But wanting all the power to himself, his advisor Eardwulf enters his room and sits over him as he lay helpless in bed. After Ecgfrith's death in 685, Archbishop Theodore arranged a reconciliation between Wilfrid and Aldfrith, Ecgfrith's successor, but in 692 Aldfrith and Wilfrid fell out and Wilfrid went into exile in Mercia. The seal on that pact was the marriage to Aethelflaed. As a result, peace was restored between the kings and peoples, and in lieu of further bloodshed the customary compensation was paid to King Ecgfrith for his brother's death. Who was Edward the Elder? Article by Specifipedia . The origin of the kingdom is not recorded, but royal genealogies preserved in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the Anglian collection agree that the royal houses were descended from a founder named Icel; the Mercian royal house is hence known as the Iclingas. In 852, Burgred came to the throne and with Ethelwulf of Wessex subjugated North Wales. Despite its focus on the history of the church, this work also provides valuable information about the early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. [57][59] The date of Æthelred's death is not recorded; though it is known that he was buried at Bardney. [38][55] Osthryth was buried at Bardney in Lindsey, the monastery where, at her urging, the relics of her uncle, Oswald of Northumbria, were kept and revered,[39][56] though evidence of resistance at Bardney to the cult of Oswald is also indicative of the poor relations between the two kingdoms. Aethelred was also a celebrated warlord. A detailed discussion of Æthelred's likely accession date can be found in Kirby. He married Æthelflæd (c872-918) 886 JL in England, United Kingdom. He is embarrassed about being late to the fight, and feels his men will look down on him as his wife is the more proactive fighter. Interestingly, he was based off a real person who might not have actually been like that at all. [16][25][32], Bede does not mention the cause of the battle, simply saying that it occurred in the ninth year of Ecgfrith's reign. The encouragement of the cult of royal saints in areas beyond the central Mercian lands also seems to have been a deliberate policy, and both Æthelred and Osthryth were later revered as saints at Bardney. [39], Two charters of 681 show Æthelred granting land near Tetbury, on what is now the border between Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Still, he joins in the battle but is very nearly killed, when he is knocked into a ditch, hitting the back of his head. Æthelred may have been the man of the same name who attested two Mercian charters in the late 860s, but he is not listed in the two sur… Aethelflaed came to visit him, asking for his permission to let her choose a suitable man to marry their daughter, and to her surprise he agrees. Lost Kingdom Miniatures is raising funds for Kingdom of Mercia: Pre-supported STL files on Kickstarter! [53] Bede records that Peada's death, forty years earlier, stemmed from "the treachery, it is said, of his own wife";[54] Peada's wife was Ealhflæd, Osthryth's sister. When it came to the true parentage of Aethelflaed of Mercia’s daughter Aelfwynn, The Last Kingdom tore up the history books and introduced some Danish blood into the … He may have been related to King Alfred's Mercian father-in-law, Æthelred Mucel, and brother-in-law, Æthelwulf, who appears to have been a member of Æthelred's court from the mid 880s. Burgred of Mercia is a character on The Last Kingdom television series. [31], Mercia had been in conflict with Northumbria since at least 633, when Penda of Mercia defeated and killed Edwin of Northumbria at the Battle of Hatfield Chase. The Last Kingdom: Who is Uhtred's third child? A shy, blonde child who recoils at the mere sight of the show’s hero Uhtred, she was raised, most likely by her pious mother Aelswith, to fear the heathen her father King Alfred despised and respected. 4. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, According to Ecclesiastical History of the English People, a history of the English church written by the 8th-century monk Bede, there were seven early Anglo-Saxon rulers who held imperium, or overlordship, over the other kingdoms. He had another brother, Peada, and two sisters, Cyneburh and Cyneswith;[16][17] it is also possible that Merewalh, king of the Magonsæte, was Æthelred's brother. In popular culture, Aethelred’s portrayal is often negative. ‎Ambitions threaten the Saxon kingdoms Alfred had once dreamed of uniting. [8] By the early 670s, Wulfhere had become the most powerful king in southern Britain, with an effective hegemony over all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms except for Northumbria. Æthelred took possession of Lindsey again after the battle; the change in control this time was lasting, and Lindsey remained part of Mercia until the Viking invasion of the 9th century remade the map of England. In return for this help, Aethelred signed a pact with Alfred that acknowledged Wessex’s supremacy. [39] The increasing strength of the West Saxons under Cædwalla and Ine would have limited Mercian opportunities in that direction. Episode 7 [22] The Northumbrians were no longer a distraction; they had been contained north of the Humber since the Battle of the Trent, and became even less of a threat after their disastrous defeat in 685 at the hands of the Picts. Æthelred of Mercia was a main character in both The Saxon Stories novel series, and The Last Kingdom television series. Hence Osthryth's murder may have been in revenge for Peada's assassination,[39] though it has also been interpreted more directly as a sign of continuing hostility between Northumbria and Mercia. Aethelred was a son of King Penda. Yes, Aethelred, Lord of the Mercians was a real person who came to rule Mercia following the death of its former king in the year 879. [26] A third suggestion is that the kings of Essex solicited the invasion, in response to recent Kentish attempts to gain dominance over the East Saxons. [15] The early sources do not say whether Æthelred was older or younger than Wulfhere. However, Susan Kelly states that Osthryth was "most likely (though not certainly)" Ceolred's mother. He starts pushing on the side of Aethelred's head before his neck is heard snapping, and he lays lifeless. At least as likely is that Penda was fifty years old at his death, rather than at his accession. The Last Kingdom: Who is Ruby Hartley? [INTERVIEW]. [39][47] Alternatively, Æthelred may have needed assistance in Kent from the East Saxons who may have been independent of Mercia for a decade or more by that time. [55], In 704, Æthelred abdicated to become a monk and abbot at Bardney, leaving the kingship to his nephew Coenred. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. In 886, the eastern part of the kingdom became part of the Danelaw, while Mercia was reduced to its western portion only. order back issues and use the historic Daily Express Ecclesiastical History of the English People, "Osthryth (Ostrith) (d. 697), queen of the Mercians", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Æthelred_of_Mercia&oldid=1010824514, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Zaluckyj, Sarah, & Zaluckyj, John, "The Age of Mercian Supremacy", in, This page was last edited on 7 March 2021, at 14:53. In Wessex Alfred arranges the marriage of his daughter Aethelflaed to the young king of Mercia Aethelred and sends Hild and Ragnar to rescue Uhtred, which they accomplish when the ship comes ashore to winter. His rule was confined to the western half, as eastern Mercia was then part of the Viking-ruled Danelaw. [2] The larger neighbouring kingdoms included Northumbria to the north, recently united from its constituent kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira, East Anglia to the east, and Wessex, the kingdom of the West Saxons, to the south. It also permanen… Æthelreds ancestry is unknown. Ceolred, who was Æthelred's son (though apparently not by Osthryth), became king after Coenred; it is also possible that Æthelred had another son named Ceolwald who was briefly king before Ceolred. Episode 4 58m. Cyneburh's marriage to Alhfrith took place in the early 650s, and Peada's marriage, to Ealhflæd, followed shortly afterwards; Æthelred's marriage, to Osthryth, is of unknown date but must have occurred before 679, since Bede mentions it in describing the Battle of the Trent, which took place that year. They are ALL PRE-SUPPORTED! ... Alfred sends Aethelred to drive Erik and Sigefrid from London, but the young lord harbors ambitions of his own. Who was Edward the Elder? The last Hwiccean ruler to take the title of king was Oshere, who died in 685; but from the mid-670s he sought Æthelred's consent for his grants, and Æthelred regarded him as a subking. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. However the news was a lie and while he was away his own kingdom had been left undefended, and his people were dying. Lost Kingdom Miniatures has the pleasure to show you our 3D PRINTABLE MINIATURES for KINGDOM of MERCIA. Meet the star behind Stiorra. Historians believe his health deteriorated and his wife took over as the ruler of Mercia, and she joined forces with her brother Edward in battles. He was the son of Penda of Mercia and came to the throne in 675, when his brother, Wulfhere of Mercia, died from an illness. [4][14] Æthelred's date of birth is unknown, but Bede describes Wulfhere as a youth at the time of his accession in 658, so it is likely he and Æthelred were in their middle teens at that time. Where is he in season 4. [39][52], Osthryth was murdered in 697, for reasons unknown; according to Bede the murderers were "her own people, the Mercian chieftains". We’re first introduced to Aethelflaed, the future iron lady of Mercia, in the first season of Netflix’s The Last Kingdom. This translation is by Leo Sherley-Price, from Bede. Æthelred's wife, Osthryth, was a daughter of King Oswiu, one of the dominant 7th-century Northumbrian kings. It was also at this time that the Hwicce came more definitely into the Mercian orbit. Married at 16 to Aethelred, Lord of Mercia, Aethelflaed's new lands were the front line as an uneasy and fitful peace came to a fiery end with Alfred's death in 899. In the fourth season Aethelred was supported in his battle plans by Eardwulf (Jamie Blackley) and he had been having an affair with Eardwulf's sister, Eadith (Stefanie Martini). In 868, Viking invaders (from Denmark) occupied Nottingham. Penda defeated Edwin of Northumbria in the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633 and Oswald of Northumbria at the Battle of Maserfield in 642. The Last Kingdom cast: Who is Thea Sofie Loch Naess? Viewers saw a whole different side to Aethelred after he learned he was not going to recover from his injuries, and he lay on his death bed. 7. The Last Kingdom: Aethelred is based on a real person, The Last Kingdom: Aethelred on his death bed. The rule of Penda saw Mercia become the dominant Kingdom in England. Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians (or Ealdorman Æthelred of Mercia) (died 911) became ruler of English Mercia shortly after the death of its last king, Ceolwulf II in 879. In 679 he defeated his brother-in-law, Ecgfrith of Northumbria, at the Battle of the Trent: the battle was a major setback for the Northumbrians, and effectively ended their military involvement in English affairs south of the Humber. The Last Kingdom: Eadith was Aethelred's mistress, The Last Kingdom: Aethelred suffered a blow to the head. Aethelred, Lord of Mercia. 7. Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians became ruler of English Mercia shortly after the death of its last king, Ceolwulf II in 879. [27] The damage to the see of Rochester was so great that the incumbent bishop, Putta, retired from his diocese; his appointed successor, Cwichhelm, also gave up the see "because of its poverty". newspaper archive. [20] Wulfhere survived the defeat, but died in 675, possibly of disease,[21] and Æthelred became king. The Vikings drove Burgred, the last king of Mercia, from his kingdom in 874. When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. For Wessex and Kent, Bede had informants who supplied him with details of the church's history in each province, but he appears to have had no such contact in Mercia, about which he is less well-informed. Alfred eyes the kingdom of Mercia, and chaos erupts when Guthred's alliance crumbles. 883 (during) Aethelred had to concede that Mercia could not match the power of Wessex under Alfred the Great and submitted to his father-in-law. The disappearance of the shadowy Ceolwulf II, the King of Mercia, is one of the great mysteries of the late 9 th century. The brother and sister act have a plan to overthrow the Lord of Mercia, and Eadith is trying to win him over by acting as his mistress. [35] However, the Battle of the Trent effectively ended Northumbrian involvement in southern Britain. The Last Kingdom (2015 ... Uhtred, refuses and goes into hiding. For example, in the Last Kingdom, he is shown to be weak and abusive, but there is no evidence to support this in history. The power-hungry Aethelred is later injured during the huge battle at Tettenhall, where his wife Aethelflaed had been fighting the Danes. [5] In 642 Penda killed Oswald at the battle of Maserfield,[6] and Northumbria was again divided. He succeeded his brother Wulfhere in 675 and early on spent most of his time in warfare. DON'T MISS...The Last Kingdom season 4: What happened to Beocca? [25] It may also be that Æthelred sought revenge for the murder of the sons of Eormenred of Kent; the murders had been instigated by Ecgberht of Kent, Hlothhere's brother, and it is possible that Æthelred was the uncle of the murdered princes. The Chronicle's anonymous scribe appears to have incorporated much information recorded in earlier periods.[11]. He is more informative on the outcome. [22][23], The first recorded act of Æthelred's reign is in 676, when his armies ravaged Kent, destroying Rochester, the seat of the bishops of West Kent. The Last Kingdom: Season 2 (Trailer) Episodes The Last Kingdom ... who lays plans for escape. Alfred the Great was indeed King of Wessex from 871 to 899. By the 7th century, England was almost entirely divided into kingdoms ruled by the Anglo-Saxons who had come to Britain two hundred years before. Ælfwine, the young subking of Deira, was killed; Ælfwine was brother to Osthryth and Ecgfrith, and was well liked in both Mercia and Northumbria since Æthelred's marriage to Osthryth. It also permanently returned the kingdom of Lindsey to Mercia's possession. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Alan Thacker, "St Wilfrid", in Lapidge et al., "Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England", pp. A possible explanation is that Æthelred was preoccupied with war with the Welsh. He was known as a pious and devout Christian king, and he made many grants of land to the church. READ MORE: The Last Kingdom: Was King Edward real? Aethelred took his army to East Anglia in a bid to take over the lands while the Danes were supposedly in Ireland. Aethelred appears to be both the perfect match for Aethelflaed and a good ally for Alfred as he strives to extend his influence outside Wessex. 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. Aethelflaed (Millie Brady), Edward's sister, the Lady of Mercia, wanders in his court, trying to protect herself from her husband, Lord Aethelred (Toby Regbo), who tried to have her killed in Season 3. æthelred of mercia last kingdom. [9][25] The West Saxons managed a significant military resurgence under Cædwalla, king of Wessex from about 685 to 688, but when Cædwalla departed for Rome on pilgrimage there may have been internal strife before Ine, his successor, took the throne. Last Kingdom: How accurate is The Last Kingdom? Æthelred's descent is unknown, and he does not appear to have been closely related to his immediate predecessors, although his name suggests possible descent from earlier Mercian kings. Since 882AD, Aethelred, an ally of King Alfred’s, had ruled Mercia. As The Last Kingdom depicts, he was a well-liked ruler with a reputation among his people for being level-headed and merciful.. The suggestion is due to D.W. Rollason, and is described by Kirby. [43] In Kent, Oswine emerged as king, though only in eastern Kent; the western half of the kingdom was ruled by Swæfheard, son of Sæbbi, the king of Essex. [36], A conflict between Bishop Wilfrid of York and the church and secular establishment led to Wilfrid's expulsion from Northumbria and the division of his vast diocese, and Æthelred sided with Ecgfrith against Wilfrid. Osthryth was murdered in unknown circumstances in 697, and in 704 Æthelred abdicated, leaving the throne to Wulfhere's son Coenred. The Last Kingdom season 5: Will Uhtred claim back Bebbanburg? Further evidence of Æthelred's involvement among the Hwicce comes from a charter in which he grants land for a minster in Gloucestershire, in Hwiccean territory; the charter is generally thought to be a fabrication, but it appears to be based on an authentic earlier source. [37][38] Æthelred now supported Wilfrid, making him bishop of the Middle Angles, and defending him at the Council of Austerfield in about 702, when Wilfrid argued his case before an assembly of bishops led by Archbishop Berhtwald of Canterbury. 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