1. [n]  king of Wessex and Kent and elder brother of Alfred; Alfred joined Ethelred's battle against the invading Danes and succeeded him on his death (died in 871)
2. [n]  king of the English who succeeded to the throne after his half-brother Saint Edward the Martyr was murdered; he struggled unsuccessfully against the invading Danes (969-1016)

ETHELRED is a 8 letter word that starts with E.