I saw this television version of a stage play three and a half decades ago, wherein we learned of the reign of one of England's monarchs, King Aelthered II, surnamed "the Unready". Aelthered (or Ethelred, as it is spelled now) ruled from 979 to 1016 A.D., and is usually considered an inept, weak monarch. The surname suggests this - he never was able to be prepared to meet a national crisis. It was a period when the Danish king and the Vikings ran amok throughout the British isles. Apparently Aelthered took advantage of the brief periods when they were occupied elsewhere, to try to retake portions of England that the Vikings had settled in (such as Cumberland). His opportunistic policies were not met by decent planning or military ability. In the end he had to pay heavy extortion amounts to the Danes.
But this play suggested that he was misunderstood. In an age that demanded warrior leadership like Alfred the Great, or (later on) William the Conqueror, Aelthelred may have been constitutionally opposed to warfare - a modern man who wanted to improve his kingdom peacefully. This is shown in the play when Richard Kiley (as Aelthelred) shows a keen interest in an Italian sailor's suggestion of sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. Sadly he is unable to do so - he dreams of a peaceful resolution of his wars with the Danish King Sweyn by marrying off Sweyn's daughter to one of his sons. The girl is eventually murdered, which wrecks all peace efforts.
Kiley gave a thoughtful performance of a man who was six centuries too early for his work to be successful. He is also able to show that the King was unable to grasp his difference from his contemporaries (including his courtiers and advisers), and his ineptness is thus explained as being based on this blindness to who were around him.
But this play suggested that he was misunderstood. In an age that demanded warrior leadership like Alfred the Great, or (later on) William the Conqueror, Aelthelred may have been constitutionally opposed to warfare - a modern man who wanted to improve his kingdom peacefully. This is shown in the play when Richard Kiley (as Aelthelred) shows a keen interest in an Italian sailor's suggestion of sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. Sadly he is unable to do so - he dreams of a peaceful resolution of his wars with the Danish King Sweyn by marrying off Sweyn's daughter to one of his sons. The girl is eventually murdered, which wrecks all peace efforts.
Kiley gave a thoughtful performance of a man who was six centuries too early for his work to be successful. He is also able to show that the King was unable to grasp his difference from his contemporaries (including his courtiers and advisers), and his ineptness is thus explained as being based on this blindness to who were around him.
