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A king so desperate he ordered an entire people dead in a single day. Æthelred I
1002 Event

November 13

St. Brice's Day Massacre: English King Orders All Danes Killed

A king so desperate he ordered an entire people dead in a single day. Æthelred II — already nicknamed "the Unready" — commanded the slaughter of every Dane living in England on November 13, 1002. Hundreds died. But among them was Gunhilde, sister of Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard. That personal loss lit a fire. Sweyn invaded England repeatedly, eventually forcing Æthelred into exile. The massacre didn't crush the Danish threat. It guaranteed it.

November 13, 1002

1024 years ago

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