Cuthred or Cuþræd was the King 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 ...
from 740 (739 according to
Simeon 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 o ...
, 741 according to
John of Worcester
John of Worcester (died c. 1140) was an English monk and chronicler who worked at Worcester Priory. He is usually held to be the author of the ''Chronicon ex chronicis''.
''Chronicon ex chronicis''
The ''Chronicon ex chronicis'' is a world wide ...
) until 756. He succeeded
Æthelheard, his relative and possibly his brother.
Cuthred inherited the kingdom while
Mercia
la, Merciorum regnum
, conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia
, common_name=Mercia
, status=Kingdom
, status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879)Client state of Wessex ()
, life_span=527–918
, era=Heptarchy
, event_start=
, date_start=
, ye ...
was at its peak. The two kingdoms often fought in Cuthred's first three years, but it appears that
Æthelbald of Mercia
Æthelbald (also spelled Ethelbald or Aethelbald; died 757) was the King of Mercia, in what is now the English Midlands from 716 until he was killed in 757. Æthelbald was the son of Alweo and thus a grandson of King Eowa. Æthelbald came to t ...
was Wessex's overlord and that Æthelbald compelled Cuthred to join him in fighting the
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
in 743.
This alliance would not last long.
[Sharon Turner, ''The history of the Anglo-Saxons from the earliest period to the Norman conquest'', Volume 1 (Philadelphia: Carey & Hart, 1841), p. 267]
Cuthred's reign was a troubled time. In 748, the
Ætheling Cynric, son of Cuthred, attempted to depose his father but he was killed.
[''The Chronicle of Henry of Huntingdon'', ed. & trans. Thomas Forester (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853), p. 129] According to the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...
'', Æthelbald may have encouraged Cynric to rebel.
[Sharon Turner, ''The history of the Anglo-Saxons from the earliest period to the Norman conquest'', Volume 1 (Philadelphia: Carey & Hart, 1841), p. 267, note i]
In 750, the
ealdorman
Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...
Æthelhun led an unsuccessful rebellion he was winning until he was severely injured.
[Mike Ashley, ''The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens'' (New york: Carroll & Graf, 1999), p. 311]
In 752, Cuthred, assisted by the now faithful Æthelhun, led a successful rebellion against Æthelbald at
Battle Edge
Battle-Edge is a former Field (agriculture), field, located beside Sheep Street and Tanners Lane, in Burford in Oxfordshire, England where Æthelbald of Mercia, King Æthelbald of Mercia was defeated by Cuthred of Wessex, King Cuthred of the West ...
in
Burford
Burford () is a town on the River Windrush, in the Cotswolds, Cotswold hills, in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England. It is often referred to as the 'gateway' to the Cotswolds. Burford is located west of Oxford and southeas ...
and secured independence from Mercia for the rest of his reign.
[Frank Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England (Oxford University Press, 1971), p. 204] He is also said to have fought the
Cornish in 753.
Cuthred died in 756, but he left a stronger and more independent Wessex.
He was succeeded by
Sigeberht who is identified as his distant relative.
See also
*
House of Wessex family tree
This is a list of monarchs of Wessex until AD 886. For later monarchs, see the List of English monarchs. While the details of the later monarchs are confirmed by a number of sources, the earlier ones are in many cases obscure.
The names are give ...
References
External links
*
Anglo-Saxon warriors
West Saxon monarchs
756 deaths
8th-century English monarchs
Year of birth unknown
House of Wessex
{{England-noble-stub