
Athelstan is killed by Floki In season 3, episode 6, Athelstan believes he's had a sign from God, and he chooses to become a Christian again. Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård), a friend of Ragnar's who has always been jealous of their friendship, believes he has a sign from the gods that he must spill blood in a sacrifice.Apr 11, 2021
Did an English king died from a bee sting?
Ragnar's sons then visit Aethelwulf to propose a peace treaty. Fans who came to like Aethelwulf's character wanted him to have a noble death on the battlefield, and they were shocked to find out he died from being stung by a bee.Jun 8, 2020
Which king died from a bee sting?
ÆthelwulfÆthelwulf (Old English pronunciation: [ˈæðelwuɫf]; Old English for "Noble Wolf"; died 13 January 858) was King of Wessex from 839 to 858....Æthelwulf, King of Wessex.ÆthelwulfReign839–858PredecessorEcgberhtSuccessorÆthelbaldDied13 January 8588 more rows
Was king aelle killed by Vikings?
In Vikings season four, King Aella was killed by Rangar Lothbrok's (Travis Fimmel) son Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig). They took revenge after Aella killed Ragnar by throwing him into a pit of poisonous snakes.Jun 18, 2020
What is the name of the show that features Aethelwulf?
VIKINGS is a popular historical drama on History and Amazon Prime and it features the King of Wessex and Mercia, Aethelwulf. Why did Aethelwulf have to die? Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Who played Aethelwulf's wife in Ragnar?
Aethelwulf was married to Judith (Jennie Jacques) but she ended up having an affair with Ragnar's Christian friend Athelstan (George Blagden) and she was carrying Athelstan's child. Although Aethelwulf was ashamed at his wife at the time, he showed support for her when Alfred (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) was born.
What happened at the end of season 4 of The Vikings?
At the end of season four Aethelwulf had to warn his father to evacuate the kingdom after suffering a heavy loss against the Vikings. Ecbert stays put, wanting to die at the kingdom, and passes down the crown of Wessex to his son, but Aethelwulf and Judith are in exile by season five.
Who was the king of the Vikings?
Vikings: Aethelwulf was made king after Ecbert handed over his crown (Image: Sky) Vikings: Aethelwulf still cared for Judith and her son Alfred (Image: Sky) However it later transpired he was allergic to bees, and the sting caused his face to swell, eventually killing him.
Why does thelwulf return Athelstan's bracelet?
As a sign of goodwill, Æthelwulf returns Athelstan 's bracelet to confirm that the monk is still alive. Despite Ragnar's promise of safety, Æthelwulf's group is ambushed by Northmen led by Erlendur. The entire group is slaughtered except for Æthelwulf who is allowed to escape.
Who sent Alfred and thelwulf to Rome?
Ecbert sends Æthelwulf and Alfred on a pilgrimage to Rome. Æthelwulf and Alfred arrive in Rome, and Pope Leo IV makes Alfred a consul. Years later, Æthelwulf finds Ragnar's black raven banner on the beach, and alerts King Ecbert , who reassures him that Ragnar is simply one man. Æthelwulf seizes Ragnar and Ivar.
What did Heahmund see in the fires?
Æthelwulf and Heahmund see the smoke from the fires and enter the apparently deserted city. Saxon celebrations are cut short when Vikings appear from the sewers and engage in battle. Heahmund is surrounded, but spared by Ivar, and captured. The Vikings retake and garrison the city, as the Saxons retreat.
What is the penchant of thelwulf?
Æthelwulf has a penchant for cruelty sometimes. A striking example of this is when he leads the massacre of the Danish settlement. He slaughters innocent men, women, and children. He even goes out of his way to have an archer shoot down a fleeing boy who couldn’t have been more than six years old.
What does Mercia do when he hears Mercia rebelled against Wessex?
Upon hearing Mercia has rebelled itself against Wessex, he goes there on a diplomatic mission against Queen Kwenthrith, who has a knack for butchering diplomats for no reason. When he arrives there, he he bypasses her defenses by sheer force of character and is the first male to withstand her sexual seduction.
Who is the queen that rescued Kwenthrith?
Æthelwulf engages in battle and rescues Kwenthrith. Æthelwulf returns with the rescued Queen Kwenthrith and her son Magnus. Æthelwulf and Judith argue, and Judith tells him they are married in name only. Æthelwulf wants to help Queen Kwenthrith to restore her power in Mercia.
Who conquered Kent?
In History. The real Æthelwulf would conquer the Kingdom fo Kent on behalf of his father, who would grant him the kingship over the country, beginning a tradition by West Saxon kings to make their heirs King of Kent in preparation for their future rule over the whole realm of Wessex.
Why did Aethelwulf go back to Wessex?
In 856, after his marriage to young Judith, Aethelwulf – by now roughly 55 years old – went back to Wessex only to enter into a power struggle. He discovered that his son Aethelbald, backed by several wealthy nobles, decided to stop him from recovering the throne – effectively denying his kingship.
What did King Aethelwulf do after the Battle of Aclea?
Just a few years after the crucial battle of Aclea, King Aethelwulf made some decisions that would have a significant echo further in his reign. In 855 AD, the 16th year of his rule, Aethelwulf established a set of so-called “decimation charters” – releasing a 10h of his kingdom from tax and service. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions that “the king conveyed the tenth of the land in his kingdom to the glory of God, and for the redemption of his and the souls of his forefathers.”
What battle did King Egbert defeat?
In 838 AD, Egbert managed to defeat a joint army of Vikings and Cornishmen at the Battle of Hingston Down. This victory ended a century of conflict between Saxons and the Cornishmen, and was also the last major feat of King Egbert.
What was the significance of the Battle of Aclea?
Its significance and impact is undoubted, as it stopped Viking invasions for the next 15 years and shown that Aethelwulf and his sons were capable leaders. But the exact location of this battle is a matter of much debate today. Most scholars agree that the location at Ockley, near Merstham in Surrey, contains several toponyms possibly related to the Danish defeat.

Overview
Æthelwulf was King of Wessex from 839 to 858. In 825, his father, King Ecgberht, defeated King Beornwulf of Mercia, ending a long Mercian dominance over Anglo-Saxon England south of the Humber. Ecgberht sent Æthelwulf with an army to Kent, where he expelled the Mercian sub-king and was himself appointed sub-king. After 830, Ecgberht maintained good relations with Mercia, and this was …
Background
At the beginning of the 9th century, England was almost completely under the control of the Anglo-Saxons, with Mercia and Wessex the most important southern kingdoms. Mercia was dominant until the 820s, and it exercised overlordship over East Anglia and Kent, but Wessex was able to maintain its independence from its more powerful neighbour. Offa, king of Mercia from 75…
Family
Æthelwulf's father Ecgberht was king of Wessex from 802 to 839. His mother's name is unknown, and he had no recorded siblings. He is known to have had two wives in succession, and so far as is known, Osburh, the senior of the two, was the mother of all his children. She was the daughter of Oslac, described by Asser, biographer of their son Alfred the Great, as "King Æthelwulf's famous butler", a man who was descended from Jutes who had ruled the Isle of Wight. Æthelwulf had six …
Early life
Æthelwulf was first recorded in 825, when Ecgberht won the crucial Battle of Ellandun in Wiltshire against King Beornwulf of Mercia, ending the long Mercian ascendancy over southern England. Ecgberht followed it up by sending Æthelwulf with Eahlstan, Bishop of Sherborne, and Wulfheard, Ealdorman of Hampshire, with a large army into Kent to expel sub-king Baldred. Æthelwulf was descended from kings of Kent, and he was sub-king of Kent, and of Surrey, Sussex and Essex, whi…
King of Wessex
When Æthelwulf succeeded to the throne of Wessex in 839, his experience as sub-king of Kent had given him valuable training in kingship, and he in turn made his own sons sub-kings. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, on his accession "he gave to his son Æthelstan the kingdom of the people of Kent, and the kingdom of the East Saxons [Essex] and of the people of Surrey and of the …
Viking threat
Viking raids increased in the early 840s on both sides of the English Channel, and in 843 Æthelwulf was defeated by the companies of 35 Danish ships at Carhampton in Somerset. In 850 sub-king Æthelstan and Ealdorman Ealhhere of Kent won a naval victory over a large Viking fleet off Sandwich in Kent, capturing nine ships and driving off the rest. Æthelwulf granted Ealhhere a large estate in Kent, but Æthelstan is not heard of again, and probably died soon afterwards. The follo…
Coinage
The silver penny was almost the only coin used in middle and later Anglo-Saxon England. Æthelwulf's coinage came from a main mint in Canterbury and a secondary one at Rochester; both had been used by Ecgberht for his own coinage after he gained control of Kent. During Æthelwulf's reign, there were four main phases of the coinage distinguishable at both mints, though they ar…
Decimation Charters
The early 20th-century historian W. H. Stevenson observed that: "Few things in our early history have led to so much discussion" as Æthelwulf's Decimation Charters; a hundred years later the charter expert Susan Kelly described them as "one of the most controversial groups of Anglo-Saxon diplomas". Both Asser and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle say that Æthelwulf gave a decimation, in 855, shortly before leaving on pilgrimage to Rome. According to the Chronicle "Ki…