Eormenred (died before 664) was a member of the royal family of the
Kingdom of Kent
la, Regnum Cantuariorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the Kentish
, common_name = Kent
, era = Heptarchy
, status = vassal
, status_text =
, government_type = Monarchy ...
, who is described as
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
in some texts. There is no contemporary evidence for Eormenred, but he is mentioned in later
hagiographies
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...
, and his existence is considered possible by scholars.
[S. E. Kelly,]
Eorcenberht
, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''
In the
Kentish royal legend
The Kentish Royal Legend is a diverse group of Medieval texts which describe a wide circle of members of the royal family of Kent from the 7th to 8th centuries AD. Key elements include the descendants of Æthelberht of Kent over the next four ge ...
, Eormenred is described as a son of
Eadbald, who was King of Kent from 616 to 640,
and his second wife
Emma
Emma may refer to:
* Emma (given name)
Film
* Emma (1932 film), ''Emma'' (1932 film), a comedy-drama film by Clarence Brown
* Emma (1996 theatrical film), ''Emma'' (1996 theatrical film), a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow
* Emma (1996 TV film), '' ...
, who may have been a Frankish princess. "Eormenred" is a name of Frankish origin, as is that of his brother,
Eorcenberht.
Before his father's death, Eormenred married Oslava and had at least four children, possibly five: two sons,
Æthelred and Æthelberht
Saints Æthelred and Æthelberht (also ''Ethelred'', ''Ethelbert'') according to the Kentish royal legend (attested in the 11th century) were princes of the Kingdom of Kent who were murdered in around AD 669, and later commemorated as saints and ...
, and two daughters,
Domne Eafe
Domne Eafe (; floruit late 7th century), also ''Domneva'', ''Domne Éue'', ''Æbbe'', ''Ebba'', was, according to the Kentish royal legend, a granddaughter of King Eadbald of Kent and the foundress of the double monastery of Minster in Thanet P ...
and Eormengyth. Eormenburh may be a further daughter, or a synonym for Domne Eafe.
[Mary Dockray-Miller, ''Motherhood and mothering in Anglo-Saxon England'', p.19]
Following his father's death, Eorcenberht ascended to the throne. The description of Eormenred as king may indicate that he ruled jointly with his brother or, alternatively, that he held a subordinate position while being granted the title of "king". He died before his brother, and is said to have left his two sons in Eorcenberht's care. However, after Eorcenberht himself died, his son and successor
Ecgberht arranged for the murder of these potential rival claimants to the throne, who were later venerated as saints.
Wasyliw, Patricia Healy. ''Martyrdom, Murder, and Magic: Child Saints and Their Cults in Medieval Europe'', Peter Lang, 2008, p. 74
/ref> Domne Eafe was not killed, and was subsequently granted land on Thanet by Ecgberht for a monastery, as penance for the murder of her brothers.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eormenred Of Kent
Kentish monarchs
7th-century English monarchs
House of Kent