Eadred, king of the English

Ædred (also Edred, Aedred, etc.) was the King of England from 946 until his death in 955. He was a son of Edward the Elder by his third marriage, to Ædgifu, daughter of Sigehelm, ealdorman of Kent.

No children.

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EADRED ([924]-Frome 23 Nov 955, bur Winchester Cathedral).  

"Ædred/Eadredus frater regis" subscribed charters of Kings Æthelstan and Edmund dated between 931 and 944[1716]. "Eadredus rex" subscribed a charter of King Edmund dated 946[1717], which suggests that he ruled jointly with his brother before the latter's death. He succeeded his brother in 946 as EADRED King of England, crowned 16 Aug 946 at Kingston-upon-Thames. The Northumbrians swore fealty to King Eadred in 949, rebelled later that year and elected Erik "Blodøks/Blood-axe" King of Norway as their king.

Eadred laid waste the whole of Northumbria, during the course of which the monastery of Ripon was burnt to the ground[1718]. He brought Northumbria back under his lordship in 954, installing Oswulf as under-King. King Alfred, under his will probably dated [951/55], made a bequest to "my mother land at Amesbury, Wantage and Basing"[1719].

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the death on St Clement's day in 955 of King Eadred at Frome, and his burial in Winchester Old Minster[1720].

He expelled the Danes from England in 954, establishing his authority throughout England.

Towards the end of his life, Eadred suffered from a digestive malady which would prove fatal. 'Author B', the biographer and former apprentice of St Dunstan, described with vivid memory how the king sucked out the juices of his food, chewed on what was left and spat it out.[8] Eadred died on 23 November (St. Clement's Day), 955, at Frome (Somerset), and was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester.[9] As he died a bachelor and thus had no children, he was succeeded by his young nephew, Eadwig.

(Ref: Britain's Royal Families; The Complete Genealogy, Alison Weir, ISBN 978-0-7126-4286-6)

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(Wikipedia)

He succeeded his elder brother King Edmund I, who was stabbed to death at Pucklechurch (Gloucestershire), on St Augustine’s Day, 26 May 946. The same year, on 16 August, Eadred was consecrated by Archbishop Oda of Canterbury at Kingston upon Thames (Surrey, now Greater London), where he appears to have received the submission of Welsh rulers and northern earls.[1]

Trouble in Northumbria

Under the entry for the year 946, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that Eadred “reduced all the land of Northumbria to his control; and the Scots granted him oaths that they would do all that he wanted.”[2] Nevertheless, Eadred soon faced a number of political challenges to the West-Saxon hegemony in the north. Unfortunately, there are some notorious difficulties with the chronology of the events described in the historical sources, but it is clear that there were two Scandinavian princes who set themselves up as kings of Northumbria.

Olaf Sihtricson, otherwise known as Amlaíb Cuarán (‘Sandal’), had been king of York (Jórvik) in the early 940’s, when he became Edmund’s godson and client king, but he was later driven out. He then succeeded his cousin as King of Dublin, but after a heavy defeat in battle in 947, was once again forced to try his luck elsewhere.[3] Shortly after this, Olaf was back in business, having regained the kingdom of York.[4] What Eadred thought of the matter or how much sympathy he bore for his brother’s godson, remains anyone’s guess, but it seems that he at least tolerated Olaf’s presence. In any event, Olaf was ousted from the kingship a second time by the Northumbrians, this time in favour of Eric son of Harald, according to MS E of the Chronicle.[5]

This other player in the game was Eric ‘Bloodaxe’, previously king of Norway (r. 930-4). After a number of successful operations elsewhere, he came to Northumbria and appears at some point to have set himself up as king. King Eadred responded harshly to the northern defectors by launching a destructive raid on Northumbria, which notably included burning the Ripon minster founded by St Wilfrid. Although his forces had to sustain heavy losses in the Battle of Castleford (as he returned home), Eadred managed to check his rival by promising the latter’s supporters even greater havoc if they did not desert the foreign prince. The Northumbrians did indeed appease the English king in this way and paid compensation.[6]

The Historia Regum suggests that the threat of an independent Northumbrian king had come to an end in 952, when earls finally took over the helm.[7]

Health conditions and death

Towards the end of his life, Eadred suffered from a digestive malady which would prove fatal. 'Author B', the biographer and former apprentice of St Dunstan, described with vivid memory how the king sucked out the juices of his food, chewed on what was left and spat it out.[8] Eadred died on 23 November (St. Clement's Day), 955, at Frome (Somerset), and was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester.[9] As he died a bachelor and thus had no children, he was succeeded by Edmund's son Eadwig.

wiki

King Edred or Eadred was born in Wessex around the year 923 and became King of England in 946. He was a son of King Edward the Elder. Like both of his older brothers, Edred enjoyed military success over the Vikings. He was a religious man, but his health was poor and he could barely eat his food. He died on 23 November 955 at Frome in Somerset, and was buried at Winchester Cathedral. He never married, and was succeeded by his nephew, Edwy.

Edred of England

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

King Edred, also known as Eadred[1] or Aedred[2] (c. 923 – 23 November 955), known as 'weak-in-the-feet', was King of England from 946 until his death. He was a son of King Edward the Elder by his third marriage, to Edgiva, daughter of Sigehelm, Ealdorman of Kent. He succeeded his brother, King Edmund I. Like his elder brothers, Edred enjoyed military success over the Vikings. Edred was a strongly religious man but in very poor health; he could only eat the juices of chewed food.[3] He died on November 23, 955, at Frome, Somerset, and was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester. As he died a bachelor and thus had no children, he was succeeded by his nephew, Edwy.[4]

References

^ Crofton, pp. 21

^ King Edred. NNDB. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.

^ Crofton, pp. 21

^ Edred. Englishmonarchs.co. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.

Crofton, Ian (2006). The Kings and Queens of England. 21 Bloomsbury Square, London: Quercus, 21. ISBN 1-84724-141-7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edred_of_England

Eadred (also Edred, etc.) was the king of England from 946 until his death in 955, in succession to his elder brother Edmund I.

Background and succession

Eadred was a son of Edward the Elder by his third marriage, to Eadgifu, daughter of Sigehelm, ealdorman of Kent. He succeeded his elder brother King Edmund I (r. 939-946), who was stabbed to death at Pucklechurch (Gloucestershire), on St Augustine's Day, 26 May 946. The same year, on 16 August, Eadred was consecrated by Archbishop Oda of Canterbury at Kingston upon Thames (Surrey, now Greater London), where he appears to have received the submission of Welsh rulers and northern earls.

Edmund I, King of the English (d. 946), was the son of Eadgifu, third wife of Edward the Elder, and half-brother to his predecessor Aethelstan. He succeeded to the throne in 940, but had already played an active part in the previous reign, especially when he fought by the side of his half-brother in the great battle of Brunanburh.

In the first year of his reign Edmund had trouble with Olaf or Anlaf Sihtricsson, called Cuaran. The latter had just crossed from Ireland and had been chosen king by the Northumbrians, who threw off their allegiance to Edmund. Anlaf took York, besieged Northampton and destroyed Tamworth, but was met by Edmund at Leicester. The enemy escaped, but a peaceful settlement was made by the good offices of Odo of Canterbury and Wulfstan of York. Simeon of Durham states that a division of the kingdom was now made, whereby Edmund took England south of Watling Street and Anlaf the rest. This division seems not credible, especially in face of the poem inserted in the chronicle (sub anno 942). There can be little doubt that the story told there of the reconquest of Northern Mercia by Edmund refers to the compact with Anlaf, made as a result of the campaign, and it is probable that Simeon's statement is a wide exaggeration, due in part at least to a confused reminiscence of the earlier pact between Alfred and Guthrum. All Mercia south of a line from Dore (near Sheffield), through Whitwell to the Humber, was now in Edmund's hands, and the five Danish boroughs, which had for some time been exposed to raids from the Norwegian kings of Northumbria, were now freed from that fear. The peace was confirmed by the baptism of Kings Anlaf and Raegenald, Edmund standing as sponsor, but in 944 or 945 the peace was broken and Edmund expelled Anlaf and Raegenald from Northumbria.

In 945 Edmund ravaged Strathclyde, and entrusted it all to Malcolm, King of Scotland, on condition that he should be his fellow-worker by sea and land, the object of this policy being apparently to detach the king of Scots from any possible confederacy such as had been formed in 937.

On the 26th of May 946 Edmund's brief but energetic reign came to a tragic conclusion when he was stabbed at the royal villa of Pucklechurch, in Gloucestershire, by an exiled robber named Liofa, who had returned to the court unbidden. Edmund, the "deed-doer" as the chronicle calls him, "Edmundus magnificus" as Florence of Worcester describes him, perhaps translating the Saxon epithet, was buried at Glastonbury, an abbey which he had entrusted in 943 to the famous Dunstan.

Father: King Edward the Elder Mother: Edgiva Brother: King Athelstan (half brother, d. 27-Oct-939 AD) Wife: Elgiva (or Aelfgifu) Wife: Ethelfleda (or Aethelflaed) Son: King Edwy Son: King Edgar I

Eadred (also Edred, etc.) (923 - 23 November 955) was the king of England from 946 until his death in 955, in succession to his elder brother Edmund I.

Eadred was a son of Edward the Elder by his third marriage, to Eadgifu, daughter of Sigehelm, ealdorman of Kent. He succeeded his elder brother King Edmund I (r. 939-946), who was stabbed to death at Pucklechurch (Gloucestershire), on St Augustine's Day, 26 May 946. The same year, on 16 August, Eadred was consecrated by Archbishop Oda of Canterbury at Kingston upon Thames (Surrey, now Greater London), where he appears to have received the submission of Welsh rulers and northern earls.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 946 records that Eadred "reduced all the land of Northumbria to his control; and the Scots granted him oaths that they would do all that he wanted." Nevertheless, Eadred soon faced a number of political challenges to the West-Saxon hegemony in the north. Unfortunately, there are some notorious difficulties with the chronology of the events described in the historical sources, but it is clear that there were two Scandinavian princes who set themselves up as kings of Northumbria.

Óláf Sihtricson, otherwise known as Amlaíb Cuarán ('Sandal'), had been king of Northumbria in the early 940s when he became Edmund's godson and client king, but he was later driven out. He then succeeded his cousin as King of Dublin, but after a heavy defeat in battle in 947, he was once again forced to try his luck elsewhere. Shortly thereafter, Olaf was back in business, having regained the kingdom of York. What Eadred thought of the matter or how much sympathy he bore for his brother's godson can only be guessed at, but it seems that he at least tolerated Olaf's presence. In any event, Olaf was ousted from the kingship a second time by the Northumbrians, this time in favour of Eric son of Harald, according to MS E of the Chronicle.

The other player in the game was Eric 'Bloodaxe', previously king of Norway (r. 930-4). After a number of successful operations elsewhere, he came to Northumbria and appears at some point to have set himself up as king. King Eadred responded harshly to the northern defectors by launching a destructive raid on Northumbria, which notably included burning the Ripon minster founded by St. Wilfrid. Although his forces sustained heavy losses in the Battle of Castleford (as he returned home), Eadred managed to check his rival by promising the latter's supporters even greater havoc if they did not desert the foreign prince. The Northumbrians appeased the English king and paid compensation.

The Historia Regum suggests that the threat of an independent Northumbrian king had come to an end in 952, when earls finally took over the helm.

Towards the end of his life, Eadred suffered from a digestive malady which would prove fatal. 'Author B', the biographer and former apprentice of St Dunstan, described with vivid memory how the king sucked out the juices of his food, chewed on what was left and spat it out.[9] Eadred died on 23 November (St. Clement's Day), 955, at Frome (Somerset), and was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester. He died a bachelor, and was succeeded by Edmund's son Eadwig.