Eadred

Eadred
Eadred
	Eadred in the early fourteenth century Genealogical Roll of the Kings of England
King of the English
Reign	26 May 946 – 23 November 955
Coronation	16 August 946; Kingston upon Thames
Predecessor	Edmund I
Successor	Eadwig
Born	923; Wessex, England
Died	23 November 955 (aged 31–32); Frome, Somerset, England
Burial	Old Minster, Winchester. Bones now in Winchester Cathedral
House	Wessex
Father	Edward the Elder
Mother	Eadgifu of Kent

Eadred (also Edred, 'the Weak-in-the-Feet'^[1]) (923 – 23 November 955) was King of the English from 946 until his death. He was the son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu of Kent, and a grandson of Alfred the Great. Eadred came to the throne following the assassination of his older brother, Edmund I. The chief achievement of his reign was to bring the Kingdom of Northumbria under total English control, which occurred with the defeat and expulsion of Eric Bloodaxe in 954. Eadred died at the age of 32 having never married, and was succeeded by his 15-year-old nephew, Eadwig.

Background and succession[]

Eadred was a son of Edward the Elder by his third marriage, to Eadgifu, daughter of , ealdorman of Kent.^[2] 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.^[3]

Trouble in Northumbria[]

Charter S 512 of Eadred dated 948

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."^[4] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Opening page of Eadred's will, AD 951–955 (15th-century copy, British Library Add MS 82931, ff. 22r–23r)

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.^[5] Shortly thereafter, Olaf was back in business, having regained the kingdom of York.^[6] 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.^[7]

The other player in the game was Eric Bloodaxe, previously King of Norway from 930 to 934. 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 monastery founded by St. Wilfrid. Although his forces sustained heavy losses in the (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.^[8]

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.^[9]

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.^[10] Eadred died at the age of 32 on 23 November (St. Clement's Day), 955, at Frome (Somerset), and was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester.^[11] He died a bachelor, and was succeeded by Edmund's son Eadwig.

References[]

^ Keynes, Simon (2014). "Appendix I: Rulers of the English, c. 450–1066". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England (Second ed.). Chichester, UK: Blackwell Publishing. p. 536. ISBN 978-0-470-65632-7.
^ Eadred (d. 955)
^ Sawyer no. 520; John of Worcester, Chronicon ex Chronicis, 946
^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MSS D and E, translated by Michael J. Swanton, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. 2nd ed. London, 2000.
^ Annals of Ulster 945 and 947: CELT
^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MS E, 949
^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MS E, 952
^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MS D, 948, but the Historia Regum gives 950
^ Historia Regum 952
^ "Eratque, proh dolor, rex Eadraedus dilectus Dunstani per omne tempus imperii sui nimium languens, ita ut refectionis tempore sorpto succo ciborum reliquam partem parumper dentibus obtritam ab ore rejecisse, et sic saepe convivantibus secum militibus foetentem nausiam exspuendo fecisset." Vita S. Dunstani § 20: p. 31
^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MSS A, D and E, 955, MSS B and C, 956.

Bibliography[]

Primary sources

Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. Edition available online.
Historia Regum, ed. T. Arnold, Symeonis Monachi Opera Omnia. 2 vols: 2. London, 1885.
John of Worcester, Chronicon ex Chronicis, ed. Benjamin Thorpe, Florentii Wigorniensis monachi chronicon ex chronicis. 2 vols: vol 1. London, 1848–9.
Charters:
- Sawyer no. 1515 (AD 951 x 955). Text available from Anglo-Saxons.net. Like his grandfather King Alfred, Eadred left a written record of his will.
- Anglo-Saxon Charters, Sawyer nos. 515–580 (including S 552a, 522a, 517a-b), 1211–2, 1511.

Secondary sources Williams, Ann (2004). "Eadred (d. 955)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

External links[]

Eadred 16 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Coins issued by King Eadred at Early Medieval Corpus of Coin Finds
More images are available on the web, such as here and here

Regnal titles
Preceded by Edmund	King of the English 946–955	Succeeded by Eadwig
Preceded by Eric Bloodaxe	King of Northumbria As King of the English 954–955	Title merged in English crown

[1] Keynes, Simon (2014). "Appendix I: Rulers of the English, c. 450–1066". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England (Second ed.). Chichester, UK: Blackwell Publishing. p. 536. ISBN 978-0-470-65632-7.

[ODNB-2] Eadred (d. 955)

[3] Sawyer no. 520; John of Worcester, Chronicon ex Chronicis, 946

[4] Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MSS D and E, translated by Michael J. Swanton, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. 2nd ed. London, 2000.

[5] Annals of Ulster 945 and 947: CELT

[6] Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MS E, 949

[7] Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MS E, 952

[8] Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MS D, 948, but the Historia Regum gives 950

[9] Historia Regum 952

[10] "Eratque, proh dolor, rex Eadraedus dilectus Dunstani per omne tempus imperii sui nimium languens, ita ut refectionis tempore sorpto succo ciborum reliquam partem parumper dentibus obtritam ab ore rejecisse, et sic saepe convivantibus secum militibus foetentem nausiam exspuendo fecisset." Vita S. Dunstani § 20: p. 31

[11] Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MSS A, D and E, 955, MSS B and C, 956.

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show v t English monarchs
Anglo-Saxon England 927–1066	Æthelstan Edmund I Eadred Eadwig Edgar Edward the Martyr Æthelred the Unready Sweyn Edmund Ironside Cnut Harold Harefoot Harthacnut Edward the Confessor Harold Godwinson Edgar Ætheling
Kingdom of England 1066–1649	William I William II Henry I Stephen Matilda Henry II^LI Henry the Young King Richard I John^LI Louis Henry III^LI Edward I^LI Edward II^LI Edward III^LI Richard II^LI Henry IV^LI Henry V^LI Henry VI^LI Edward IV^LI Edward V^LI Richard III^LI Henry VII^LI Henry VIII^{LI, KI} Edward VI^KI Jane^QI Mary I^QI with Philip^KI Elizabeth I^QI James I^KSI Charles I^KSI
Lords Protectors of the Commonwealth 1653–1659	Oliver Cromwell Richard Cromwell
Kingdom of England 1660–1707	Charles II^KSI James II^KSI William III^KSI and Mary II^QSI Anne^QSI
^LI Also Lord of Ireland ^KI Also King of Ireland ^QI Also Queen of Ireland ^KSI Also King of Scots and King of Ireland ^QSI Also Queen of Scots and Queen of Ireland Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.

show v t Monarchs of Northumbria
Kings of Bernicia 547–670	Ida Glappa Adda Æthelric Theodric Frithuwald Hussa Æthelfrith Edwin Eanfrith Oswald Oswiu
Kings of Deira 560–679	Ælla Æthelric Æthelfrith Edwin Osric Oswald Oswiu Oswine Œthelwald Alhfrith Ælfwine
Kings of Northumbria 642–867	Oswiu Ecgfrith Ealdfrith Eadwulf I Osred I Coenred Osric Ceolwulf Eadberht Oswulf Æthelwald Moll Ealhred Æthelred I Ælfwald I Osred II Osbald Eardwulf Ælfwald II Eanred Æthelred II Redwulf Osberht Ælla
Kings of Viking Northumbria 867–954	Ecgberht Ricsige Halfdan I Guthfrith I Siefredus Cnut Æthelwold Airdeconut Eowils Halfdan II Ingwær Ragnall I Sitric I Caech Guthfrith II Olaf I Guthfrithson Sitric II Olaf II Cuaran Ragnall II Guthfrithson Eric Bloodaxe

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