Ethelred the Pious (Himself)

He's the title character, and yet he dies two-and-a-half years into the timeline. Poor fellow!

Ethelred of Wessex, remembered forever as Ethelred the Pious, was the fourth son of King Ethelwulf and the older brother of King Alfred. He was the last King of Wessex to have control over the kingdom.

Ethelred was born c. 840 and grew up to be a very religious man and very dedicated to his God and country. succeeded his older brother to the throne at the age of 25, during the height of the Viking invasions of the Ninth Century. Ethered suffered a major defeat to a large Danish army on January 4, 871, at Reading, although the Saxons did manage to inflict heavy casualties on their enemies. Four days later, the armies faced each other once again, at the Battle of Ashdown. There, Ethelred tarried for too long in a nearby church, receiving the Sacrament and praying for victory. His brother Alfred respected his wish to hold the Saxon army until their king finished-- which allowed the Danes to gain the upper hand and rout the Saxons.

For the next two years, Ethelred waged a brave but unsuccessful defensive campaign. In the summer the Danes took the key West Saxon stronghold of Wareham and held it for the winter. The following spring, Ethelred went on the offensive again, driving the Danish army into the Somerset Swamps and scoring a great victory there. However, for the next year Ethelred led his army in one long, ignominious retreat. He met his end at the Battle of Headcorn in Kent, after which Alfred assumed the throne but was unable to reverse the Viking conquest.

In the Alfredssaga Ethelred is portrayed as a noble yet naive warrior for Christ, riding boldly into the Danish lines and cutting down the Heathen with his sword. He is betrayed by cowardly underlings in league with the Vikings, who lead him astray after the Battle of Somerset Swamps by taking advantage of his simple faith.