Alhred or Alchred was king of

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

from 765 to 774. He had married Osgifu, either the daughter of Oswulf, granddaughter of Eadberht Eating, or Eadberht's daughter, and was thus related by marriage to

Ecgbert, Archbishop of York Ecgbert (died 19 November 766) was an 8th-century cleric who established the archdiocese of York in 735. In 737, Ecgbert's brother became king of Northumbria and the two siblings worked together on ecclesiastical issues. Ecgbert was a corresponde ...

. A genealogy survives which makes Alhred a descendant of

Ida of Bernicia Ida () (died c. 559) is the first known king of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia, which he ruled from around 547 until his death in 559. Little is known of his life or reign, but he was regarded as the founder of a line from which later Anglo-Saxo ...

through a son named Eadric.

History

Æthelwald Moll was deposed in 765 and Alhred became king. Little is said of his reign in the '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' other than the bare facts that he became king, and was then deposed and exiled in 774.

Symeon of Durham __NOTOC__ Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (died after 1129) was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. Biography Symeon entered the Benedictine monastery at Jarrow as a youth. It moved to Durham in 1074, and he was professed in 1085 or ...

's ''Historia Regum Anglorum'' reports that he fled to the kingdom of the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from e ...

, where he was received by King Ciniod."Alhred king of Northumbria", ''A Biographical Dictionary of Dark Age Britain'',(Ann Williams, Alfred P. Smyth, David Peter Kirby, D. P. Kirby, eds.) Psychology Press, 1991
/ref> Early Medieval Silver denarius of Alhred (FindID 121413)

Early Medieval Silver denarius of Alhred (FindID 121413)

Frank Stenton Sir Frank Merry Stenton, FBA (17 May 1880 – 15 September 1967) was an English historian of Anglo-Saxon England, and president of the Royal Historical Society (1937–1945). The son of Henry Stenton of Southwell, Nottinghamshire, he was edu ...

notes Ahlred's connection to the English missions on the continent. The mission of Saint Willehad, which led to the founding of the Archbishopric of Bremen, was authorised by a religious assembly called by Alhred. A letter from Alhred to Saint Lull, Archbishop of Mainz, a native of

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

, also survives. Alhred was succeeded by

Æthelred Æthelred (; ang, Æþelræd ) or Ethelred () is an Old English personal name (a compound of '' æþele'' and '' ræd'', meaning "noble counsel" or "well-advised") and may refer to: Anglo-Saxon England * Æthelred and Æthelberht, legendary prin ...

, son of Æthelwald Moll. Alhred's son Osred would later be king. A second son, Alhmund, would be killed in the reign of

Eardwulf Eardwulf or Eardulf is an Anglo-Saxon male name. Notable people with the name include: * Eardwulf of Northumbria, (floruit late 8th/early 9th century), ruler of Northumbria * Eardwulf of Kent (floruit middle 8th century), ruler of Kent * Eardwulf, ...

and develop a cult as Alcmund of Derby.

References

External links

* {{Kings of Northumbria Northumbrian monarchs 8th-century English monarchs Idings

History

Further reading

See also

References

External links