Eadred

Eadred
Eadred in the early fourteenth century Genealogical Roll of the Kings of England
King of the English
Reign	26 May 946 – 23 November 955
Coronation	16 August 946 Kingston-upon-Thames
Predecessor	Edmund I
Successor	Eadwig
Born	923 Wessex, England
Died	23 November 955 (aged 31–32) Frome, Somerset
Burial	Old Minster, Winchester. Bones now in Winchester Cathedral
House	Wessex
Father	Edward, King of Wessex
Mother	Eadgifu of Kent
Religion	Catholicism (pre-reformation)

Eadred (also Edred) (923 – 23 November 955) was King of the English from 946 until his death in 955, in succession to his elder brother Edmund I.

Eadred was a son of Edward the Elder by his third marriage, to Eadgifu, daughter of Sigehelm, ealdorman of Kent. He succeeded his elder brother King Edmund I (r. 939-946), who was stabbed to death at Pucklechurch (Gloucestershire), on St Augustine's Day, 26 May 946. The same year, on 16 August, Eadred was consecrated by Archbishop Oda of Canterbury at Kingston upon Thames (Surrey, now Greater London), where he appears to have received the submission of Welsh rulers and northern earls.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 946 records that Eadred "reduced all the land of Northumbria to his control; and the Scots granted him oaths that they would do all that he wanted." Nevertheless, Eadred soon faced a number of political challenges to the West-Saxon hegemony in the north. Unfortunately, there are some notorious difficulties with the chronology of the events described in the historical sources, but it is clear that there were two Scandinavian princes who set themselves up as kings of Northumbria.

Óláf Sihtricson, otherwise known as Amlaíb Cuarán ('Sandal'), had been king of Northumbria in the early 940s when he became Edmund's godson and client king, but he was later driven out. He then succeeded his cousin as King of Dublin, but after a heavy defeat in battle in 947, he was once again forced to try his luck elsewhere. Shortly thereafter, Olaf was back in business, having regained the kingdom of York. What Eadred thought of the matter or how much sympathy he bore for his brother's godson can only be guessed at, but it seems that he at least tolerated Olaf's presence. In any event, Olaf was ousted from the kingship a second time by the Northumbrians, this time in favour of Eric son of Harald, according to MS E of the Chronicle.