Within a year of his accession he invaded Kent, where his armies destroyed the city of Rochester. In Wessex Alfred arranges the marriage of his daughter Aethelflaed to the young king of Mercia Aethelred and sends Hild and Ragnar to rescue Uhtred, which they accomplish when the ship comes ashore to winter. Last Kingdom: How accurate is The Last Kingdom? [55], In 704, Æthelred abdicated to become a monk and abbot at Bardney, leaving the kingship to his nephew Coenred. The Last Kingdom season 5: Does Stiorra die in a new series? Arrogant lord of Mercia. Penda defeated Edwin of Northumbria in the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633 and Oswald of Northumbria at the Battle of Maserfield in 642. Despite its focus on the history of the church, this work also provides valuable information about the early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The Last Kingdom season 5: Will Brida become the enemy in new series? Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. [1] The earliest Mercian king about whom definite historical information has survived is Penda of Mercia, Æthelred's father. He married Æthelflæd (c872-918) 886 JL in England, United Kingdom. When it came to the true parentage of Aethelflaed of Mercia’s daughter Aelfwynn, The Last Kingdom tore up the history books and introduced some Danish blood into the … [58] It appears that Æthelred continued to have influence in the kingdom after his abdication: a passage in Stephen of Ripon's Life of Wilfrid shows Æthelred summoning Coenred to him and advising him to make peace with Wilfrid. June 2020. He is embarrassed about being late to the fight, and feels his men will look down on him as his wife is the more proactive fighter. Æthelred was the lord of Mercia and the husband of Æthelflæd. Æthelred's and Osthryth's interest in Bardney is consistent with this pattern. He was chosen by his people to rule over the remainder of Mercia. Lost Kingdom Miniatures has the pleasure to show you our 3D PRINTABLE MINIATURES for KINGDOM of MERCIA. Further evidence of Æthelred's involvement among the Hwicce comes from a charter in which he grants land for a minster in Gloucestershire, in Hwiccean territory; the charter is generally thought to be a fabrication, but it appears to be based on an authentic earlier source. DON'T MISS...The Last Kingdom season 4: What happened to Beocca? A shy, blonde child who recoils at the mere sight of the show’s hero Uhtred, she was raised, most likely by her pious mother Aelswith, to fear the heathen her father King Alfred despised and respected. [43] In Kent, Oswine emerged as king, though only in eastern Kent; the western half of the kingdom was ruled by Swæfheard, son of Sæbbi, the king of Essex. Ecclesiastical History of the English People, "Osthryth (Ostrith) (d. 697), queen of the Mercians", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Æthelred_of_Mercia&oldid=1010824514, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Zaluckyj, Sarah, & Zaluckyj, John, "The Age of Mercian Supremacy", in, This page was last edited on 7 March 2021, at 14:53. The Last Kingdom is a popular historical drama airing on Netflix and is based on The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell. Aethelred was a son of King Penda. [60], Æthelred had at least one son, Ceolred. By the 7th century, England was almost entirely divided into kingdoms ruled by the Anglo-Saxons who had come to Britain two hundred years before. Æthelred was the son of Penda of Mercia. The Last Kingdom season 4 ending explained: What happened at the end? Æthelred may have been the man of the same name who attested two Mercian charters in the late 860s, but he is not listed in the two sur… In 868, Viking invaders (from Denmark) occupied Nottingham. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. The Last Kingdom season 5: Will Uhtred claim back Bebbanburg? Æthelflæd was born around 870 at the height of the Viking invasions of England. He is an Ealdorman of Mercia. But Uhtred steps aside to let Aethelflaed take the throne, even … Aethelred is one of the main antagonists in the series and he was first introduced in season two, when he was picked as a suitor to marry Aethelflaed. The Chronicle's anonymous scribe appears to have incorporated much information recorded in earlier periods.[11]. He may have been related to King Alfred's Mercian father-in-law, Æthelred Mucel, and brother-in-law, Æthelwulf, who appears to have been a member of Æthelred's court from the mid 880s. Still, he joins in the battle but is very nearly killed, when he is knocked into a ditch, hitting the back of his head. [9], The main source for this period is Bede's History, completed in about 731. [16][25][32], Bede does not mention the cause of the battle, simply saying that it occurred in the ninth year of Ecgfrith's reign. The Last Kingdom (2015 ... Uhtred, refuses and goes into hiding. ), king of Mercia, who was a benefactor of many churches in his several provinces and at last retired to a monastery. [25] It may also be that Æthelred sought revenge for the murder of the sons of Eormenred of Kent; the murders had been instigated by Ecgberht of Kent, Hlothhere's brother, and it is possible that Æthelred was the uncle of the murdered princes. A coup in 658 threw off Northumbrian overlordship and established Wulfhere as king. Aethelflaed (Millie Brady), Edward's sister, the Lady of Mercia, wanders in his court, trying to protect herself from her husband, Lord Aethelred (Toby Regbo), who tried to have her killed in Season 3. [35] However, the Battle of the Trent effectively ended Northumbrian involvement in southern Britain. Theodore, the beloved of God, enlisting God's help, smothered the flames of this awful peril by his wholesome advice. In return for this help, Aethelred signed a pact with Alfred that acknowledged Wessex’s supremacy. He starts pushing on the side of Aethelred's head before his neck is heard snapping, and he lays lifeless. Aethelred, (died 716, Bardney, Eng. 883 (during) Aethelred had to concede that Mercia could not match the power of Wessex under Alfred the Great and submitted to his father-in-law. The power-hungry Aethelred is later injured during the huge battle at Tettenhall, where his wife Aethelflaed had been fighting the Danes. [12][13] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle gives Penda's age as fifty in 626, and credits him with a thirty-year reign, but this would put Penda at eighty years old at the time of his death, which is generally thought unlikely as two of his sons (Wulfhere and Æthelred) were young when he was killed. Aethelred had liberated his kingdom from Viking rule with the help of Wessex. Æthelred (/ˈæθəlrɛd/; died after 704) was king of Mercia from 675 until 704. [26] A third suggestion is that the kings of Essex solicited the invasion, in response to recent Kentish attempts to gain dominance over the East Saxons. The eldest child of the King Alfred of Wessex, Æthelflæd was thought to have been a strong, independent and well educated lady. [INTERVIEW]. Burgred of Mercia is a character on The Last Kingdom television series. 4. 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