Rædwulf was king of

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

for a short time. His ancestry is not known, but it is possible that he was a kinsman of Osberht and Ælla. Rædwulf became king when

Æthelred Æthelred (; ) 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 princes of Kent * � ...

son of Eanred was deposed. Coins from his reign are known, but other than a report of his death fighting pagans (i.e.,

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

) in

Roger of Wendover Roger of Wendover (died 6 May 1236), probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century. At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell ...

's ''

Flores Historiarum The ''Flores Historiarum'' (Flowers of History) is the name of two different (though related) Latin chronicles by medieval English historians that were created in the 13th century, associated originally with the Abbey of St Albans. Wendover's ...

'', nothing more is recorded of him. Annals incorporated in ''Flores Historiarum'' date this reign to 844, but the annalist's chronology is not necessarily reliable. The recent discovery of a coin of King Eanred, dated on stylistic grounds to

circa Circa is a Latin word meaning "around, approximately". Circa or CIRCA may also refer to: * CIRCA (art platform), in London * Circa (band), a progressive rock supergroup * Circa (company), an American skateboard footwear company * Circa (contempora ...

850, led to a reappraisal of the reigns of Northumbrian rulers in the 9th century. As a result, Rædwulf's reign is now thought to have been c. 858 rather than 844. The

numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

and written evidence agrees that Æthelred was restored to the kingship after Rædwulf's death.

Notes

References

* Kirby, D.P., ''The Earliest English Kings.'' London: Unwin, 1991. * Higham, N.J., ''The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350–1100.'' Stroud: Sutton, 1993. * * * Yorke, Barbara, ''Kings and Kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England.'' London: Seaby, 1990.

External links

* * The

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities University museum, museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard ...

'
Corpus of Early Medieval Coin Finds website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raedwulf Of Northumbria Year of birth unknown 844 deaths Northumbrian monarchs 9th-century English monarchs