Æthelwold was a son of King Alfred the Great's older brother, Æthelred, who was King of Wessex from 865 to 871. While the West Saxons were fighting a Danish Viking invasion, Æthelred died; his sons were infants, so Alfred became king. He defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington in 878, but when he died in 899 the Vikings still controlled Northumbria and East Anglia. In his will (pictured) Alfred favoured his own children over his brother's. Æthelwold, as senior ætheling (prince of the royal dynasty eligible for kingship), had a strong claim to the throne, and he disputed the crown with Alfred's son, Edward the Elder. Æthelwold attempted to raise an army to support his claim, but was unable to get sufficient support to meet Edward in battle and fled to Northumbria, where he was accepted by the Danes as king. In 902 he persuaded the East Anglian Vikings to launch an attack on Edward's territory in Wessex and Mercia. Edward retaliated with a raid on East Anglia, and when he withdrew, his men from Kent lingered and met the East Anglian Danes at the Battle of the Holme. The Danes were victorious but suffered heavy losses, including the death of Æthelwold, ending the challenge to Edward's rule.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelwold_%C3%A6theling

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1006:

SN 1006 (remnant pictured), the brightest supernova in recorded history, first appeared in the constellation Lupus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_1006

1557:

Arauco War: Spanish forces of the Governor Francisco de Villagra launched a dawn surprise attack against the Mapuche headed by their toqui Lautaro in what is now Chile. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mataquito

1789:

George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

1945:

World War II: As Allied forces were closing in on Berlin, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide in the Führerbunker after being married for one day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Adolf_Hitler

1975:

American forces completed a helicopter evacuation of U.S. citizens, South Vietnamese civilians and others from Saigon, just before North Vietnamese troops captured the city, ending the Vietnam War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Saigon

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

capacious: Having a lot of space inside; roomy. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/capacious

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I still get laughed at but it doesn't bother me, I'm just so glad to hear laughter around me.   --Amanda Palmer https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Amanda_Palmer