Eadred

On the death of his elder brother King Edmund I, the late king’s two sons were passed over by the Witan due to their youth in favour of his younger brother Eadred, who was in his early twenties at the time of his accession to England’s throne.

Eadred was reported to be a small and slightly built man, who suffered from ill-health for most of his life, in the form of a wasting disease which sometimes rendered him unable even to eat. Nevertheless, he was a man of considerable courage and resolution.

Eadred inherited a volatile climate from his brother Edmund. In 947 he reinforced his control of Northumbria, and the Northumbrians acknowledged his overlordship, but it soon fell back into the hands of the Viking ruler and former King of Norway, Eric Bloodaxe, son of Norwegian king Harald Fairhair.

In revenge Eadred ravaged all of Northumbria and sacked Ripon in 948. The Northumbrians submitted to Eadred, but in around 949/950 they accepted another Norse king as their ruler, Olaf Sihtricson. Olaf was King of Northumbria at least twice over a span of 40 years. Olaf’s reign was short, and in 952 the Northumbrians overthrew Olaf in favour of Eric Bloodaxe, who became their king once again. Eric Bloodaxe reigned until he was expelled and killed in 954; he was to be the last of the Viking kings of York.

The Northumbrians then resumed their allegiance to Eadred, who gained control for the third time, and ruled Northumbria for the remainder of his reign.

Sadly for Eadred his continuous health problems eventually took their toll and he began to deteriorate considerably. Still only in his early thirties, in November 955 he passed away in Frome, Somerset and was buried in Old Minster in Winchester. You can still see an ornate mortuary chest at Winchester Cathedral said to contain Eadred’s bones.

Upon his death, unmarried and without heirs, the throne passed to his nephew Eadwig.