Aethelred I of Mercia

Aethelred, also Æthelred or Ethelred, (died 716) was an early King of Mercia. He succeeded his brother Wulfhere when he died in 675. Like his brother, Wulfhere, he was considered an overlord over other English kings. But he never reached the same political status as Wulfhere. His importance was in his contributions to the church. Aethelred ruled Mercia until his abdication in 704. He stepped down to retire to the monastery at Bardney.

 King of Mercia 

Aethelred was a son of King Penda.Frank Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England (Oxford University Press, 1971), p. 203 At about the same time he succeeded his brother to the throne he married Osthryth, daughter of Oswiu of Northumbria.Mike Ashley, The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens (New York: Carroll & Graf, 1999), p. 254 Aethelred attacked Kent in 676 to get Hlothhere of Kent back in line as a vassal of Mercia. He destroyed much of that kingdom as well as sacked Rochester.Mike Ashley, The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens (New York: Carroll & Graf, 1999), p. 255 In 679 Aethelred continued the struggle his father and brother had with Northumbria. He found Ecgfrith of Northumbria waiting for him on the River Trent which divided north and south Mercia.John Marsden, Northanhymbre Saga; The History of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Northumbria (London: Kyle Cathie Limited, 1992), p. 168 In the battle, Aelfwine, the younger brother of King Ecgfrith was killed and the Northumbrians were defeated.Peter Hunter Blair, Roman Britain and Early England; 55 B.C.–A.D. 871 (New York; London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1966), p. 197 To prevent a blood feud between the two royal families, Theodore, the Archbishop of Canterbury stepped in to prevent further bloodshed.John Marsden, Northanhymbre Saga; The History of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Northumbria (London: Kyle Cathie Limited, 1992), pp. 168–69 He secured a truce between Northumbria and Mercia that lasted for 50 years. For the rest of his reign Aethelred was respected as overlord of England even though Bede never listed him among the seven bretwaldas.

Aethelred was very involved in the church. He and his wife Osthryth founded Bardney abbey in Lindsey. Queen Osthryth had the bones of her uncle, Oswald of Northumbria, brought to Bardney to be buried there.N. J. Higham, The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350–1100 (Stroud; Gloucestershire; New York: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1993), p. 128 This caused some resentment by the monks who at first refused to accept his bones. But they were accepted and buried in the church with all the honors due a saint.Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, trans. Leo Sherley Price, revsd. R. E. Latham (London; New York: Penguin, 1990), p. 160 Aethelred was a close friend of Wilfrid of York. In 691 Aethelred gave the bishop sanctuary in Mercia after his exile from Northumbria.John Marsden, Northanhymbre Saga; The History of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Northumbria (London: Kyle Cathie Limited, 1992), p. 214 While welcomed by Aethelred he was not by Queen Osthryth. Wilfred was an old enemy of her brother king Ecgfrith of Northumbria. But Ostryth was not completely accepted in Mercia. She created the cult of Saint Oswald in Mercia which did little to help Mercians forget old feuds with Northumbria.Stephanie Hollis, Anglo-Saxon Women and the Church: Sharing a Common Fate (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1992), p. 236 In 697, Queen Osthryth was murdered by Mercian noblemen.Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, trans. Leo Sherley Price, revsd. R. E. Latham (London; New York: Penguin, 1990), p. 327 She was suspected of having some part in the murder of Peada forty years earlier. By this time she had become a nun and had given up married life. In 704 Aethelred stepped down as king to become a monk. His nephew Cenred became King after him. Aethelred retired to the monastery of Bardney where his wife Osthryth had been buried. He became the abbot of Bardney although he remained aware of Mercian politics. Two years after giving up the throne he called his nephew, King Cenred, to Bardsley to ask him to remain on good terms with his old friend Bishop Wilfrid. Aethelred died in 716.

 Family 

Athelred married Ostryth of Northumbria. Athelred may have married a second time. He had two known children but by which wife is uncertain:

 Ceolred, ruled as king of Mercia 709–716.
 Ceolwald, may have ruled briefly as king of Mercia in 716.

 Notes 

 References 

 Other websites 
 The Kings of Mercia 

Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:716 deaths
Category:Kings and Queens of Mercia